Summer, the Heart & Staying Centred in Times of Intensity
- Claire McLennan
- Dec 21, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 21, 2025
Summer, in Chinese Medicine, is the season of the Heart.
It’s a time of warmth, connection, expression, and joy — when energy naturally rises and moves outward. We’re invited to open, relate, celebrate, and live more fully from the heart.
But summer also asks something subtle of us: to stay open without becoming overwhelmed, and connected without losing ourselves.
A note for Northern Hemisphere readers:
If you’re reading this from the Northern Hemisphere, you’re currently in winter — a season of rest, inward focus, and deep nourishment, governed by the Water element and the kidneys. While collective energetic intensity can still be felt globally, your body may be asking for more containment and restoration right now. You may like to also explore my winter reflections, which are written specifically for this quieter season.
The Heart, the Shen & the Little Red Bird
In Chinese Medicine, the Heart houses the Shen — our spirit, consciousness, emotional clarity, and presence.
The Shen is sometimes pictured as a little red bird.
The Heart is the nest.
When the body feels safe and well-held, the bird rests easily in its nest. We feel present, embodied, emotionally steady, and at home in ourselves.
When the body does not feel safe — through stress, emotional overload, prolonged intensity, or over-giving — the bird may fly out.
This can feel like:
disconnection or spaciness
emotional overwhelm or numbness
difficulty settling or resting
Seen this way, many emotional challenges aren’t something to fix — they’re a signal that the spirit is waiting for the conditions to feel safe enough to return.
Summer’s role is not to force the bird back into the nest, but to create the conditions that gently invite it home.
Heightened Energies, Gently Held
Alongside the natural intensity of summer, many people are also noticing a wider energetic amplification.
Increased solar activity and collective shifts can subtly influence our nervous systems and emotional bodies — particularly for those who are sensitive or energetically aware.
Rather than something to fear, these periods often act as amplifiers, highlighting what is already present and bringing awareness to what’s ready to adjust, soften, or release.
Personally, this has been a time of recalibration — noticing where my energy needs cleaner edges, where simplification is needed, and where joy wants to arise from deeper self-respect rather than effort.
You might notice:
fluctuating energy levels
emotional sensitivity
a pull to slow down or reassess
old patterns briefly resurfacing before dissolving
Seen through a Heart-centred lens, these aren’t problems — they’re invitations.
Summer Solstice: Using Peak Energy Wisely
Around the Summer Solstice — which falls each year on 21 December in the Southern Hemisphere — we reach the peak of Yang energy.
In Chinese Medicine, this turning point is known as 夏至 (Xiàzhì) and marks the height of warmth, movement, and outward expression in the body. From here, Yang no longer increases. Instead, it begins a subtle turning inward, even as summer continues around us.
For those in the Northern Hemisphere, this same moment is the Winter Solstice, the peak of Yin — a time when rest, stillness, and deep nourishment are especially supportive.
The Solstice a powerful moment for wise regulation, rather than expansion for expansion’s sake.
When Yang energy is abundant, the body is naturally more open and active. If this energy is circulated gently, it nourishes the Heart and Small Intestine and supports clarity, connection, and vitality. If it’s pushed or scattered, it can lead to agitation, emotional intensity, or depletion later in the season.
Classical Chinese Medicine reminds us that how we live in summer shapes how we experience winter.
This is why steady, moderate practices are especially supportive right now:
gentle Qigong to circulate Heart Qi and release excess heat
regular pauses to settle the Shen
choosing rhythm and presence over intensity
Rather than doing more, the Solstice invites us to use energy wisely — allowing Yang to move smoothly without burning out the system.
This seasonal rhythm also inspired JoyFire — created as a heart-centred Summer support. Used alongside movement, breath, or moments of pause, it offers a simple way to return to centre and integrate Summer’s abundance in a way that builds resilience for the months ahead.
Supporting the Heart Through Summer
Summer asks us to tend the Heart, not push it.
Supportive practices include:
gentle Qigong to regulate the nervous system and move Heart Qi
slow, conscious breathing to settle the Shen
rest and simplicity alongside moments of joyful expression
vibrational and aromatic supports that signal safety to the body
When the body feels safe, the bird returns to the nest.
JoyFire: Stone Medicine for the Summer Heart
JoyFire was created as a summer companion for the Heart and Shen.
It is part of my Stone Medicine work — using crystal essences, botanical alchemy, and intention to support the body’s innate intelligence rather than override it.
JoyFire works with crystal vibrations chosen for the Fire element and Heart–Small Intestine pairing:
Rhodochrosite — emotional heart
healing and self-worth
Sunstone — joy, confidence, and radiant boundaries
Rose Quartz — softening old armour and supporting unconditional love
Smoky Quartz — grounding and gentle energetic protection
These are combined with a botanical blend of Ylang Ylang, Rose Geranium, Sweet Orange, Palmarosa, and Frankincense, in a rose-infused hydrosol base.
JoyFire doesn’t force joy. It creates the conditions where joy can arise naturally — where the Heart softens, the Shen settles, and the body remembers it is safe to open.
A Gentle Invitation
If your system is asking for extra support this summer, you don’t have to navigate it alone.
My Monday 9:30am Qigong class continues through the Christmas holiday period, offering a steady, grounding rhythm during a time that can feel surprisingly intense.
Online Qigong resumes in the first week of January.
One-on-one energy healing sessions (in person & online) and seasonal supports are also available if that feels right for you — always as an invitation, never a requirement.
Summer reminds us that joy doesn’t need to be chased. It blooms when we create the right conditions.
With warmth,
Claire 🤍
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