Ride the Yang Wave of SUMMERTIME & Burst into your Brightest Bloom

School’s out for summer! Live life to the fullest! Soak up the sun!

Summertime is the perfect season to experience the warm, uplifting and outgoing Yang-trending energy of our natural environment. Immerse yourself in a hike, a bike or a paddle. Go on a backpacking, boating or sleeping-under-the-stars type of journey. Dig into your garden, cut pretty flowers or pick berries.

BY BAJDA WELTY

In our part of the world, we wait all year for this season, when we can easily blend into our beautiful natural surroundings. We instinctively spend more time outdoors, outside the shelters that swallowed us up and kept us warm and safe all winter.

Take a plunge, take a risk, go out on a limb. This is the time for adventurous actions to develop our greatest good and seek our highest potential.

Of course, Yang energy cannot exist on its own. We might burn up or burn out and tempers could flare. Balance the long, bright, active times of summer with a calm heart and a mind as cool as a cucumber. Offset the external Yang climate with an internal Yin climate.

Pacify your mind by being in water or looking at water. Pacify your spirit and heart by avoiding anger and following a path toward something that brings a smile to your face.

Here are a few tips:

• Go to bed late, wake up early and rest mid-day Drink plenty of fluids

Eat light, not greasy

Include watermelon, apricot, cantaloupe, sprouts, watercress, asparagus, cucumber, snow peas, lettuce, dill, mint and cilantro in your diet.

Locate Yintang (the Zen button), an acupuncture point between the eyebrows. Touch it and apply gentle pressure with your fingertip for 1 minute each day. This point brings powerful presence, calms the spirit, eases anxiety and worry and activates intuition.