Summer is expansive, the ripened pause suspended above the crown of the head. It is when the fruits are heavy on the vine and it is designed for experience – for being outside of yourself. All animals go out in the summer, communicating and contacting the external environment. We are a product of nature. Understanding our fit within the larger functioning of the planet is a way for us to align our health and wellbeing so we become the most radiant, expansive versions of ourselves.
The organ of summer is the heart. The heart is the second heat source in the body mediating the heat of the reproductive glands, our primitive pilot light, and the heat of our imagination, the stellar vision. Nestled between the two worlds of the tangible and ethereal, the heart is the crossroads of consciousness. Our whole narrative weaves through this ritualized shrine in the centre of our chest and expresses itself in the form of speech as the tongue is connected to the heart. The thymus gland is the associated organ, the meditator in the magician’s seat directing your whole story. To find the centre of the chest is to know that you are the one steering your vehicle, with the ability to make a left hand turn when you want to see the sunrise and a right hand turn when you want to see the sun set.
In the physical practice, summer is a time to play more with community; to ripen your backbends and use wheels, preferably with support, so the whole front is open and available and the organs have space to pump, undulate and move. Organs aren’t intelligent and need our participation so they can be at their best. Participating in the community in summer ensures that we fill ourselves up with support, utilizing the help of others knowing that life is hard on the body and it is hard on the mind. The more help we have along the way, the better chance we have of getting to our destination quicker, burning less fuel, and wasting less time. The magic of the practice is becoming more efficient. Anything that is efficient is intelligent, shifting into a form that fits its environment with utmost ease.
Drawing by Kat Villain.
Up next in this series: Late Summer’s Pivot