The Element of Fire is the most accessible to cultivate or overheat in the Summer. The following activities and things are traditionally associated with Summer to nurture and balance the Fire element in Chinese Medical Theory. If we continue to do this year-round, we encourage our bodies to flow with the natural cycle. You don’t have to stick to these things verbatim. They are here for suggestions and focal points to consider.

Signs of Imbalanced Fire Element:
- Restlessness
- Irritability
- Insomnia
- Nightmares
- Inability to feel at peace
- Agitation
- A feeling of compression in the chest
- Palpitations
- Anxiety

Signs of Balanced Fire Element:
- A bright Shen (spirit). A sparkle behind the eyes. Inner radiance.
- A calm, clear mind and presence.
- The capacity to form and cultivate healthy relationships.
- A strong connection with intuition.
- The ability to communicate clearly and state healthy boundaries.
- The capacity for joy, spontaneity, and playfulness.

Characteristics of the Energy of Summer:
- Element: Fire
- Color: Red, Pink
- Organs: The Heart, The Small Intestine
- Emotions: Joy, Agitation
- Energy: Expansion, Radiation
- Sensation: Warmth
- Taste: Bitter

To optimize your health during the next three months, remember that this is a time for growth and expansion.
- Stay out a little later, wake up earlier in the morning (shorter nights, longer days).
- If it’s available to you, rest or nap in the midday.
- Hydrate with electrolytes and eat cooling foods to balance the Fire element.
- Cool (not cold) baths and showers, swimming.
- Seek activities that bring you joy and put you in a flow state.
- Nourish creative projects.
- Find time to play like you did as a child.
- Foods of the Summer:
- Cooling foods: Cucumber, Belgian endive hearts, spinach, tomato, salads, yogurt, wheat, barley, fish, rabbit, mint, dill, cilantro.
- Fruit: Apple, lemon, kiwi, watermelon, orange, pear, pineapple, tangerines.
- Drinks: Lots of water, watermelon juice, green tea (“it disperses summer heat and can expel toxins, cool the heart fire, calm the mind, remove heat from liver and gallbladder, and relieve stomach and lung.”).
- Tea: Mint and Chrysanthemum aid in cooling the body and skin and mildly support liver function.

Journaling Self-Inquiry Questions for the Fire Element:
- How do I experience joy and appreciation?
- Where do I experience joy in my life?
- Where is joy lacking in my life? (work, relationships, sex, home life)
- How do I follow my heart?
- Do I remember a time when I had to protect my heart?
- What do I need in order to open my heart again?
- What do I need in order to feel as if I am living fully?

I highly encourage you to explore these questions. I recommend reading through the questions before or after an energetic practice to see what might bubble up to the surface. Sit with your insights and record them through a journal or through a notes app. You may not get a definitive answer and that is okay. Exploration of our inner world moves hand in hand with the physical and energetic practice of Qigong. As always, keep what resonates with your spirit and let go of everything else.