THE FIRE ELEMENT & HOW TO STAY BALANCED
Summer is here! And it brings the energy of Fire.
In Chinese Medicine, summer is the most Yang season, when everything in nature (including us) is at its maximum potential. It is the season of light, warmth, movement, and expansion. The element of the season is fire. This element allows us to experience joy, happiness and love towards ourselves and others. It brings excitement and passion to life, it energises us.
However, this energy can become excessive and just as a fire out of control, it can become damaging. Too much fire can lead to agitation, anxiety, unrealistic expectations, followed by disappointment. Just as a fire burns itself out to the ashes, the overexcitement and hyperactivity can leave us exhausted and depleted mentally and physically.
A heart type person or a person with a strong fire has a strong presence of these attributes. They are joyful, enthusiastic and the life of the party. They get easily motivated and excited about new projects and experiences. Because they already have a strong presence of fire, a heart type person will be more prone to move towards an imbalance.
Summer is the season associated to this element. In this season we want to move more, do more, be outside more, be around people. Is an energy of movement and going outwards. And that's all good! But to make the most of this season without the burnout it is good to keep an eye and take some actions to remain in balance.
Here some simple ideas you can use to keep the fire element in balance:
- Allocate at least a few minutes daily for solitude, silence, self-reflection and rest. This brings the energy of water which of course will balance the Fire. (Read my other post about the Water Element and the season of Winter - BALANCING THE WATER ELEMENT IN YIN YOGA)
- Introduce some Yin Yoga sessions to your week. Particularly postures to target the back of the body, which works on the meridians that regulate and balance the water element and bring the opposite energy to balance fire. Forward folds and back bends. If you are in Sydney you can check out my classes on this LINK
- Keep hot and spicy foods under control. Don't overindulge in alcohol, coffee, tea as all of them will increase the fire in your system.
- Eat nourishing foods and plenty of water. Salty foods, fish and seafood will help to bring balance.
This sounds logical and obvious, right? It is as simple as that, pretty much what your grandma would tell you. This is the wisdom of nature, which we are part of.
I hope these tips help you stay in balance during busy time and this content inspire your practice. If you are a teacher, you can use this as a script for your yin yoga classes.
If you liked this post, you might want to check out other posts about 5 elements and chinese medicine:
- EARTH ELEMENT AND AWARENESS OF THE SELF
- BALANCING THE WATER ELEMENT IN YIN YOGA
- BALANCING THE METAL ELEMENT - SCRIPT FOR YIN YOGA
If you need more inspiration to take your practice to the next level, check out my original collection of Eco yoga mats whic I designed to inspire your practice.
Hope to see you on the mat.
Love & Light,
Claudia