“The three months of summer: This is the season referred to as “thriving and bursting forth into full bloom”. The Qi of Heaven and Earth intermingle, and the Myriad Things form flowers and fruit. Go to be late at night and rise early! Do not get indolent during the day and do not let your will be affected by anger! Make it flourish and bear fruit, and allow the Qi to spill out, as if what you love is on the outside. This is responding to the Qi of summer and the way of nurturing growth.”
Just before Christmas we experienced the summer solstice; the longest day and shortest night of the year. At midsummer, Yang Qi (warm, expansive energy, associated with movement) reaches its peak and Yin Qi (cool, contracted energy, associated with fluids) is at its smallest.
About a week ago here in Melbourne many of our majestic mature gums cracked open to shed their old bark. They’re now showing off their new, luminescent trunks. These gums are a beautiful expression of the upwards and outwards energy of summer.
Summer is a time for joy and fun. A time to be our most glorious and fabulous self. A time to enjoy being active outdoors in the warm weather. It’s a time when projects we’ve worked hard on over the previous months can often come naturally to fruition.
Staying well in Summer
Enjoy the expanded, go-getting energy of summer, but remember that working, exercising or partying too hard can deplete the body. These days many of us are constantly living life at a hectic pace and are perpetually burning up stored resources (our Yin and Yang) all year round. It is all too easy to get too much sun, drink too many cocktails, or attend so many social engagements that one gets exhausted! Activity and expansion always need to be balanced with rest.
What to eat in summer
We all know how important it is to stay well hydrated in hot weather. What many of us forget to consider is the importance of replacing minerals lost through sweating. Minerals are vital for transporting water across cell walls (i.e. getting water from the digestive tract, into the blood and then into the cells of the organs, muscles and other tissues). Some ways to increase your mineral intake include:
· Eating lots (60-70%) of vegetables
· Drinking mineral-rich broths such as bone broth or miso soup
· Eating nourishing soups such as pho and Japanese noodle soups
· Drinking mineral water
· Watermelon and fresh young coconut juice can be wonderful for replenishing proteins and minerals on very hot days or after physical exertion.
Eating bitter vegetables and lots of fresh green herbs can be very helpful in summer. Bitter greens clear heart from the hear and chest, as well as stimulating digestion. Bitter flavours consolidate (help to store) and the Yin of the body. They keep the head clear and keep the body light. Bitter and pungent fresh herbs are also fantastic digestive stimulants. Many also regulate body temperature and sweating, which can really help on a hot day.
· Try some new bitter greens such as rocket, endive, mustard greens, watercress, kang kong, mizuna and dandelion greens
· Bitter-sweet fruiting veggies such as bitter gourds, squash, cucumbers and zucchinis all clear heat from the body
· Use big handfuls of fresh herbs, including parsley, basil, dill, mint, Vietnamese mint, shiso and coriander
Sugar, Ice and alcohol
On a scorching hot day, it’s so very tempting to smash an ice-cream or an ice-cold beer or three. Fruit juices and soft drinks are also pretty tempting. The thing that all these things have in common is that they are very high in sugar and very cold in temperature. There is no doubt they feel fabulous going in, but the poor digestive system then has the arduous task of warming up all that cold fluid to body temperature and processing all that sugar. In the long term (or a little later in the day) we can be left feeling groggy, sluggish and sloshy, with not much of an appetite.
If you do overdo it on the sweet stuff and feel bloated, nauseous, head-achy and exhausted, drinking a little tea sometimes helps the body process the excess fluid.
Sensible advice aside, I hope you’re all having an amazing, exciting, fun-filled summer. I hope your loved ones are near and that your cup of love and joy spills over!
*as quoted by Sabine Wilms in her book Humming with Elephants