The Heat of Summer Is Not Your Enemy

We live in an age that fears heat.

As summer arrives, air conditioners roar into life. The subway is cold, the office is colder, even the gym feels like a freezer. We move from one refrigerated space to another, barely breaking a sweat, barely feeling the sun. It’s as if summer is something to escape from—a threat we must defend against.

But our bodies do not agree.

Summer is when yang energy is at its peak. Nature is offering us a chance to repair, to grow, to renew. During this season, qi and blood rise to the surface, nourishing the skin, clearing out hidden cold, revitalizing us from the outside in. It’s like a natural reset button, pressed only once a year.

Yet when we stay locked in air-conditioned shelters, that qi and blood can’t reach where they need to go. Over time, circulation slows. You feel it in your cold fingers, numb toes, tense shoulders, sore back, and perhaps most of all—in your knees.

Yes, your knees. They’re far from your heart, rarely moved, often chilled. And so they stiffen and ache. But your elbows? They’re working, moving, active. And so they remain warm, pain-free. As movement stirs warmth, yang follows motion. This is how the body heals—through flow.

So maybe summer is not your enemy. Maybe air conditioning is the silent thief, quietly draining your vitality.

We don’t need to turn summer into winter. We just need to make peace with the heat.

Let yourself sweat a little. Step into the sunlight. Raise your air-con temperature by a couple degrees. Sip ginger tea. Wrap a light blanket around your knees at night. Walk barefoot. Let the warmth soak into you.

Because what’s hurting isn’t just the heat. It’s our fear of it.