In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fire's season is summer, the time of heat,
growth, warmth, and increased light. Fire is the most masculine of the five elements. Although fire is considered a very yang element in general, it can can exist in either a yang or a yin state.
In TCM , fire's body organs are the heart(Yin) and small intestines(Yang).
Therefore a fire personality may have a disposition for heart problems, such as heart attacks, or may experience minor digestive problems in the small intestines.
The element wood nurtures the element fire; wood's body organ is the liver. Fire types must avoid alcoholic beverages that heat (over stimulate) the liver. Liver excess is a false way to empower the heart and causes imbalance between fire and wood. Heart illness and fire imbalance can often be read in the face: a cleft in the nose or a too red complexion.
The Heart Meridian-House of the Spirit:
the Heart Meridian is a yin meridian. It reveals itself through the brightness in the eyes, governs Fire and Heat, rules the blood and its vessels and directs circulation. It also rules the tongue, throat, sweat, facial complexion, adrenals, thyroid, prostate and pituitary gland.
The Heart Meridian is associated with warmth, enthusiasm. Just as the summer season, associated with the Fire element, brings blossoming and maturing-the flowering of all seeds planted in the spring- love is the blossoming of the human being. It is indeed who we are in full "bloom". Nowhere is such love felt more deeply than in the Heart.
Physical imbalances: shortness of breath, cold feeling in the chest and limbs, palpitations, cold sweat, inability to speak, memory failure and restless sleep.
Emotional imbalances: The heart is the ruler of all emotions. Signs of imbalance include sadness, absence of laughter, depression, fear, anxiety, hysteria, erratic behavior, alternating joy and melancholy, dullness, yearning for love, jealousy and sorrow.
When balanced: tranquility, gentleness, emotional balance, spirit, love, integrity, optimism, emotional and spiritual growth, zest for life(we live each day with a sense of excitement), control of thoughts and senses, conscience and wisdom.
Peak Hours:11am-1pm
Route: It originates from the heart,
emerges and spreads over the heart system,
passes through the diaphragm to connect
with the small intestine.
The exterior( surface)
running part runs to the lung, then turns
download along the arm.
It ends in the inner
tip of the little finger.
In addition, it opens into
the tongue and controls speech.
The Small Intestine Meridian- Sorting of the Pure and Impure
The small intestine meridian is a yang meridian and is paired with the heart yin meridian. It receives and transforms food by separating the Pure from the Impure, with the Pure becoming bodily fluids and the impure becoming urine-this function also operates on emotional, mental and spiritual levels.
this meridian is responsible for digestion, water absorption, nutrient absorption and bowel functions
Physical Imbalances: Signs include bluish lips with white border, emaciation, profuse sweating, swellings of nodules, hemicrania, tinnitus, pain around the ear, and pain depressing the abdomen.
Emotional Imbalances: a feeling of mental deficiency due to inability to assimilate ideas, and insecurity. Forgetfulness, indecision, unclear thought process. Restlessness and difficulty in expressing emotions.
When balanced: Healthy expressions are love, joy, warmth, vitality, excitement, memory, ability in making decisions, clarity of thought.
Peak Hours: 1-3pm
Route: The Small Intestine Meridian
starts from the tip of the little finger and
crosses the wrist.
It runs upwards along the posterior side of
the forearm until it reaches the back of the shoulder,
where it ends at the uppermost part of the back of
the shoulder,
where it ends at the uppermost part of the back
(the bottom of the neck). From this position,
it travels externally across the neck and cheek until
it reaches the outer corner of the eye and
then ends in the ear.
Summer Food and preparation
Use plenty of brightly colored summer fruits and vegetables, and enjoy creating beautiful meals.
Cook lightly and regularly add a little spicy, pungent or even fiery flavor. When sautéing, use high heat for very short time, and steam or simmer foods as quickly as possible. Use little salt and more water.
Summer offers abundant variety, and the diet should reflect this. Minerals and oils are sweated out of the body, and their loss can cause weakness if they are not replaced by a varied diet. To be more comfortable ,drink hot liquids and take warm showers to induce sudden sweating and to cool the body. Summer heat combined with too much cold food weakens the digestive organs. Coldness cause contraction; it holds in sweat and heat, and interferes with digestion. Iced Drinks and ice cream actually contract the stomach and stop digestion( they are best avoided).
On the hottest days, create a cool atmosphere
and serve cooling fresh foods as salads,
sprouts( especially mung beans, alfalfa), fruit,
cucumber, tofu and flower and leaf teas including
chrysanthemum, mint and chamomile.
At the other extreme, heavy foods on hot days causes sluggishness. Such foods include meats, eggs, and excesses of nuts, seeds and grains. Eating less and lightly on hot, bright days is a natural, healthful practice, a pattern easily forgotten when we neither pay attention nor change according to our rhythms.
Workout
The third chakra, called Manipura, is associated with fire, an element that's always in motion.
In many ways, both literal and figurative, fire gives us mobility, power, warmth, transformation, and light. And these are the primary qualities of this chakra.
Create heat to the body with a vinyasa flow practice to move your energy.
While you move into, hold and move out of the postures keep taking inventory. Notice how the practice affects you on physical, emotional, and psychological levels. Accept whatever you find out and stay curious.
The intention here is to work the spine and upper body and
focus on the meridians of the Heart and Small Intestine;
come into the pose to an appropriate depth
(find the edge and stay there),
resolve to remain still
and hold the pose for time
We have right now a collective crisis of the heart due to shock and violence of our modern culture with artificial lights, harsh noise and the technological world. The more we rush about from stimulation we miss the tranquility that the Spirit of the heart longs for. If we take a moment to sit quietly and turn the light of awareness inward to the heart, we'll find again our path.
Jai Ma: Fire Chant to the Universal Creative Force
When the fire in your soul
Burns with longing for the goal
Then I'll know, in my heart it is you
When the truth is revealed
All my sorrows will be healed
And I'll know, in my heart is you
Jai Ma, Jai Ma, Jai Ma, Jai Ma
Summer is a period of luxurious growth. To be in harmony with the atmosphere of summer, awaken early in the morning, play, travel, be joyful, and grow into selfless service. The bounty of the outside world enters and enlivens us.
