Finding Summer Solace

A cool mist soothes and replenishes, after excess heat and drought

The Benefits of Distraction

Happy Summer!

This is the most yang (active) season of the year, and offers a great opportunity for connecting with playfulness, desire, and joy.  The days start earlier and end later, and the sun shines brightest, offering optimal time for activity and excitement.  Stagnation of blood and energy tends to naturally move and dissipate more during this season, and is often reflected in the brighter twinkle of the eye.

Outdoor “green” exercises are wonderful for offering the Heart-the organ associated with Summer and the Fire element-an opportunity for muscular strengthening, as well as fortifying spontaneity, pleasure, and contentment.  The Fire element corresponds to the pubescent phase of the lifespan. Its qualities are growth, passion, and maturity.

While it’s great to get out and active, it’s also important to maintain a connection with yin (passive/inactive) energy, as the Heart is vulnerable to over-stimulation, often referred to as “heat harassing the Heart,” which can manifest in symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia, palpitations, and agitation or restlessness.

Enter the art of distraction.  If you find yourself feeling less focused during this time of year, or overwhelmed and exhausted by “adulting,” take a minute to listen to what desire(s) your inner voice, or inner child, may be trying to call your attention to, and go with it, at least momentarily.  Maybe resist and disrupt the temptation to slip into negative self-talk and self-lecturing with all the "should's" and "if only's."  Instead, take a deep breath into your lower abdomen, relax your brow and shoulders, and pause for a few moments and practice the Heart's art of just being without doing...  Ask yourself what you really need.  What truly interests you or soothes your mind?  What type of magic might your imagination be offering you?  What serves as a cooling mist for your heart?

A great way to delve deep into distraction is forest-bathing. This can be any habitat that has plants or trees.  It is slightly different from hiking, biking, etc, because it necessitates aimlessness, wandering with the absence of any type of goal or agenda, and engaging all the senses with your surroundings.  Taking in the sights, sounds, smells, textures, and/or general pulse of nature is medicine for the heart-it lowers blood pressure, strengthens immunity, and boosts the mood.

While time may be linear in this dimension as we know it, and we are all physically aging and changing every second from birth, it’s never too late to reclaim our right to play and youthfulness, and quest for ease and joy.