We’re now a couple weeks past the summer solstice, and many of us are enjoying the extra daylight hours and the hustle and bustle of summer play.

The solstice marks an important time for our health. It  marks the longest day of the year -a time that is considered peak ‘yang.’ Yang represents activity, heat, sunlight, light, movement. These are all aspects of summer that most of us love. But if we dive a little more deeply into Chinese medical theory, the solstice is also the moment when yin begins to make a comeback. At 12:01 AM on the summer solstice, yang begins its decline or waning period for the year, and yin begins to build.

We need to consider building our yin in the summer. Yin in our bodies is the liquid, fluid, watery aspect of our bodies. In the summer, when the sun peaks and temperatures rise, we…