February is thought of as the month of love but June is the month where heart energy is much more active according to Traditional Chinese Medicine. I speak often about the energetic influence the seasons have on different organ systems throughout the year. Why is this so important?
Because in macrobiotic energetic philosophy it’s about the intricate balance between the body and the seasons that allows us to manage our best health. There seems to be more and more information on the subject of seasonal eating, but none focus on what exactly those changes need to be as it’s explained through macrobiotic theory.
With summer being considered a yang season we need to make ourselves yin to balance with it.
Heat dominates summer. It creates a dry heating energy. It’s a good time to balance our cold and damp that may be left over from winter. Dampness is caused by overeating, overdrinking, not taking time to chew, overthinking and under-exercising.
Top foods to avoid and as you move into summer are dairy products, pork and rich meats, peanuts, concentrated juices especially tomato or orange juice, bananas, beer, sugar, wheat bread and saturated fats to name a few.
In this months class, I will be teaching the foods and cooking methods to begin adding as we officially welcome the summer season.
Summertime is a good time to add activity to your day. Vigorous enough to make you sweat. Stimulating the heart muscles allows for more effective detoxing through sweat and breath.
Add pungent foods for better digestion and good quality sweets to help the body burn off excess more efficiently.
The hearts physical function is to control blood circulation and the blood vessels. It is also thought to control consciousness, memory, and sleep.
Imbalances show up as excessive laughter or speech, feelings of overwhelm and emotional worry.
Physically you might feel heavy, overheated or an aversion to heat and restless breathing.
The heart is where we feel and hold love, it makes sense to keep this organ as balanced as possible.
I want my physical heart to be at its best, to support me physically and emotionally as I open up to summer fun.
