Summer is a Season of Yang... and Yin

It is easy to see how summer is a season of yang. We have more light than dark in our days. Energy is flowing up and out from plants and trees. Birdsongs fill the air. Insects fly around. Big, sudden squalls of storms roll through. Outdoor music, festivals, and friendly get-togethers are quick to fill our calendars. The fun of camp - or the hectic nature of being a parent chauffeuring kids from activity to activity - reverberates loud in our collective.

Yet, too much yang and not enough yin makes for big, deep trouble in our worlds - individually and collectively.

Yin and yang are constantly in flux, shifting from one to the other. Out of the yin of winter and darkness, yang ignites. When we feel trapped, or caged, bound in stagnation, inspiration, frustration, and anger will push out on our barriers and the chick will emerge from the egg, the butterfly from the cocoon.

And without yin, yang will run out the fuel that perpetuates it. An uncontained fire will eventually have nothing left to feed on and the quiet of the yin ashes will remain. We can only push ourselves so hard for so long before we burn out.

This is a season of yang, for sure. But if we are not taking adequate time to rest, we are doing ourselves a disservice.

Our culture places extraordinarily - and unnaturally - high value on "maximizing" our time. It rewards constant effort, the always-going, always-on, always pushing forward energy. Manifest Your Destiny! Carpe Diem! You snooze, you lose. The world waits for no man. All those "words of wisdom" indicate that it is better to be moving and striving and pushing than to be sitting still. The world of capitalism is based on what you can produce and what you can consume. The more of each, the better you are. We use the phrase "be a productive member of society" as something to shoot for.

But this is not the way of the natural world. This is not what is energetically balanced. This does not serve us as humans, and actually is a disservice to us. Our yang will burn out, and we will have a decrease in our quality of life.

Summer is also the time for laying out on the field looking at the clouds, or the stars. It is the time for a nap in a hammock. It is the time for sitting around a campfire and sharing stories. In Chinese medicine, this is the season of the Fire element. But Fire must be tempered by Water. Water asks us to use our wisdom, rooted in soul, to determine where and how we extend our energy. While Fire can be fueled by FOMO, Water reminds us that to get the most out of our journey is to savor it. Is to BE in it. To let our yang run amok is a way to not only to actually miss the real deep belly laughs and heartfelt connections in life, but to shorten our lives altogether.

Go, be free, let the space that's available to you be filled up. Laugh with friends. Dance to music. Let your vibrancy shine in the world - this is the medicine of this season.

And don't forget to rest. Listen to your body, to your soul about when to rest and when to express, and you will maximize your deep enjoyment of life and get the most richness out of life. These are way better treasures than what untempered yang will produce.

Need some time to slow down? Check out the upcoming Acupuncture Happy Hours... or book a session with me and return back to your most soulful self.

#yin #yang #yinyangbalance #chinesemedicine #fireelement #waterelement #summer #shamanism