Late Summer

In Chinese Medicine there are five seasons rather than four. The fifth is late summer. It is designated typically as the last month of summer which is August. On the Chinese calendar, which starts in February, it is the middle of the year. It is also regarded as the transition between yang and yin or spring/summer to fall/ winter. Some may say that it is the point of the year that time seems to stop and harmony and unity are felt. It is that time when there is balance between the two extremes.

When we are in late summer it is the perfect time to listen to the rhythms of your life and nature. Using meditation or breathing exercises focusing on bringing the breath down to the belly will help with centering and being in alignment with the season of late summer. The element that is associated with the season is earth represented by spleen (pancreas) and stomach. The earth element is at the center of all the other elements and plays an important role as a neutral buffer during the transition period not only now but also the winter solstice and both equinoxes.

Foods that will support this time are mildly sweet foods, yellow or golden foods, and those that harmonize center such as corn, carrots, cabbage, garbanzo beans, squash, string beans, yams, sweet potatoes, sweet rice, rice, amaranth, peas, chestnuts, filberts and cantaloupe. Prepare these foods simply with minimal spicing. Moderation is the key.

*Pitchford, Paul, Healing with Whole Foods, Oriental Traditions and Modern Nutrition, Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 1993, p 299-301.