Slight Heat: 11th Seasonal Node (July 7 – July 22, 2026)
July 7, 2026 marks Slight Heat, the 11th of the 24 solar terms and the fifth stage of summer.
It’s the beginning of deep summer heat. The hottest time of year begins, but the extreme point hasn’t arrived yet.
This is the season of yang at its fullest expression. Heat descends from Heaven, while everything in nature rises and expands outward.
Slight Heat: What's Happening in Nature
The south wind blows hot
Crickets leave the hot open fields and move to the shade of walls and courtyards, an old marker of this season in classical texts
Young hawks begin learning to fly, riding the rising currents of warm air
Fireflies light up the night
Thunderstorms build in the humid afternoons
Psycho-emotional
The Su Wen, Chapter 2, advises us to “possess no will of anger”.
Anger is especially disruptive in the summer.
Summer belongs to the Heart in Chinese medicine, and the Heart houses the spirit. When the weather is hot and humid, it is easy to become irritable. The mind heats up with the body.
Give things room to unfold. Let what’s been growing come to fruition. Have an intention of calm and gentle.
This helps keep the Heart cool and prevents heat from stagnating in the body.
How Slight Heat Affects the Body
Qi moves outward during the summer through perspiration.
Sweating helps the body release excess heat. This helps the Qi of the heart and protects the body from illness in the Autumn.
At the same time, heavy sweating can tax the Heart and deplete fluids and qi. It’s all about balance. Drink water before and after any activity. Eat hydrating foods.
In summer, room-temperature or lightly cool water is often better than ice-cold water.
When the body is hot, ice-cold drinks can be hard on digestion.
Think of a hot wok when cold water hits: it’s two extremes colliding. In a similar way, ice-cold water in a hot body can shock the system.
The better approach is to sip room-temperature water, cool drinks, cucumber water or mint tea.
Best Foods for Slight heat (Five Element Nutrition)
For Slight Heat, focus on foods that cool, hydrate and are light. Add small amounts of pungent foods (some heat) to encourage a gentle sweat and protect the digestive fire.
Good foods for this season include:
Watermelon
Cucumber
Tomatoes
Zucchini
Celery
Leafy greens
Mung beans
Corn
Barley
Job’s tears
Mint
Chrysanthemum tea
Light soups
Congee
Scallion
Ginger
Basil
Cilantro
Radish
Foods best enjoyed in moderation:
Ice-cold drinks and frozen treats
Greasy, fried, and heavy foods
Excessively spicy foods
Alcohol
Slight Heat Self-Care (TCM Tips)
Avoid exercising in the hottest time of day. Gentle movement like Qi Gong and Tai Chi are excellent to cool the body.
The classics advise that in summer we should allow the mind to expand outward and enjoy nature. Since this season carries the quality of rising yang, it’s also good to seek out high places to take walks.
Landscapes from high vantage points give that rising yang energy a wide, expansive view. Standing on a ridge and looking out over hills and water, the Heart is nourished by openness.
On Saturday July 18th we’re going on our first Healing in nature day hike. This is a professionally guided hike created to be perfectly aligned with the season.
It’s a chance to get out in nature, move our body, breathe fresh air and take in beautiful overlook views. We’ll begin with a peaceful walk alongside beautiful Cascade Lake before heading into the woods and gradually climbing to the ridgeline. Once on top, we'll enjoy incredible panoramic views.
From there, we’ll follow the ridge with breathtaking views of Greenwood Lake, Bearfort Mountain, and Prospect Rock. This is only 2 weeks away! Join us for a beautiful day in nature. Learn more and register here
Closing
Nature is healing. The beautiful weather is here. Come spend a day with me. It’s a chance to get outside, move our body, breathe fresh air and take in wide-open panoramic views to nourish our heart energy. Register here
I’m so looking forward to this! Reach out of you have any questions.
Next Seasonal Node: Great Heat, July 23 to August 6, 2026.
