Vibrant Growth: Ancient Wisdom for Summer
For so many people, summer is a time of play, rest and connection. It’s also a time of growth, sunlight and abundance as gardens grow. Summer is the season of BBQs, long weekends, gathering with friends, family and chosen family, enjoying the weather and fresh foods that have come into season, taking road trips and adventures. All of these things bring joy, connection and excitement.
In Chinese medicine, the summer solstice (June 20th, 2024) is the height of Yang energy, while the winter solstice is the height of Yin energy. This is a season to get up with the sun and go to bed with the sun. Summer is also the season associated with the Fire Element in Chinese medicine.
Fire Element
Fire, like the Fire Element, is dazzling, exciting, everchanging, consuming and cleansing. The Fire Element is said to govern joy, passion, connection and communication. This is the only element that has two associated paired organ systems in Chinese medicine - Heart + Small Intestine and Pericardium + San Jiao (translates to three containers in English). Please remember that Chinese medicine can be rather metaphorical in how it views the body and that any time I mention an organ system in conjunction with Chinese medicine, I’m referring to what that system is said to represent rather than the physical system within the physical body.
The Heart is considered the Emperor or Empress and houses the Shen (our spirit / consciousness). The Small Intestine is primarily about discernment (separating the pure from the impure in terms of digestion - this includes everything we take in from food to media and more). The Pericardium is the protector of the Heart and San Jiao is an invisible “organ” that encompasses the entire torso and ensures the smooth flow of Qi and fluids throughout the body. While these four may not seem related, they are related through the mental aspects they each represent.
In terms of discernment, the Small Intestine acts much like a secretary for the emperor only allowing the “pure” in and working to expel the impure. The Pericardium acts as a protector and San Jiao ensures that everything gets to where it’s meant to be.
Joy
Joy is the emotion closely associated with the Fire element and the Heart in Chinese medicine. Joy is a wonderful thing that can brighten our days and help us when we’re feeling down. Choosing to notice the little things that bring you joy each day can help you to see how much is going well in your life. This is not to say that there aren’t hard times, hard days or hard months. Choosing to see the joy, even when it’s small, can shine a light that is needed during the harder times. It’s proof that joy can exist even when things are hard.
An easy way to see how much joy you have in your life is to grab a notebook and write down one thing that made you happy each day. This could be as simple as the first sip of a great cup of coffee or seeing someone you love or watching a favourite movie or tv show. It can even be spending a moment in nature with the sun on your face. These don’t have to be big moments of joy. They can be small and simple. By writing them down, you can look back and remember those moments during harder times.
Passion
Joy often will lead to passion. Passion in Chinese medicine isn’t only physical passion, but rather the things that we feel strongly about and are passionate about. This might be a cause that’s near and dear to your heart or perhaps taking the time to make nourishing meals for yourself and those you love. Make some time this summer to do the things you’re passionate about.
Communication + Boundaries
Communication is a wonderful thing that helps to create connection with those around you. Boundaries can be an equally wonderful thing that can help to keep you happy and healthy. One of the fastest ways to tell if a boundary has been crossed is to notice when you start to feel resentful about a situation you find yourself in. Take a few moments to check in with yourself and see if there’s something you want to say or if there’s something that’s making you less than happy. If there is, you may want to choose to not do whatever it is or you may choose to finish it this time and then say no the next time you’re asked. There are so many ways to choose to set boundaries. The first thing is to notice where boundaries are needed. If you’re new to exploring boundaries, Setting Boundaries will set You Free is a book by Nancy Levin that may help.
Cooking
Summer is a season to eat more raw foods, to eat more fresh foods and if you’re cooking, use high heat and cook things quickly (think stir-frying, steaming or sauteing). This is also a great season to play with eating the rainbow because of the abundance of foods that are available. Eating the rainbow is eating something red, orange/yellow, green, blue/purple/black and white/beige each day. Bonus points if you can get all the colours into one meal!
Hydration
Hydrating during the summer months is really important and even more so on hot days. Hydrating doesn’t just mean drinking more water. It can be choosing to eat foods that are naturally hydrating like watermelon and other melons, cucumber, citrus fruit, berries and more. It can also be by drinking things like mint tea. Mint is naturally cooling and you don’t have to drink your tea hot in the summer. I also love having different berry teas available to drink through the summer months as they add variety and can be a change from water. Infused water is another fun way to change things up too. There are a ton of options to try and plenty to explore this summer.
Play and Have Fun This Summer
Summer is a great time to play and have fun. It can be a time to revisit fun things you used to enjoy as a kid or discover new things! If you’re looking for a few new ideas for a new adventure or two, check out our list of 100 Activities to Fill Your Summer! For me, numbers 5, 7, 13,14, 21, 25, 44, 51, 61, 67, 77, 78, 82, 97, 98, 99 and 100 are a must each summer. What are your favourite things to do in the summer?
Andrea
