Feeling a bit hot lately? Thank heavens for the air-con in my Shiatsu Studio! I remember one time long ago, I was with my Bestie and sweltering in 47° C at a New Years festival somewhere very far inland, close to the Victoria-NSW border. I’d noticed all these people walking around covered head to toe is dry cracked mud and nothing else (hey, it was Confest) and was quite perplexed at the reasoning behind this mud skin. We happened upon a giant rubber tyre tube and giddy with excitement launched ourselves into the bush creek that circled the festival. We drifted slowly with the current and then suddenly, there it was…. the mud bath. A big 3m diameter hole completely filled with gooey, slippery, dark grey, slightly smelly mud. My Bestie looked at me with a glimmer in her eye “let’s do it.” Oh my God here goes. I shut my eyes and started to wade. It was so cool in there. It was a muddy heaven in contrast to the relentless dry heat that beat on us from all places that weren’t filled with mud. With that mud on our skin we stayed cool for at least an hour, a very efficient cooling method by any camping measure.

But Alas, it’s not always practical to just have a mud bath and walk around practically nude. These days when the Perth mercury rises above 35 every single day we are well and truly in the throes of the fire element. Tuning into your body and flowing with the season is vital to maintaining inner balance and harmony.

The fire element is directly related to your heart meridian. Your sense of joy and happy spirit are dependent on the state of your fire element. Such weather extremes can easily throw you off kilter causing excess and have you wishing away your summer days. Here are some tips for keep your chi flowing freely and have you thriving in the heat.

1. Eat a rainbow of bright summery fruits and vegetables and get your chef on by creating gorgeous meals. Cold foods are indeed delightful in these conditions however too many cold foods cause contraction, hold in heat and sweat, and interfere with digestion. Ice cream and heaps of iced drinks are therefore not the best choice (I’m sorry). Instead lightly cook your food in high heat quickly, and season with pungent flavours such as ginger, garlic, horseradish, black pepper and cayenne. Hot food and drinks, and I’m talking about both temp hot and spicy hot here, induce sudden sweating and therefore have a cooling effect on the body.

2. The best foods to cool summer heat are apples, lemons, watermelons, limes and cucumbers. Try for a cooling atmosphere when you eat, like on the deck or a picnic in the shade. Enjoy with loved ones.

3. Heavy foods such as meats, eggs and an excess of nuts, seeds and grains cause sluggishness on a hot day. When you think about it salads, fruits, a little seafood and dare I say it tofu are way more appetising in extreme heat. When we don’t pay attention to our bodies it’s easy to habitually eat the same old menu, and feel worse off for it.

4. Plan a little holiday. Soon. Summer time is a time for outward activity and expansion. Getting out and doing something new is completely in sync with the energy of Summer. This is joy time. The health of your joy emotion is directly related to the state of your fire element. Any disbalance in this area means a disbalance of joy. So get on with it, action something that makes your heart sing!

5. Get up early and go outside. Reach your arms up and say hello to the sun. Outdoor early morning yoga, runs on the beach, Qi Gong in the park. These are all perfect ways to say hello to the day and keep your fire element happy. Summer is a very yang time, and the Sun is the most yang of all. To quote Paul Pitchford “Summer is a period of luxurious growth. Reach to the sun for nourishment to flourish.” Nothing like a little Vitamin D to nourish you and make you strong, just get under cover before the UV rays start to burn.

Happy harmony seeking my friends. I wish you many happy spirit summers and tremendous joy.

Shiatsu is a Japanese massage that brings your energy back into balance. So if the summer has already got to you, please don’t hesitate to see me! I’d love to help you out.

Love Lib

References Paul Pitchford, Healing with Whole Foods, 2002.