Did You Know There Are Actually Five Seasons?

For most of us, spring has arrived and summer is clearly on its way. In the South, where I live, summer has essentially arrived. Already we're boasting 90-degree days and comfortable, if not muggy, nights.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) teaches us that there are actually two summers, and in turn five seasons: spring, summer, late summer, fall, and winter.

1. Spring: March
2. Summer: June
3. Late Summer: begins third week of August
4. Fall: September
5. Winter: December

In TCM, mind, body, and earth are intertwined. What you think—your emotions—contribute to your health as much as what you put in your body and do with your body. Each season represents a part of the body, too, and is tied to one of Five Elements.

1. Wood: Spring, liver/gallbladder
2. Fire: Summer, heart/small intestine
3. Earth: Late Summer, stomach/spleen
4. Metal: Autumn, large intestine/lung
5. Water: Winter, kidney/bladder

As the seasons change, so should our focus on food, energy, and emotions. Here's a short primer on how you can flourish during this summer and late summer.

Summer

Fire is the element of this season, which lasts until late-August, and your heart is the organ that requires attention. Pay attention to your emotions. Control your anger, or find healthy ways to release it. Focus on strengthening feelings of compassion and gratitude. Because the heart is connected to your spirit, now is a great time to heal old wounds. Additionally, to restore your Yang energy, set a healthy sleep schedule: Asleep by 10 or 11pm, and up by 6 or 7am, for example. Getting up early gives you more time to soak up the sun's nourishing rays. 

Be sure to eat heart-healthy foods and incorporate nourishing, lighter food and drink into your diet: Fresh vegetables and fruit; fresh herbs (cilantro, mint, dill); duck and fish for protein (unless you're vegan); green tea. Now is the best time to be active and get your blood moving, so you'll want light but filling meals to fuel you along the way.

Late Summer

Earth is the element of late summer, which runs from late August to the Autumn Equinox. This is a transition period from the hot Yang energy of summer to the cool and restorative Yin energy of fall and winter. Your spleen is where you should focus your attention. Many of us are spleen deficient. All the information we take in (whether from movies, books, TV, or the internet) must be processed by the spleen, because we are always multitasking, we are always overworking our spleens.

What can you do? Avoid cold fluids and food. Drink water without ice. The spleen helps to break down your food during digestion, and it's fueled by fire—or heat. Avoid multitasking while eating. Instead, sit calmly, chew your food well, and enjoy what you're putting into your body.

Drink mint tea, use fresh garden herbs, and eat less or no sugar. Eat regularly and never skip breakfast, and once the weather starts to cool, incorporate foods that dispel dampness and nourish the spleen, including rice, yams, and legumes.

Find a meditative practice that works for you. Keeping emotions positive and worry at a minimum is the best way to honor late summer and move into fall and winter.