The Season Of Summer
These wonderful days of Summer where the days are long and light, nature’s energy is at its peak - warm, active, and physical, a time we need to try and match it to ours!! A time to live life to the full, stay up later and get up earlier. To soak up the sun’s energy and the perfumes of the outdoors while everything is in full bloom.
“‘This is the time to create energy and power which will carry us into the harvesting of the late summer and then the storing of your resources in the autumn for the winter ahead.“
Summer's colour is red, and the element is Fire, so it's time to be active and the foods you should eat should fuel you for this purpose. Lots of red and purple foods are great for fire energy. i.e strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, tomatoes, red peppers, and beetroot. have lots of raw foods to help your body reach a balance with the heat outside. Lots of homemade fruit juices and smoothies.
With this fiery element though, you have to be careful not to overheat the organs - heat reducing foods are asparagus, aubergine, bamboo shoots, banana, celery, cucumber, elderflower, grapefruit, kale, lemon, mung beans and wonderful to have at this time.
Water retention can also be a problem in the summer - including these foods in your diet can help - aduki beans, anchovy, barley, broad bean, grapes, kelp, mackerel, sardine and seaweed.
Finally bitter is the taste of Summer, so good to promote this taste to help stimulate digestion and it can help the respiratory system which is great as we are supposed to be doing more cardiovascular exercise in this season!!
In Chinese Medicine the key organ to focus and nourish during the Summer is our Heart.
Here are 4 little daily habits to help, rebalance, take care and nurture your hearts physical and emotional energy:
The Joyful Heart: Find out what really makes you happy. Make a list, meditate on it, re-evaluate, put it somewhere you can see it every day, and then do one of those things every day this summer! It can be as simple as spending a few minutes, admiring your flowering hanging basket, sitting down and having a cup or tea or managing an evening walk!
The Open Heart: Get your arms in the air! Do 5 shoulder rolls, and then hands in prayer and lift arms up above your head and out around to the side, five times. Opening the armpits opens your heart meridian and increases lung capacity, which in turn supports your heart functions.
Giving from the heart and bringing a bit of sunshine into your or someone else’s life every day. Just a small thing will do it!
The heart of the matter is food and diet: Try and have a diet that keeps you cool, light and active; water-based foods, fresh foods and plenty of filtered water!
Finally, here is a lovely Midsummer Heart Nourishing Oil Blend - to try and enjoy!
And so with the Heart, the Rose immediately springs to mind. Rose oil, brings a sweet and gentle comfort to the Heart strings - Rose 2 drops
To bring balance into our busy lives Geranium, lifts the spirits and makes the world an easier place to live in - Geranium 3 drops
And to ground and blend those two together, Patchouli, a slightly amorous scent but very grounding and stabilizing at the same time completes this beautiful blend - Patchouli 1 drop.
These oils combined are particularly luxurious and abundant with Heart nourishment. Swirl all these drops together in 12mls or a tbsp of carrier oil (organic olive oil) while thinking of your loving intentions. Use as a body oil, diffuse in a warm bath or use it perhaps before you take a moment of stillness!
Sara Wood has 20 years of expertise, energy and healing within the field of holistic health and seasonal wellbeing. She offers holistic and individualised treatments and packages of support by using reflexology, acupressure, yoga assisted stretching, massage, nutrition, breath work, and visualisation techniques. She has a clinic at Wild Nest Yoga Studio in Petersfields and also does home visits.
She is kindly offering LLL clients:
1. 20% of a treatment of your choice
2. A 2 day WhatsApp programme to give the gift of some ‘me‘ time in the comfort of your own home. Over the two days you will receive 4, 5 minute videos about 4 beautiful oils and their benefits. (Serenity, Geranium, Balance and Wild Orange). Together with lots of tips, DIY recipes and self pampering techniques. You will be sent a sample of those 4 oils in advance so you can use them alongside the WhatsApp posts. The cost is £5 and she runs them monthly.
Sara Wood Wellbeing - Rooted in Nature's Wisdom
07970729738