HOW TO KEEP YOUR FIRE ELEMENT IN BALANCE
4 December 2020 - According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) everything is connected and in perfect harmony. This is reflected in the rhythm of day and night, the alternation of the seasons and the functioning of people. Now that Summer has arrived, the element fire is taking the lead. The element fire is yang and stands for growth, warmth and light. When your fire element is in balance, you feel energised and full of joy. Your face glows and your eyes sparkle. That’s one of the reasons we see so many beautiful, shiny and happy faces in the Summer.
WEAK FIRE ELEMENT
When your fire element is weak, or maybe extinguished (you can actually translate it quite literally), the energy and enthusiasm also extinguishes. Your eyes are passionless and the joy fades. The heat also dissipates from your body and you can get cold even when it is hot outside. Dizziness and shortness of breath is one of the characters too.
FIRE ELEMENT TOO STRONG
Conversely, if your fire is too strong and the flames rise, you may become restless and nervous, your eyes look more aggressive and you may get hot and sweaty.
TIPS TO KEEP THE BALANCE DURING SUMMER
There are always some tips to keep your fire element in balance and to get through the Summer happy and calm:
You can feed your body with what the earth is producing at that moment. There's a reason why different foods grow in different seasons; your body has different needs when the seasons change. So use local seasonal vegetables and seasonal fruits as much as possible. During a hot Summer, your body especially longs for cooling yin products that have a cooling effect on the body. Think of salads, watermelon, strawberries, mint, cucumbers, but also yogurt and green tea are a good choice in Summer.
Too much heat can be caused by excessive use of alcohol, coffee or cigarettes. Also it is better to moderate heating products such as paprika, cinnamon, sugar and meat. These are pretty yang.
And drinking plenty of water is - like always - a big plus. Preferable ambient water instead of ice water. We know the heat makes it tempting but according to TCM it may provide temporary cooling, but in the end your body has to work harder to get your body temperature in check.
Ooh and last but not least… give yourself an acupuncture session 🙂
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