Still Waters Within: The Heart, Shen, and Sleep in Late Summer

“Still Waters Within: The Heart, Shen, and Sleep in Late Summer” [00:00:00] Hello everyone and welcome back to the Menopause Balance Podcast. I'm Dr. Ian, and today we're going to explore something that touches us all that gentle but sometimes elusive rhythm between wakefulness and rest. Now it's February and in the rhythm of the seasons, we're still in the late summer phase. That humid, heavy, sometimes unsettled time when our sleep can become a little erratic and our minds a little busier than we'd like. Now, in classical East Asian medicine, this season belongs to the heart and the residents of the Shen or spirit. And when the heart is stirred, the Shen becomes restless. Sleep may slip away. Our dreams can become vivid and our emotional [00:01:00] landscape can sometimes start to ripple like water in the wind. So today's episode is called Still Waters Within the Heart, Shen and Sleep in Late Summer, and we're gonna talk about what disturbs the heart, what calms it, and how we can find stillness again. Not through force, but through understanding and gentle restoration, the heart and the Shen. Now in classical East Asian medicine, the heart is not just a pump for your blood. It's the seat of consciousness, the home of our emotional clarity. And connection. It is the place where our inner world meets the outer one, where our feelings, thoughts, and [00:02:00] awareness gather and become harmonious. The sheen, which is often translated, his spirit reflects the heart's brightness when now Shen is calm. Your eyes are clear. Your speech is measured, and our presence is centered. But when the Shen becomes disturbed by heat, worry, overstimulation, or even emotional excess, we can start to feel scattered, restless, unable to settle. The heart becomes like a pond. You know, after you throw a stone in it, the ripples spread right out to the edges. And our sleep, our mood, and our focus can be disturbed. [00:03:00] So in late summer, when the weather can often contribute to this, you get humidity lingering. And warmth can transform into what in classical East Asian medicine we call damp heat. This not only affects the body, but it affects the mind. The heaviness we feel in our limbs can also appear as heaviness in our thoughts and, and as the knights remain warm, our capacity to cool and anchor the yang. That's the active outward moving energy. That becomes challenged and therefore yang drifts upwards, and the Shen, which resides in the heart can become unsettled by that rising yang. When the heart can't find stillness, you might notice this pattern in [00:04:00] yourself or in your friends or your family. This is when sleep becomes lighter. You tend to wake easily or toss and turn. Your dreams may become colorful or even disturbing. There's a sense of fullness and warmth constantly in the chest, or perhaps you feel physically fine, but you can't turn off your mind, particularly when you lie down to go to sleep. Now in the world of classical East Asian medicine. These things are not random. We take them as signs that the heart's residence has become too warm. Or perhaps that the fluids, the yin, that normally anchors the Shen has become thinned out due to heat. Sometimes that can be from overwork, too much thinking, or late night screen time. You know, [00:05:00] blue light sometimes, or even emotional tension. Or even things that you're eating, dietary factors like excess coffee, alcohol, and sometimes even spicy foods, Nourishing Sheng the heart and calming the Shen. Now the good news is that the heart responds beautifully to care, simple, mindful, consistent care. So let's take a look at a few practical ways that we can do things to restore the stillness. First, let's cool and settle the heart through rhythm. This is done by creating an even an evening ritual. That's not a rigid routine, but a gentle rhythm that sends signals. Signals that are saying it's time to return inward. It's time to slow and head [00:06:00] towards the yin, not the yang. How do you do this? Well, let's try dimming the lights an hour or so before you go to bed. Avoid the news screens with their blue light or stimulating conversations even. Listen to light soft music, or you may even like to just step outside for a few quiet breaths under the stars and look up and take into that magnificent spectrum. 'cause the heart thrives on peace and predictability when the world slows. So does the Shen. Next, support the heart with nourishment. In classical East Asian medicine, the foods are used to help gently nourish the yin and therefore calm heat. [00:07:00] Yeah. So what can do that? Well, simple things like fresh pears, fresh apples. A small amount of cooked mung beans, perhaps a sprinkle of lotus seeds or red dates in some congee, some herbal teas with things like Conantum or rose. Now, these are just a few that are gentle tonics for the heart's clarity, and therefore the Shens calmness. You might also try something like some acupressure that can anchor the Shen. You know when you're lying there and you're awake at night. Well try placing a finger on heart at seven or Shen min, and it's located on the wrist crease on the inside of the wrist, in line with the little finger. Now gentle gently massage this point while breathing slowly. [00:08:00] You might combine that with pericardium six, which is a little closer to the midline of the wrist, which also helps release emotional tension and steady the pulse of the heart. You could keep the spleen light and clear because the late summer belongs to the earth phase, and that's the spleens. Big time. The spleen's function of transforming and transporting is vital, but when dam accumulates, it clouds the heart's clarity. And a phrase that's comes up a lot is the mud in the pond. So avoid heavy, greasy, or overly sweet foods. Keep your meals warm and moderate. Think nourishment, not indulgence. [00:09:00] You might wanna reconnect with the joy of simplicity. In classical East Asian medicine, joy is the emotion of the heart, but like all emotions, it's a spectrum from light, contented warmth through to overstimulation, so small. Quiet joys like sitting with a loved one, tending a garden, or playing gentle music. They can help you restore the balance over. Excitement, even from a positive thing can deplete the heart just as quickly as sorrow. Some late summer reflections. So as we move through this late summer period when the yang still dances brightly, but the earth begins to turn inward, I'm inviting [00:10:00] you to find stillness within that warmth. Let the ha rest in the middle. Neither overheated nor dulled, but quietly radiant. When the Shen is calm, sleep does return naturally and our inner rhythm matches the earth's slow turning towards autumn. And you might like to ask yourself tonight, what is it that helps my heart feel still? You know, that could be a walk after dinner, a simple pause before you go to bed. Or simply choosing to let one thought drift away instead of chasing it. Now, the ancients wrote that the sage rests the heart before the night begins, and that might be a key [00:11:00] rest is not only the body lying down, you know, it's the spirit of the Shen being at ease with the day that has passed. Okay, so if you'd like, if you've liked this and you'd like to explore more gentle ways to support your heart and your Shen, I have added a few home care suggestions in the Sagire health members library. Under the home health section, that's where you're gonna find calming tea recipes, acupressure guides, And seasonal self-care tips to help you nurture, restful sleep from within. So until next time, may your nights be peaceful, your mind clear and your heart calm, like still water. I'm Dr. Ian, and this has been the Sagire Health [00:12:00] Conversations.