This Sunday, the sun will reach its highest position in the sky and we will enjoy the longest period of daylight. It’s the Summer Solstice and also the 5th International Yoga Day, celebrated all over the world.
As a Strala Yoga Guide, my training has included Chinese Medicine; I am fascinated by TCM and its corresponding Five Elements. Each Element is associated with a season, and to two organs and their energetic pathways in the body. This system encompasses mental, physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of our minds and bodies.
We are currently at the height of the Fire Element of the Summer season; the sun is at its brightest, biggest and hottest. This is a season where our energy is expansive, both physically and emotionally. Our innate intuition tells us to connect with others, to gather together, have fun and share the love. We feel at our most sociable and outgoing. We want to talk, to touch. The sense organs of Summer are speech and touch.
In TCM, the Heart and Small Intestine are associated with the Summer season. At first glance, you might think there is little connection between our pumping heart and digestive system, however there is a growing body of scientific evidence which links the poor absorption of nutrients with some mental disorders, including depression and anxiety. Our gut is involved in our feelings and in making "gut decisions", and it is thought that our gut bacteria can also influence behaviour, explains Guilia Enders in her book, “Gut, the inside story of our body’s most under-rated organ”.
This is where Chinese Medicine gets fascinating. In this system, the small intestine does not simply separate the pure from the impure in a physiological sense, but also psychologically. In the modern world, we face a barrage of stimulation from media and rarely does a moment of boredom pass without reaching for a device for more input. Discernment is necessary - the small intestine not only "has the ability to make choices, but it has the knowledge that choice is necessary” explains John Kirkwood in The Way of the Five Seasons. This process of choosing what to let in and what to screen out by making discriminating choices applies to many areas of life: dietary choices, the friends we choose to spend time with, the person we choose as a partner, how we spend our time, and how we manage our online presence.
We can choose what is good for us and what is not. We can decide to treat ourselves to more of what makes us feel good.
Summer is a great time to have fun, to laugh and to seek joy. We have had an enforced extended period of yin, where we have been inside and reflective for a while, and possibly experienced feelings of isolation and loneliness. Now is the time to try something new. Go somewhere you love to go. Do something you love to do. Maybe even meet new people!
I will be joining NOJAM, Official Strala Partner Online Studio, this Sunday for International Yoga Day, from 14:00 to 18:30. Yes 4.5 hours of free YOGA!! #teamnojam will take turns guiding you through 20 minutes session; you can join from wherever you are and drop in/drop out anytime you need to without distracting anyone.
It’s all FREE!!! We will take 10 minute breaks between the sessions to get to know each other, have a chat! Come along with your friends and families even if you’re living far away from each other, you can take classes together!!
I’ll meet you there.
Nicky is a Strala Yoga Guide and is looking forward to joining #teamnojam on 1st July. She guides classes for adults and teens, with a keen interest in stress, sleep, seasonal and Strala, and also offers Health & Wellness MOTs and Consultations. See www.loveyogabird.com for more info.
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