How to Be in Harmony with Summer!
As of June 21st it is officially summer 2024 and the season of ABUNDANCE!
Summer is the fullest expression of Yang, it’s hot, dry, daylight, it’s active and fiery. Yin is the opposite and is cool, fluid, nighttime, meditative. In these hot summer months, it can sometimes be a challenge to keep the two balanced.
In Chinese medicine, each season has a set of paired organs that are associated with it, but for the season of summer, there are actually four!
Heart
The Heart governs the blood and is responsible for the Shen or Spirit.
Pericardium
The Pericardium is called the ‘heart wrapper’ and protects the heart from external influences like a temperature change or a pathogenic invasion.
Small Intestine
The Small Intestine receives food and fluids from the stomach and then separates it into pure and turbid, this also applies to emotions in the sense of making the distinctions between positive and negative thinking.
San Jiao
The San Jiao is a Chinese organ and is translated as the Triple Burner or Triple Heater. It’s closely associated with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th chakras or energy centers of the body. The San Jiao is a bit of a mysterious organ with it’s main job being a conductor for spreading energy throughout the body.
All of these belong to the Fire element, the emotions are Joy or Agitation, the taste is bitter and color, of course, is red.
How to Attune to the Season
So, now that we are in summer, how do we attune or make friends with the season? Here’s some tips:
To be in circadian harmony: Awaken very early in the morning preferably at sunrise. Hey, 5am clubbers!
To find comfort: Drink hot liquids and take warm showers, which will open the pores and bring on sweating! Quite the opposite of what we usually think for summer- cold drinks, ice and what not actually blocks the heat from releasing.
Not too cold: Try not to overdo raw, cold foods. Combining too much cold food (Ice, ice cream, raw fruits and vegetables) with summer heat can weaken the digestive organs since cold contracts. Practice moderation!
To find balance: Depending on how hot it is in your area, you may want to consider adding a mineral supplement to your regimen in the hot summer months. Since we have a tendency to sweat more, we could be losing minerals which can weaken the system.
Cooking Tips!
The main rule of thumb is to cook things on high temp and for a very short period of time. It’s a great way to warm the food up a bit while also maintaining all of the nutrients.
Some cooling fresh foods to incorporate into your diet are salads, sprouts like mung, soy, or alfalfa, fruit, cucumber, tofu, watermelon, lemon, and limes. Also mint, chamomile or chrysanthemum teas are great for the summer heat!
One more note, don’t feel like you need to shy away from spice, because they are actually considered helpful in warm weather. Spices will help bring body heat to the surface, open the pores thus allowing the extra heat to be released! This will help you attune to the heat and will help you to feel less affected by it.
This Year’s Summer Recipe Pick!
We all love watermelon, it’s sweet and cooling and actually can be fabulous as a salad! Of course, if you’re watching your sugar intake, be sure to portion this out accordingly because it can be quite addictive!
This is a take on a salad that I had once at Flora in downtown Oakland (RIP Flora) that left such an impression on me. I never forgot it and every time I serve it, people just go bananas for it. It’s a no recipe – recipe, so amounts are really how you like them.
Watermelon Feta Salad
INGREDIENTS
Watermelon
Kalamata Olives, chopped.
Feta Cheese or if you’re dairy free, vegan feta works just as well
Figs, chopped
Pine Nuts or any small, soft nut you prefer, like crushed pistachios
Mint, chopped, small amount to just give the salad some lift!
A simple dressing of Champagne Vinegar and Olive Oil (Good quality)
Approximately 3 tablespoon olive oil to 1 tablespoon of champagne vinegar.
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl add watermelon, chopped olives, chopped figs, pine nuts and chopped mint. Mix well. In a smaller bowl, mix the olive oil and champagne vinegar. Pour it over your salad and then add the feta over the top. Delicious and refreshing with bursts of flavors!
Enjoy the summer and we hope to see you soon!
