Between Seasons: The Wisdom of Late Summer in Daoism and Yoga
Most of us know the four seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Yet in Daoist philosophy and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), there is a fifth: Late Summer. This transitional phase arrives after the peak of summer heat, as the days slowly prepare for autumn.
Late Summer belongs to the Earth element, representing nourishment, stability, and the center. In Daoism, Earth is the pivot point—the place where Yin and Yang meet in balance. Understanding this season helps us not only care for our bodies, but also navigate the “in-between” spaces of life.
The Earth Element and Late Summer in Daoism
In TCM, Earth is associated with the Spleen and Stomach, the organs responsible for digestion and assimilation. On a physical level, this is about transforming food into energy. On a deeper level, it includes our ability to digest experiences, thoughts, and emotions.
Earth is also linked with the muscles —the tissues that allow us to move, support ourselves, and feel strong. When Earth is balanced, muscles feel steady and supple. When weakened, this may show up as heaviness, fatigue, or lack of tone.
Late Summer is therefore more than a seasonal marker—it is a pivot season. Yang (active, outward energy) of summer begins to decline, while Yin (cooling, inward energy) of autumn slowly rises. Earth holds the balance between them.
Earth and the Emotional Landscape
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, each element is linked not only to physical organs but also to emotions. For Earth, the balanced qualities are stability, compassion, and the ability to nurture. When Earth is strong, we feel centered, steady, and caring — both toward ourselves and others.
When weakened, Earth tips into worry, overthinking, or rumination. Just as the Stomach and Spleen digest food, the Earth element helps us “digest” experiences. If this process is disturbed, thoughts may circle endlessly without resolution.
Yoga offers a parallel understanding. In the Yoga Sutras, restless thought patterns are described as chitta vritti — fluctuations of the mind. Practices that steady the breath, calm the nervous system, and bring awareness into the body help soften this overactivity. The root chakra (Muladhara) is also connected to stability and safety, qualities that resonate with Earth’s grounding nature in Daoist thought.
Together, both traditions remind us that steadiness is more than physical: it is emotional balance, compassion, and the capacity to meet life with presence rather than worry.
Yoga and the Philosophy of Centering
Yoga does not define a relationship between seasons and elements, yet it shares similar insights about balance and the center, which resonate with Daoist views of Earth. The practice emphasizes awareness of transitions—in breath, in movement, and in the spaces in between.
In asana, transitions between poses are as important as the poses themselves. Moving steadily reflects Earth’s principle of stability within change.
In pranayama, the pauses between inhale and exhale (kumbhaka) are threshold moments of stillness.
In philosophy, the Bhagavad Gita teaches equanimity (samatva)—a state of balance even as life shifts around us.
While Yoga does not name a fifth season, it offers practices that echo Earth’s wisdom: cultivating steadiness, balance, and presence in the in-between.
Movement, Muscles, and the Wisdom of Earth
Both Daoist Qigong and Yoga provide ways to align with Earth energy through the body.
Qigong for Earth
Gentle weight shifts and movements centered in the dantian (lower belly energy center).
Even, grounding practices that harmonize body and breath.
Exercises that strengthen and relax muscles without strain, building stability from the center outwards.
Yoga for Earth
Postures like Mountain (Tadasana) or Tree (Vrikshasana) that develop balance and muscular steadiness.
Slow, conscious transitions between poses to maintain awareness of strength and support.
Nourishing postures that engage core and legs while allowing release where tension has built up.
Philosophically, Earth teaches that true strength is adaptable. In Yoga, the principle of sthira and sukha (steadiness and ease) mirrors this wisdom. Muscles, like the Earth, support us best when strong yet supple—neither rigid nor weak. Stability is not immobility—it is the capacity to engage and release, to support and yield, without losing connection to center.
The Wisdom of Transitions
Late Summer carries a lesson beyond the calendar. In life, we all encounter transitions—moments that are not fully one thing or another: endings before beginnings, periods of waiting, or thresholds where the path is uncertain.
These moments can feel unsettling, but they also hold potential. Daoism teaches that change is constant, and Earth shows us how to remain steady within it. Yoga echoes this truth through equanimity: the capacity to stay balanced even when life is in motion.
To live the wisdom of Late Summer is finding a home within, so that we can move with life rather than against it. When rooted, even transition becomes a place of strength.
Conclusion
Late Summer, the season of Earth, invites us to pause in the space between fullness and decline, activity and rest. It reminds us that stability is not the absence of change, but the strength of a centered foundation that allows us to flow with life.
Let this season of Late Summer remind us of what every seasonal change teaches: how to remain steady during transitions, and how to meet uncertainty with balance and ease.
If you’d like to embody this wisdom through practice, join me for my short Daoist Flow class on YouTube balancing the earth element through movement. We’ll explore movement, breath, and stillness for grounding, balance, and strength.
Closing Reflections
Remain at the center of the circle and let all things take their course.
Laozi, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 29 (translation by Stephen Mitchell, 1988)
Yours, Move in Serenity.
