Just when you thought you knew what summer was like, nothing is going according to your expectations. This summer has been startling. Overnight, the weather shifted from weeks of cool rain to intense heat. I am fascinated by the dramatic change in weather in New York, while the rain and heat also remind me of my subtropical hometown, Guangzhou.
Summer is one of my favorite seasons because I get to see and experience how nature and plants express their full potential. I love the rain and even the heat.
I looked into the Huang Di Nei Jing, the classic text of Chinese medicine, in search of wisdom for the summer. It states:
The three months of summer,
they denote opulence and blossoming.
The qi of heaven and earth interact and the myriad beings bloom and bear fruit.
Go to rest late at night and rise early.
never get enough of the sun.
let the mind have no anger.
stimulate beauty and have your elegance perfected.
Cause the qi to flow away,
as if that what you loved were located outside.
This is correspondence with the qi of summer and
it is the Way to nourish growth.
Both spring and summer are seasons abundant in Yang energy, making them ideal for nourishing this energy within our bodies. To achieve this, we should engage in more physical activities during the daytime and absorb energy from outdoor, that way it will give opportunities for our pores to open and promotes sweating. And just as plants thrive outdoors, summer is a time for growth and self-improvement. So this summer, let us enjoy both the sunny and rainy days!