Chinese medicine seasons: Summer

It’s easy to stress how important good health is for beautiful skin, but without thinking about your wellbeing in relation to the world around you you’re only going to get halfway there. Different seasons put different stresses on your body, and we root our reactions to those in the teachings of Chinese medicine. This ancient wisdom sees health holistically; we are part of the natural landscape, and shouldn’t try to live in conflict with it. Following the teachings of the Chinese medicine calendar can be a genuinely useful way of connecting with our bodies and existing in a more harmonious way.
 
Longer days and sun-filled weekends usher in the Chinese calendar’s most energetic season: summer. It’s associated with the heart, which is in turn linked to our minds, putting creativity and emotional wellbeing at the forefront of these months. 
 
The welcoming environment is a perfect complement to these focuses. With nature giving us more space to develop our ideas and nourish ourselves, it’s essential to take advantage of that in preparation for autumn. 
 
Build on the optimism of spring by following these summertime tips:

• Tune your circadian rhythm to the sun’s rise and fall, getting up earlier and sleeping later.
• Balance your energetic days with a restful break around noon. 
• Keep your body’s temperature balanced with a diet of cooling foods such as watermelon, cucumber and mung beans.
• Avoid bitter foods and go for pungent flavours instead to maintain healthy levels of sweating.
• Slice refreshing citrus fruits or a strip of cucumber into your water bottle to encourage regular refreshment.

Don’t feel that you need to do all of these at once. Try varying combinations to see what supports your natural increase in energy the most.
 
If you’d like more guidance on your path towards a natural way of improving your wellbeing, please feel free to contact our founder, Marlene. Each of her holistic beauty treatments is supported by bespoke lifestyle advice, gathered from lessons with world-class Chinese medicine practitioners and her own extensive expertise.