This year we haven’t felt much of the classic summer experience—namely, sunshine and warmth. But we are still in the wake of the summer solstice, superblooms are painting the land and the days are long. It is indeed just past the apex of summer; in Chinese medicine, this is the season of fire, joy and the heart.
Most modern Westerners would say without a second thought that the brain is the command center, the organ that controls everything. Yet in Chinese medicine, the heart is supreme “emperor” hidden in the depths of the palace of the body, and that which all other body systems serve. It is the heart that radiates the electromagnetic field around our bodies, and modern science now knows this. The heart commands the blood’s circulation and vital rhythm, it is the emotional center that emanates love and it is the seat of our conscious mind and soul.
Every organ has its own “spirit.” The heart’s is the ultimate spirit, the “Shen,” the home where all other spirits originate and return. The Shen is the brightness of our eyes, the spark of life itself. When the Shen is low, a person looks flat, unanimated, their eyes dull. When Shen is strong, the eyes are bright and dynamic, the cheeks rosy beneath. The mind of the heart is not a fact repository, but rather the seat of conscious awareness and knowledge drawn from the true nature of existence. The emotion of the heart is elation or joy.
Fire is the element of summer and the heart. Summer is peak yang, when the sun is highest and strongest, flooding our days with warmth and long light. Its opposite, the dark yin of the winter kidneys, sinks its water down to balance the ascending heart fire. Healthy heart fire does not blaze up out of control—that could look like high blood pressure, insomnia, anxiety, manic behavior or wildfires after a drought. A healthy heart fire is meant to ripen and mature, bring ideas to manifestation, pour blood through our limbs to inspire movement and expression. A healthy heart fire manifests a joyful life in harmony with natural law.
How do we tend and cultivate this precious heart fire, our creative power, this aspect of physiology that warms and invigorates us to manifest our dreams and goals? The heart’s blood needs to be rich and abundant, and to flow freely. The Shen needs to be clear and bright. This summer, my clinic has seen a theme of stagnation of qi and blood—a stuckness of energy and circulation. While spring is classically a good time to get things moving with its energy of sprouting and unfurling, this spring was foggy and chilly. We haven’t had the seasonal qi to warm us up after a remarkably wet, cold winter.
Breathing is my favorite way to move qi and blood. Go for a swim in the bay or hike up one of our many ridges and the lungs will find their depth and rhythm of breath. Yoga and qi gong also offer breathing practices. A close second would be hydration and nourishment. Without water, blood is scant and will not provide enough flow of inspiration and nourishment. To hydrate well, start the day by slowly sipping 16 oz of warm water, a splash of tart cherry juice, a few teaspoons of maple syrup and a teaspoon of whole salt. Red fruits and stews made of organic, humanely raised meat with dark leafy greens ensure the blood is abundant and strong. Herbs that nourish the blood include mulberry, nettles and hawthorn. For moving qi, citrus rind and mint work well.
In my clinic, I am also seeing anxiety, fear, disconnection from intuition, and a lack of trust in one’s ability to make changes and heal. Who hasn’t been there? When our heart blood is nourished and flowing well, we are naturally calmer. We must nourish and soothe the spiritual aspect of the heart. Many Eastern and Indigenous traditions teach that humans are meant to be guided by the heart, with the thinking mind an obedient subordinate for executing details. A powerful and empowering way to discover what is out of balance is to feel inwardly and perceive our body’s symptoms and sensations for ourselves by listening with the heart. This is different from observing ourselves externally through measurements, diagnoses and mental calisthenics. Turning inward to sense how we feel, or how a remedy works for us, or what we need, opens the door to true self-understanding. This is living from the heart, or Shen. Meditation, dancing, yoga, qi gong, massage, somatic therapy, acupuncture, sauna, sweat lodges, prayer, healthy sex, rituals of many kinds—all help us feel from the heart, allowing emotional energy to flow and cultivating a disposition of love and peace.
It takes courage to let go of the shore of the thinking brain and trust the waters of the heart. But the practice is rewarding, and the health benefits are endless. Just follow your own sovereign heart.
Alison Wood, MSOM and L.Ac, is the proprietor of Abalone Apothecary & Chinese Medicine Clinic in Point Reyes Station. She lives in Forest Knolls.