Seasonal Greetings: Summer

The summer is green thanks to all the spring rain; the heavens have been generous and the earth is abundant.

The three months of summer are called prospering and developing the flower. . .
At night one goes to bed, at dawn one gets up.
The Qi of Heaven and Earth intertwine, the 10,000 beings flower and bring forth fruit . . .
One does not let oneself be overcome by the sun, assisting the brilliance of beauty and strength.
This corresponds with the Summer qi. It is the way that maintains the growth of life.

(Neijing Suwen/Simple Questions ch. 2, translated by Claude Larre SJ)

 A time for joy and play

In this warm and expansive time, I invite you to live fully and cultivate virtues of prosperity, growth and connection:

• Spend some time alone: walk, practice your qigong or tai chi, pull out your yoga mat, swim, walk or sit mindfully in a quiet place.
• Spend time with a friend: have a lunch date with a friend you haven't seen in a while, connect .
• Notice how often you laugh and practice at least one full belly laugh daily.
• Tell a joke, if you are a beginner at this, practice often until your delivery is smooth.

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Heat and the Summertime: Balancing the Yang and Yin

The sun's warmth is the heart of summer's magic; we can spend time at the pool or beach to cool off, enjoy outdoor activities and longer days. The vegetables grow and children play. Warmth or yang inside our bodies helps us digest our food, keep our temperature warm and our spirit enlivened. Whether outside our inside our bodies, we need just the right amount of heat to prosper and not so much that we consume our fluids and "burn up" (heart burn, cravings, inflammation, excessive sweating, irritability, insomnia, etc.).

Our body has the capacity to regulate yang (fire/ heat) with yin (water/cool): we regulate our temperature by sweating. Sweating requires that we have sufficient fluids (drink plenty of water). We need both yin and yang to live and they must communicate well for us to prosper.

Maintaining a good balance of yin and yang also includes choosing a good variety of cooling foods (vegetables, most fish and fruits) and warming foods. Foods that contribute to inflammation include high-protein foods such as animal products, and highly processed foods such as refined sugars, alcohol, and even excessive cheese and other milk products..

If our lifestyle is overly active (yang) and we do not spend sufficient time resting (yin), we can upset our internal balance and take longer to heal from illness or experience "irritable or hot" symptoms anywhere in our body. Likewise, if our diets are too rich in warming and hot foods (pizza, grilled cheese, steaks, ice cream, desserts, alcohol, etc.) we can consume our body's yin and generate internal heat. This internal heat can in turn consume our fluid resources and we can feel tired, irritable, lethargic, and even have trouble sleeping.

This summer consider your balance of activity and rest, practice joy and play and make choices that support your yin and yang. If you have internal heat signs, be sure to look at your food and lifestyle choices this summer to cool off all over.

In partnership ,

Lucía G. Perillan, M.Ac., L.Ac., Dipl.Ac. (NCCAOM)

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