Spleen Meridian - Late Summer

Late Summer is the season of transition, centering and harvest, a gentle pause where the intense heat of peak summer begins to settle into the grounding stillness of early autumn. We feel it in the ripening of the earth and the golden, mellow warmth of late afternoon sun. Yet, even as nature invites us to slow down and harvest the fruits of our efforts, modern life often demands we stay in a state of constant output. Have you ever noticed that when you try to force yourself to keep racing without taking time to ground, you feel sluggish, anxious, or physically prone to stomach upset and brain fog? This is a firm signal that your body is struggling to transition and that you are out of balance.

As a foundation of TCM, we explore philosophies that cycle around 5 seasons: Summer, Late Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring. These correspond to the 5 elements: Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood. Each element has a corresponding Yin (vital) organ and Yang organ, as well as an associated color, taste, sound, emotion, muscle, and food.

Yoga and its wonderful philosophies allow us to return back home to ourselves. By weaving in TCM practices, we gain a deeper connection to support our overall wellbeing. Late Summer is the time of year when your energy might feel heavy, stuck, or overly scattered from the changing atmosphere.

THE POWER OF THE EARTH ELEMENT

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Earth element serves as the home base and stable center around which all other seasons orbit. Representing stability, grounding, and physical nourishment, Earth is the anchor that holds us steady amidst life's constant fluctuations. Just as mother earth provides soil to nourish seeds and produce a bountiful harvest, the Earth element within us governs our capacity to digest not only physical food, but also thoughts, emotions and life experiences.

When our earth energy is strong, we feel securely rooted, capable of holding space for ourselves and others without feeling drained or overwhelmed. It gives us a sense of home within our own skin and allows us to cultivate true stability, emotionally, mentally and physically.

While Summer brings peak Yang and outward expansion, Late Summer represents this Earth element as a pivotal axis of balance, nourishment, and grounding. It is the time to gather our resources, digest our experiences, and return to our center. If you find it difficult to slow down, cultivate presence, or nourish yourself, finding balance becomes essential. Yang and Yin require constant harmony; without the stabilizing, dampening influence of Earth, our nervous system can become overwhelmed, leaving us feeling overly worried, ungrounded, or physically exhausted. Conversely, if our energy becomes stagnant, we might experience lethargy, heavy limbs or a mind clouded by obsessive overthinking. Yoga helps us tune into these subtle shifts, allowing us to approach self-care with patience, acceptance and deep nourishment.

Within this post, you will learn about the corresponding organs and meridian lines connected to Late Summer, how to support them, the emotional responses they manifest within the body and what happens when they fall out of balance.

THE SPLEEN & STOMACH MERIDIAN LINES

The Spleen meridian begins at the inside tip of the big toe, travels up the inner aspect of the foot, ankle, and leg, passes through the abdomen, and ends high on the lateral chest. The Stomach meridian starts below the eye, travels down the face, neck, chest, and abdomen, running along the front of the thigh and lower leg to end at the second toe.

You can think of these meridian lines as energetic channels or streams nourishing your body's ability to digest both food and life experiences. When stagnation occurs along these lines (like a traffic jam at a busy cross roads) it can manifest as physical bloating, fatigue, or excessive worry. Applying gentle pressure, stretching, compressing, or practicing acupuncture along these pathways helps restore smooth energy flow and alleviate symptoms.

EMOTION & THE MIND

The Spleen's primary emotion is empathy and sympathy, but when out of balance, it manifests as chronic worry, anxiety, overthinking and obsessive rumination. Earth element imbalance often causes the mind to spin in repetitive loops, over-analyzing past actions or worrying excessively about the future. When our Earth element is balanced, we experience a grounded sense of self, mental clarity, contentment, and the capacity to give and receive nourishment with ease.

ENERGY

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Spleen is considered the central power of transformation and transportation, working alongside the Stomach to convert food and drink into vital Qi and Blood. It houses the Yi (our intellect, focus and capacity for clear thought). When stress, poor diet, or constant multitasking overload the Spleen, its energy becomes depleted or weighed down by "dampness." Supporting our Earth element through grounding practices, warm, naturally sweet, easily digestible foods with intentional rest, helps us regain stability and internal harmony.

PRACTICAL WAYS TO CULTIVATE BALANCE THIS SEASON

Bringing your Earth element into balance doesn't require a total lifestyle change, it’s about making intentional, subtle shifts in how you move, nourish and care for your mind.

• Nourish with Warm, Grounding Foods: The Spleen thrives on warmth and simplicity. Swap cold, raw salads and iced drinks for lightly cooked, warm meals like soups, stews, roasted root vegetables (squash, sweet potatoes, carrots), and cooked grains. Naturally sweet foods strengthen Spleen Qi without creating dampness or sluggishness.

• Practice Mindful Eating: Digesting food takes alot of energy. Eat slowly, sit down without screens or distractions and chew thoroughly to reduce the workload on your Stomach and Spleen.

• Ground on the Mat: Focus on Yin yoga poses that target the inner thighs, quads, and front body such as Dragon pose, Sphinx, Saddle, or supported child's pose. These shapes gently compress and stretch the Spleen and Stomach meridians, unblocking trapped Qi and settling the nervous system.

• Set Clear Energy Boundaries: The Earth element loves to give and support others, but over-extending can lead us to energetic burn out. Practice saying no to unnecessary commitments and allocate daily non-negotiable time just to sit quietly and re-center.

• Clear Mental Noise (Brain Dumping): Because an unbalanced Earth element leads to chronic worry and rumination, get into the habit of journaling. Writing down your loop of thoughts allows your intellect (Yi) to process and lay them to rest.

• Connect with the Earth Literally: Spend time outdoors walking barefoot on grass or dirt! Feeling the physical Earth beneath your feet immediately helps quiet a hyperactive mind and draws scattered energy back down into your center.

UNBALANCED vs. BALANCED

• Unbalanced: Manifests as heavy limbs, digestive issues, bloating, brain fog, sweet cravings, chronic worry, a feeling of being ungrounded and a tendency to over-give or care for others at the total expense of oneself.

• Balanced: Promotes a strong digestive fire, clear mental focus, feeling rooted in one's body, robust vitality, healthy boundaries, and balanced compassion.

Season Overview

• Season: Late Summer

• Element: Earth

• Yin Organ: Spleen

• Yang Organ: Stomach

• Emotion: Sympathy / Worry (Overthinking)

• Color: Yellow / Gold

• Taste: Naturally Sweet (Root vegetables, whole grains)

• Sense Organ: Mouth (Lips)

• Tissue: Muscles & Limbs

  
  

Late Summer is an ideal time to assess what is truly nourishing your spirit versus what is creating mental or physical congestion. If you want to dive deeper into balancing your Earth element this season, join me on the mat some time as we focus on grounding Yin poses, leg-and-abdomen targeting stretches, and centering breathwork to nourish the center space.

All my love,

V x