The Yang Season of Summer

In our practices for the week of the Summer Solstice, we focused on the organs of summer (according to Chinese Medicine). The Yin (feminine) organ being the heart and the Yang (masculine) organ being the small intestines. As we felt the heat and fire, the element of the Yang season of Summer, we paid special attention to these organs and meditated on the themes of Compassion, Nourishment, and Clarity. The tongue grows out of the heart, and is also associated with summer.
The heart is about joy, love, and spirit, and the feeling may spread and expand out. The small intestines are about filtering, deciding between impure and pure, and offering the right nourishment for the body. The tongue, with its connection to the heart, may communicate all this through right speech (or silence) and offers its taste buds to detect what balances the body and mind.
We opened our hearts (but also allowed the heart to rest and not "push forth"), we rinsed and spiraled out from the "belly brain" of the small intestines, offering it space , and we loosened our grip on our tongues, offering space in the caves of our mouths. Meditating on that trailing, spiraling, interesting connection of digestion from tongue to heart to small intestines, and vice versa, as we experienced our bodies.

I find this theme to be particularly rich. As I facilitated the classes from this theme, I also found myself experiencing vulnerable emotions, as tapping into the heart (the seat of consciousness and true intelligence) and the small intestines (the "guts", the belly brain) I could feel emotions, insecurities, and layers bubbling up inside of me... I naturally went into a Yin-style practice, although I had planned for a more Yang, active practice. Perhaps the restfulness and the releases discovered through the more Yin practice allows us to play with Fire more holistically, make wiser choices. That is at least something to inquire into.