According to Chinese Medicine we are now in the element of Fire, Summer, Heart Chi, the most Yang time of the year. This is usually the time when our energy is highest, we want to be more social and have some joyful fun!
In Brendan Kelly’s book “The Yin and Yang of Climate Crisis” he explains “when there is too much or too little Fire within us, what is normally the joy of Summer no longer seems fun. If we have too little Fire , a party doesn’t seem worth going too and we’re not that interested in music and barbeques. It might seem like too much effort to be outside and be around others.” He goes on to say “if we have too much Fire, when our organs, thoughts and emotions are over heated the enjoyment is short lived and we quickly need to go on to the next thing and the next because the enjoyment is short lived.”
I think it can be interesting to reflect on this during this time of easing out of lockdown, when are are all in different situations, emotional and head spaces.
How are you relating to Joy right now?
Where are you finding your Joy?
Or perhaps life feels a bit joyless right now?
Maybe everything is feeling a bit overwhelming and you’re finding it hard just to enjoy the moment when you do get to see others, albeit at a distance.
One thing that stood out for me when I was learning about living seasonally with acupuncturist Kate Henley is that the Heart wants us to be gentle with it. It gets ruffled by rushing, forcing and striving.
I used to think that Joy related to complete hedonism, I used to always have plans to be over excited about and would hype myself up so much before that often I felt very flat afterwards. I can now see that this isn’t necessarily the Joy of the Heart. This Joy is natural, it bubbles up from within, it’s in this moment, and isn’t dependant so much on other. It’s that smile within when you see a puppy playing, or a cat snoring, hearing birds sing or having a morning swim in the sea.
If you are feeling a bit joyless right now, which would be understandable given what we have all been through so far this year, here is an exercise called “Taking Pleasure From the World” from Healing Your Emotions” by Angela and John Hicks:
Keep a daily journal exploring:
In the morning ask yourself and write about “what do I appreciate about my life at present?” and “what am I enjoying about my life at present?”
In the evening ask “what have I learned from today?”, “what positive things happened today?” and “what have I give out today?”
If on the other hand you are feeling overheated, over whelmed or anxious, which also is completely understandable, then you might find it helpful to connect with the Earth element. The Earth helps us with periods of transition and to feel connect and stable in our centre, so that we can think clearly and feel steady. Some ways to “ground” and connect to this energy are:
Walking barefoot
Swimming in the sea
Qi Gong
Eating root vegetables
Time in nature. Trees can be incredibly calming.
Conscious breathing, either balancing the breath (in for 5/6 out for 5/6) or lengthening the exhale (in for 3/4out for 6/8)
Cutting out alcohol, caffeine and sugar
Take care of your heart this summer. One lovely way to nourish it is through singing and music, so crank up your favourite tunes, sing at the top of your voice and have dance like no one is watching.
If you are interested in finding out about how to live life in according to the Elements/ Seasons in Chinese Medicine, I am thrilled to be running a 5 day course this November. It will be online so you can make it into an at home retreat. To find out more please visit this page.
