Heart Meridian - Summer

Summer is the season of peak expression, abundance and expansion, we feel it in the warmth of the sun and observe it in the vibrant, full bloom of the natural world. Even though we can acknowledge the joy of stepping out into the light, modern life often demands we burn bright all the time without rest. In summer there is a collective pressure to fill our social calendars, stay active late into the evening, and constantly exude high energy. Have you ever noticed that when you try to force yourself to be "on" or hyper-productive, you feel anxious, restless, or physically overheated? This is a firm signal that your body is struggling to transition and that you're out of balance.

As a little foundation of TCM, we can explore philosophies that cycle around 5 seasons: Summer, Late Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring. These are represented by the 5 elements; fire, earth, metal, water and wood. Each element has a corresponding yin organ (vital) and a yang organ. Each element is represented by a colour, taste, sound, emotion, muscle and food.  

Yoga and its wonderful philosophies allow us to return back home into ourselves, and weaving in a lot more TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) practices & techniques its helping us to gain a deeper connection to support our wellbeing. Summer may be the time of year where you feel your energy might be erratic or your fuse feels a little shorter than usual from the heat.

Summer brings maximum expansion, passion, connection, peak Yang, and the desire to shine our light. We might feel as though we can’t quite catch our breath, and if you’re a person that finds it difficult to slow down or cultivate stillness, you need to find balance more than anyone else. Yang & Yin are balance, we cannot have one without the other. If we don't know how to channel this intense, fiery energy, the nervous system can become "wound up," leading to anxiety, palpitations, and a sense of mental restlessness. On the other hand, if we can't get our energy moving at all, feeling joyless, burnt out, or cold in the mind and body, we create the same outcome. Yoga helps us become more aware of how we feel, appreciate where we're at and approach self-care and self-development with a sense of acceptance, patience and kindness.

Within this blog you will learn about the corresponding organ(s) and meridian line connected to Summer, how to support it, the emotional response it manifests within the body and what happens when its out of balance.

THE HEART MERIDIAN LINE

The heart meridian starts in the center of the armpit and travels down the inner aspect of the arm (along the inner seam of the bicep and forearm), passing through the wrist and palm before ending at the inside tip of the little finger. There are 9 meridian points along this 'line', you could think of this as an inner stream, a thread or an energetic river. If we have stagnation or a blockage within the body it can manifest as a physical or emotional symptom, think of traffic lights being on a red light, inhibiting movement of energy throughout the whole body. It's interesting to gain awareness of the points along the meridian lines, as by pressing, stretching, compressing, rubbing or having acupuncture can help unblock, improve energy flow and alleviate symptoms.

EMOTION

The Heart’s emotion is joy, but when out of balance, it manifests as mania, overexcitement, or conversely, a total lack of joy and enthusiasm. I’m sure we all naturally notice those moments where when we feel overwhelmed or anxious, we experience a fluttering in our chest or find it hard to sleep at night. When we are balanced and our energy flows, we feel a deep sense of inner peace, compassion, connection, and the ability to speak our truth with love.

ENERGY

Each primary organ is associated with a meridian, or energetic channel, through which Qi is believed to flow. This Qi nourishes and maintains the body's relative balance. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the Heart is thought to be the "Emperor" or "King" of the body, responsible for housing the Shen (our spirit, mind, and consciousness) and governing the blood and blood vessels. This Heart energy is considered vital for mental clarity, restful sleep, and the health of our speech. Unfortunately, stress, overexertion, and lack of cooling downtime can cause Heart Qi to become "agitated" or depleted. While we cannot control the world around us, we can positively impact our internal world by eating cooling foods, managing our fiery reactions, soothing our bodies, and exploring practices that support us when we feel a little burnt out.

UNBALANCED

When our Heart Qi is out of balance, we feel the emotion of anxiety, restlessness, or insomnia at the smallest things. We can't find mental stillness, we feel physically overheated, and we might suffer from a racing heart or vivid, disruptive dreams. It also compromises our sense of connection, so we might feel isolated or experience inappropriate bursts of laughter or emotional vulnerability. Blockages affecting the heart meridian can appear as forgetfulness, a red tongue, poor circulation, and a general feeling of being "spread too thin" or emotionally volatile.

BALANCED

When our Heart energy (Qi) is in balance, we are able to access our deep inner peace, our capacity to love, and our ability to build meaningful relationships. The Heart is associated with our mental clarity and our ability to live with a bright, joyful spirit. The Heart Meridian regulates the smooth flow of emotional warmth in the body, so bringing more awareness to this meridian line can promote harmony and a sense of "unwinding" within the body & mind.

Summer could be a good time to look at what truly brings us joy versus what just burns up our energy. I’m not suggesting we try to avoid social fun or passion; they are beautiful, they tell us we are alive and connected. But maybe we can listen to our excitability, invite our quiet moments to the table and listen (the tongue and speech are the sense of the heart meridian, so let’s express ourselves clearly and mindfully). When we’re in balance, we are warm and radiant, like a steady campfire that comforts everyone around it without burning out of control.

An overview:

• Season: Summer

• Element: Fire

• Yin Organ: Heart

• Yang Organ: Small Intestine

• Emotion: Joy / Anxiety

• Color: Red

• Taste: Bitter

• Sense Organ: Tongue (Speech)

• Tissue: Blood Vessels

If you want to dive deeper into balancing your Fire element this season, come join me on the mat where we'll be focusing on chest-opening Yin shapes, cooling breathwork, and nourishing the heart space.

With love,

Victoria x