in season: late summer and what it calls for
I could not imagine better circumstances for writing my first post for a project that has been ripening in the back of my mind for about two years now.
I am sitting on my balcony on a remarkably warm evening during Berlin's first September days. It is only 8:00 PM, and it is already dark. Not that I am complaining. Praising the first fallen leaves and shorter days—despite how much everyone else seems to hate it—definitely Libra’s duty. That is exactly where I am right now. Independently of how much I am already longing for cozy nights in and my palo santo, the final stretch of summer is still here.
And it’s an important one for healing—whatever it is you are here to heal.
If you ever want to go deeper into where my own journey started — and discover a framework that's profoundly shaped my own understanding of health — I'd love to have you start with my free guide, available as Step 01 in Store. If you're just here to follow along the pragmatic side of how I actually apply all this in my everyday life, have at it, and enjoy the article.
We’ll skip the philosophy and move straight to the practicalities.
So… What's In Season And Why It Matters
If Summer is the season of doing, socializing, connecting — Late Summer is the season of digesting. Literally, energetically, and emotionally. It is when the body is asked to take everything it has gathered and turn it into something it can keep: energy for the road ahead, reserves for the colder, leaner months.
It's the season of digestion.
In Chinese Medicine, it belongs to the Earth Element — the Spleen and Stomach system, if we use the correct TCM terminology, but really just "digestion" is close enough for now.
There's a particular thickness to the air right now — Summer's heat starting to settle into something heavier, damper, harder to shake off. And because the body was never separate from the world it lives in, it doesn't just witness that shift. It has to move through it, too.
The way this humid season shows up in the body isn't dramatic — it's more of a drag than a crisis. When it settles in—both in the air and in our bodies—it can make us feel physically heavy, mentally foggy, or emotionally stuck. The skin reflects that shift - usually puffy or showing congestion that lingers just below the surface and doesn’t seem to move. Focusing on stoking what TCM calls the ‘digestive fire’ in Late Summer is the best way to support the body in building enough energy to move that heavy, stagnant internal terrain.
Physical Digestion: Light the Internal Fire
When the environment is damp and heavy, the digestive system has to work twice as hard. Dampness, in the Taoist and TCM sense, is not just a weather pattern — it's an energetic quality that moves through nature the same way it moves through the body, and shifting it takes a real supply of energy, and therefore - a strong ‘digestive fire’.
A few shifts in how and what you eat go a long way:
Favor warm, cooked foods. Warmth aids the Spleen and Stomach's ability to transform and transport what you take in — steamed vegetables, broths, congee, and gently cooked grains are kinder to a sluggish digestion than raw salads or cold smoothies.
Minimize cold and raw intake, especially in the morning. Cold foods and drinks slow digestion and add to internal dampness. Swap iced drinks for warm water, herbal tea, or ginger-infused water.
Reach for bitter, astringent, and aromatic flavors. These help the body move fluids and clear stagnation — dandelion greens, ginger, garlic, and scallion.
Keep portions modest and meals regular, rather than large and late. An overloaded Spleen is a slower one.
Go easier on sugar, dairy, and refined grains. These tend to add to phlegm and dampness rather than clear it, contributing to brain fog and puffiness. If dairy is part of your diet, fermented forms like yogurt or kefir, in moderation, tend to sit easier. Otherwise - it’s a perfect season to lean plant-based.
Energetic Digestion: Ground Your Movement
The Earth element is all about stability, rhythm, and your relationship to the ground beneath you.
Walk barefoot (Earthing): Spend a few minutes walking on grass, soil, or sand to physically connect with the earth's energy.
Focus on centering movement: Practice slow, deliberate movements like Yin Yoga, Qigong, or gentle stretching that focus on the stomach and spleen meridians (which run along the front of the body and the inner legs).
Establish a daily rhythm: The Earth element loves routine. Try to eat your meals and go to bed at consistent times to give your nervous system a sense of predictability.
Emotional Digestion: Process and Prune
Just as your stomach digests food, your mind must digest experiences. Late summer is the time to sit with everything that happened over the busy spring and summer months.
Journal to de-clutter: Write down the highlights, lessons, and stressors of the past few months. What did you gather that you want to keep? What did you take on that is no longer good for you?
Practice conscious pauses: Give yourself permission to do nothing. In a society obsessed with constant productivity, resting during Late Summer is a radical act of honoring our bodies’ cyclical nature and preparation for the winter.
Set boundaries for yourself around overthinking: The shadow emotion of the Earth element is worry and rumination. If you find your mind spinning in circles, gently shift your attention back to your physical senses or the feeling of your feet on the floor.
Late Summer reminds us that we cannot always be in a state of high-energy output. Taking the time to digest right now ensures that you won't enter the colder months feeling depleted or overwhelmed.