Harmonize with Summer
It’s early June and summer is on the way.
In Chinese Medicine, each season is associated with a different emotion. Summer is for joy! It is considered the most Yang of the seasons and is all about spending time in daylight, being with those who light you up, and leaning into the activities that spark your creativity.
This fire season is related to Heart energy. This can mean leaning into love and having deep conversations with those you care about. Fill your Heart with nourishing and delicious red foods like strawberries, cherries, raspberries, and beets.
While it's normal to feel some of this Heart energy rising and bubbling up during this time of year, sometimes it can run too hot and can lead toward feelings of anxiety. You may experience this as your heart beating fast, skipping a beat, or feeling like it's stuck in your throat. Your dreams may be incredibly vivid and realistic. Even your face may be flushing and more red than usual. These are signs that you need to cool your Heart.
Beautiful ways to calm the fire involve being around water - whether that's taking a bath or going to the beach to look at the ocean. Even mindfully and carefully washing your hands is an easy way to cleanse and soothe some of the heat sensations.
There are very specific Chinese herbal formulas targeted exactly for this Heart heat. An herb that is powerfully calming for the Heart is Sour Jujube Seed/Zizyphus/Suan Zao Ren. It has a sweet and sour flavor which helps to nourish the Heart and calm the spirit.
When you harmonize with summer season, you feel balanced and energized. Decisions and activities flow easily and with less effort. It's a great time to use the summer energy for activities like hiking in nature, dancing to music, and creating art projects.
You can get support to feel balanced and energized through seasonal herbal formulas and acupuncture. Book a free consult with me to talk more about your individualized Treatment Plan.
Gabi Curbelo is a licensed acupuncturist in Albany, CA specializing in therapeutic and intuitive treatments for wellbeing, musculoskeletal pain management, and facial concerns.
