From Solstice to Da Shu: Yoga & Qigong Reflections for the Period of Maximum Yang
A Somatic Approach to Summer through Qigong and Yogic Wisdom
As the sun arcs high above, we are in the season of intensity, expression, and expansion. In both the natural world and the inner body, summer is the season of Fire, associated in Chinese medicine with the Heart, Joy, and Spiritual Clarity.
The Summer Solstice — the longest day of the year — and the solar term Da Shu (大暑, "Great Heat") mark the peak of Yang energy in the seasonal cycle.
While Summer Solstice represents the time when Yang energy is at its peak in cosmic terms — the longest day, the most daylight - Dà Shǔ is when the manifested heat — the Earthly Yang — is most intense. It’s the climactic expression of that peak Yang. Opening the path towards late-summer’s Earth energy.
The world pulses with brightness and power.
And yet, amidst all this fire, our bodies often long for a different rhythm: one of coolness, softness, and inward steadiness.
Fire, Yang, and the Solar Plexus
In Daoist and Qigong philosophy, summer belongs to the Fire element, associated with the Heart, Joy, and Shen — the spirit-mind.
When balanced, Fire is expansive, connective, and life-affirming. When excessive, it leads to:
Overstimulation and anxiety
Emotional overwhelm
Restlessness and insomnia
Burnout masked as over-productivity
This isn’t just theoretical — it’s something many people feel, especially those with sensitive nervous systems or a tendency toward overextension.
In Yogic philosophy, Fire is centered in the Solar Plexus — Manipura Chakra, the seat of willpower, vitality, and personal sovereignty. It governs how we metabolize life: food, thoughts, decisions, emotions. Like the Yang of Qigong, it’s a dynamic energy of agency, action, and transformation.
But in both systems, Fire must be contained and regulated — not suppressed, but held wisely. Otherwise, it becomes consuming.
Unbalanced, Manipura can manifest as:
Digestive and hormonal dysregulation
Volatile emotions
Inner instability despite outer action
Aspirations that drive us into burnout
This is why both Qigong and Yoga emphasise working with the fire of summer, not against it — to cultivate power without burnout. In modern life, summer can intensify this overstimulation. From late-night social events to the pressure to "make the most" of the warm months, we can become dysregulated without even realizing it.
The Balance of Heart and Solar Plexus
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Heart is the seat of Shen, the spirit. It governs not just blood circulation but also emotional clarity and the ability to connect with others and ourselves.
In Yogic philosophy, the Solar Plexus governs our internal drive and self-esteem, how we act in the world and make decisions.
These systems complement one another. In summer — the season of Fire — both systems emphasise the need for regulation and harmony:
Qigong asks us to cool the Heart and settle the Shen
Yoga invites us to refine our inner fire and balance willpower with compassion
Both traditions teach that when balanced and grounded, we experience:
Emotional resilience – our joy feels authentic, not forced
We sleep well and wake rested
Our speech is clear and sincere
We feel connected — to self, others, and spirit
But when the heart is overstimulated or “overheated,” joy and willpower can turn to mania, aspirations to overdrive, and movement to depletion. We become, quite literally, "burned out."
This is why now is the perfect time to embrace somatic practices that cool the fire, nourish the Heart, and anchor the spirit.
The Yogic Fire: Tapas, Softness, and Movement Medicine
In Yoga, tapas — the inner fire — is often misunderstood as merely willpower or discipline alone. But true tapas is refined fire: the energy that transforms without destroying.
It must be held within the container of sthira (steadiness) and sukha (ease).
This is where somatic movement, Qigong, and gentle Yoga become essential in summer and give us a way to harmonize with the season rather than be overwhelmed by it.
At Move in Serenity, I guide practices rooted in Qigong and Yoga that help you:
Cool and regulate the nervous system
Anchor Heart and Solar Plexus energy with loving awareness
Move energy without depletion
Ground and nourish emotional resilience
Reconnect with body rhythms and inner stillness
Solstice to Da Shu: A Sacred Window for Recalibration
Between the Solstice (June 20–22) and Da Shu (around July 22) lies a sacred window — a time of visibility, connection, and radiance.
But energetically, this is also when Yin begins its subtle return. It’s a moment to attune to the shift, not by retreating, but by refining and to begin turning inwards.
This is a portal for recalibration.
Ask yourself:
What fires am I feeding that no longer nourish me?
Where might I soften without losing strength?
What would it feel like to move in devotion, not in drive?
This is the essence of Bhakti, the Yogic path of the heart:
To let movement become prayer.
To let breath become offering.
To let softness become strength.
An Invitation to Co-regulate: Summer Qigong Workshop - Open the Heart, Move with Joy
In honour of this sacred seasonal transition, I’m offering a Qigong Workshop mid-July, just before Da Shu.
We’ll explore:
Gentle Qigong forms to regulate Heart and Shen
Harmonize Yang with presence and internal awareness
Movement as an act of reverence and resilience
Let go of tension and prepare the body to transition toward late summer's Earth element
This is not about retreating from life. It’s about learning to move with life, from a place of clarity, rhythm, and inner radiance.
🗓 Date: Sunday 20 July
📍 Location: online
🔗 Sign up: here
Closing Reflections
In stillness, he and the yin share a single Virtue;
in motion, he and the yang share a single flow.
Thus he who understands Heavenly joy
incurs no wrath from Heaven, no opposition from man,
no entanglement from things, no blame from the spirits.
Zhuangzi, Burton Watson. The Complete Works of Zhuangzi (2013, Columbia University Press).
Yours, Move in Serenity.
