Summer Solstice, A Chinese Medicine Perspective
The Summer Solstice is the peak of Yang, which is the most expansive, active, and outward energy in nature. In Chinese Medicine, Yang energy reaches its highest point on the summer solstice and begins to turn inward, to give rise to yin.
IT IS A TIME TO CELEBRATE LIFE,
NOURISH THE HEART,
AND CULTIVATE BALANCE WITHIN.
The Summer is the season of the Fire Element and the color red. The energetics of summer is full growth, and maturity. Fire’s motion is upward and expansive. It is the complete opposite of the most yin time - Winter Solstice, the water element and the darkest time and shortest day of the year.
Five Element Theory
CHINESE MEDICINE CONNECTS SUMMER TO THE FIRE ELEMENT.
SEASON: SUMMER
ELEMENT: FIRE
ORGAN: HEART
EMOTION: JOY
DIRECTION: SOUTH
COLOR: RED
TASTE: BITTER
THE HEART GOVERNS OUR SPIRIT (SHEN) AND THRIVES IN CONNECTION, JOY, AND A CALM MIND.
Why is this Important?
Because, we are NOT separate from nature.
Every season affects our body. Tuning in to the natural rhythm of our world, and living seasonally, creates more balance in ourselves.
So…
Balance the body with the Fire Element by:
Cultivating Joy
Spending time in nature.
Connecting with friends and your community.
The world desparately needs more connection, human interaction, and love. Drop by a neighbor’s house, engage in conversation with the person standing behind you at the checkout line, or have a summer potluck or barbecue with friends, family, or your local community.
The Heart wants and needs connection. The more we deprive this, the more out of balance we are, as individuals, and as a greater community.
Look for seasonal foods at the grocery store.
Food Therapy
Eat light seasonal summer foods relating to the fire element. Remember, the color of the Fire Element is red. This is nature’s guide to eating seasonally.
Add more red foods like: plums, nectarines, cherries, peaches, goji berries, watermelon, berries, and cranberries
The taste of the Fire Element is bitter, and bitter foods help clear excess heat in the body.
Add in bitter foods like: dandelion greens, watercress, alfalfa sprouts, dark chocolate, arugula, and radish,
Try a new cooling tea like Ju Hua (Chrysanthemum Flower). Add some goji berries for a delicious afternoon drink. Cooling and nourishing.
Recipe:
2-3 Chrysanthemum Flowers (Ask your Acupuncturist or go to local Asian Market herb section)
3-4 Goji Berries
Simmer 15 minutes and enjoy.
ps. Don’t waste the flowers! Use them as a soothing eye compress!
SEASONAL LIVING IS MEDICINE
One of the simplest forms of living seasonally is paying attention.
Morning mindfulness meditation at sunrise:
Take 5-10 minutes, early morning and sit quietly outside.
Slowly, scan your environment.
Notice the quality of light.
Look for the light filtered through the tree branches and leaves.
Notice the reflection of light on water.
Listen to the sounds you hear.
Now, shift your focus inward.
Notice what sensations are happening in the body.
Can you feel a breeze on your skin?
Can you feel the air being drawn up through the nostrils?
Notice how your energy feels right now, and how it is different in summer, than in fall, or winter.
THE MORE WE OBSERVE NATURE, THE MORE WE UNDERSTAND OURSELVES.
THE SAME CYCLES EXIST WITHIN US.
When we tune in, we may notices that there is too much
Yang energy which can show up as:
INSOMNIA
ANXIETY
RESTLESSNESS
IRRITABILITY
HEADACHE'S/MIGRAINES
DEHYDRATION
These are the body’s cues for more Yin in the form of rest, stillness, and hydration.
One of the greatest lessons of Chinese Medicine, is that we don’t have to live the same way all year long.
Nature changes with the seasons, and so do we. The Summer Solstice is an invitation to embrace the season you are in and trust the wisdom of its rhythm.
How are you embracing the longest and brightest day of the year? Yang at its peak?
For me, it is balance. Seeking more yin through reflection, rest, and stillness.
Happy Summer Solstice.