Shiatsu blog: Master your fire energy during the sizzling summer!

Get ready to ignite your spirit with the vibrant Fire element! Even if you're not an astrological fire sign like Aries, Leo, or Sagittarius, this fiery energy might surprise you at certain times of the year. As we bask in the warmth of summer, with a delightful Spring behind us, fire energy is on the rise. Fire energy is absolutely fantastic! It's all about fun, joy, relaxation, and boosting your social vibes. But remember, every element has its flip side—this is Chinese medicine, where the Yin/Yang balance is key. Fire energy can sometimes go overboard, bursting out of control and wreaking havoc on your health. In today's shiatsu blog, we're diving into how to master your fire energy during the sizzling summer!

What does the Fire Element mean?

In Chinese medicine, the five elements—Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, and Metal—represent qualities, energies, and processes, not literal substances. They interact cyclically to maintain balance and harmony in the body and universe. Balancing these elements is a focus during shiatsu. The 5-element theory, akin to psychology in Chinese medicine, treats the body and mind as a whole. For example, the Fire element encompasses both physical and psychological attributes.

The Fire element resides within you consistently, helping maintain your balance throughout the year, but it may become more prominent as temperatures rise. If you typically have low fire energy, you might notice a surge in vitality and become the focal point or life of the party when exposed to warmth or during a sunny holiday.

Finding the balance with all elements is cyclical and as well as there being daily rotations of energies i.e. you maybe a morning person (not fire) or a night owl which is a fire energy; there are also yearly cycles and the most forceful of this is the Aries energy which came in in April; if you know an Aries person you’ll understand!

Fire people are vivacious, loud, and colorful, thriving as performers who love an audience. They are extroverted, often taking center stage as leaders and entrepreneurs, inspiring others with their passion projects.

In terms of health, maintaining balance is key. When balanced, Fire people have great energy and confidence. The main emotion linked with Fire is Joy, but unchecked, it can turn into mania.

Excessive Fire is fire out of balance and running wild – here are some of the symptoms:

• Flushed complexion / Rosacea | Feeling hot all the time

• Sore mouth, tongue, and throat | Thirst and a desire for cold drinks

• Acne outbreaks 

• Over exhaustion when they’ve pushed their energy to the limits continuously

• Lifelong Insomnia | Night terrors

• Racing heart (and heart conditions diagnosed earlier than most)

• High blood pressure

• Constipation

• Sticky blood (based symptoms)

• Arthritis

• Regular Migraines

• Like a dog with a bone on matters

• Night shift workers

• Painful shoulders (the Fire Chinese meridians – Heart Heart Protector Triple Heart Small Intestine dominate the arms front and back)

Unsettled shen - How can excess fire affect you?

I wanted to clarify this particular TCM term as I encounter it frequently. It is easily triggered but also preventable. Shen with a capital S refers to the entirety of the human soul, which consists of five parts, one of which is shen (small s). This part represents the soul residing in the heart. Its significance lies in the fact that when it becomes unsettled, it can impact a person's personality, from experiencing night terrors to affecting their daily life. Heat is what disturbs the shen, and it tends to worsen in summer. You might notice this through poor sleep on hot summer nights or experiencing delusions during a fever. You may also have many strange dreams—this indicates unsettled shen. For some, being born under a fire sign during a particularly hot time of year, such as Leo (late July/August), less so Aries, and in Australia, more for Sagittarians (late Nov/Dec), can establish a pattern from birth that may wreak havoc on life and health.

Noticeable in the news were the 5 days of riots across the country in August 2011. Though they began for serious reasons, people ended up looting shops for cleaning products. Riot fever took over during the hot, dry weather. I predicted the riots would stop with rain, and they did. This was an example of Fire energy out of control, needing Water energy to calm it. This extreme example illustrates how heat affects behavior, similar to everyday irritability from feeling too hot.

Kidney Yang and Yin relationship – it’s a balancing act!

Your essence or lifeforce is a balance of Yin (cooling, calming) and Yang (energising, fiery), essential for overall health. Women may experience Yin depletion during childbirth and menopause, leading to feelings of heat due to a loss of Kidney Yin rather than excess Yang. Imbalances can occur in any gender from birth, evident in high-energy, hot individuals or those who are cold and conserve energy, continuing into adulthood. Stress depletes Yang, causing coldness. Few people maintain a perfect balance, but it's important to support your mind and body to restore equilibrium, as life's challenges often disrupt it.

The main focus here is on recognising your symptoms, identifying what can cause you to become unbalanced, and understanding how to restore your equilibrium.

 

Master your fire energy during the sizzling summer!

There are many lifestyle factors that help you keep your fire energy in balance:

• Prioritise sleep: Fire types think they don’t need sleep but oh they do! Part of bringing balance back into your life is to replenish. Fires burn out when they run out of fuel and so fire people tend to then suffer from extreme exhaustion. Fire energy jeeps you up later into the night; you feel yourself getting more energy later in the day; fire people are not morning people! Managing sleep is critical to a fire signs health.

• Engage in creative activities: Expressing yourself through art, dance, or music can help to release pent-up energy and promote emotional balance. As fire can easily lead to outbursts and anger the flipside of this is creativity. Use that passion to create anything – even a complaint letter! Then pause before action and read when level headed as most of this energy will be vented late into the night.

• Ground your energy: Fire energy can scatter you; this means you become ungrounded and easily overwhelmed.  Shiatsu is fantastic at helping a person learn to ground themselves in a way they enjoy. Any activity where you take your shoes off to feel the earth or you’re aiming to put yourself back into touch with your own body like Qi Gong are beneficial. Fire is earth and air. It consumes the earth energy to reach upwards but without air it will extinguish and without earth it doesn’t have the energy – this is the interplay of elements.

Food is fuel for fire:

Sugar-based foods are like chucking a log on the fire! Therefore, if you’re prone to fire attributes your food can control your symptoms and your personality traits. Foods that cool and moisten the body, are good all year round for fire people and for the rest of us when the weather gets hot and we feel ourselves getting ratty:

• Bitter foods: Bitter green vegetables/ leaves help to clear heat – good for us all year round but especially Spring and summer

• Juicy fruits and vegetables: Watermelon and cucumber help quench thirst and cool the body. I’m normally steering most people away from cooling foods but if you’re internally hot then these are good. Ayurvedic medicine is also tuned into foods to calm inner fire. In TCM terms you’ll want Yin nourishing foods.

• Avoid: Spicy, hot, and stimulating foods like energy drinks and caffeine, which can deplete Yin (water).

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Bach flower remedies – to calm the shen down If your emotions and thought processes are overwhelming then Bach flowers aims to bring you back to a place of peace. You may have heard of Rescue Remedy; this is a good starting place. However, a bespoke blend based on your current state will help you even more. It’s one of the add-ons I offer to shiatsu.

Supplements  -  As we get old and lose our essence (lifeforce) it can be replenished by lifestyle – rejuvenating rest fresh air immersing in nature and a nutritious diet. In reality we don’t get any of these in enough of the quantities that our body truly needs and this is where vitamins and minerals step up. They put the right fuel back into your tank support in your Kidney Yin and Yang. When you’re stressed then there are very powerful stress adaptogens that help you energy so that you don’t veer too out of balance. I have a useful supplements guide to help you get started. Download it here.

Click image to download guide

Shiatsu – the ultimate massage therapy to bring your body and mind back into balance. I’m lucky enough to have received treatments that have helped me deal with stress and wayward emotions as well as my physical symptoms since my early 20s. I found shiatsu when I was 33 as I’d always had an interest in Chinese medicine and the holistic health approach. Shiatsu was the missing piece in my health jigsaw!

 

Shiatsu, shoulders and your gut

Fire signs and passionate individuals often experience shoulder issues more frequently than others. This is because fire signs tend to take on responsibilities, which can feel burdensome. Expressions such as "weight of the world on their shoulders" exist for a reason. Shoulder problems are also connected to gut health issues; everything is interrelated. In terms of health, many problems stem from a single root cause. Identifying and addressing this cause is key to achieving significant health improvements and increased vitality.

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About Andrea at Shiatsu Bodyworks Cheltenham

Andrea is a qualified zen shiatsu and Chinese medicine practitioner with over 20 years immersed in holistic therapies and the energetics of mind and body. Based in Cheltenham, UK she offers in house clinic and online sessions to help people and dogs with midlife health issues. As well as shiatsu she may incorporate Bach flower remedies and pharmacognosy using essential oils. She is a menopause specialist too, you can find out more at cotswoldmenopause.co.uk

Shiatsu: Gentle body work to make your body work better!