Why You Have So Much More Energy in the Summer

Just like so many flowers, we as living beings blossom in the summer.

It’s an observation I make every year both in myself, in my friends and family around me, and in my patients in the clinic. Summertime arrives and progresses with abundant energy. Our social calendars fill up with outings and gatherings. You pop out of bed like a daisy early in the morning, oftentimes even if you got to bed later than you should have the night before. You feel alert and ready for anything. This morning I woke up just before 5am, before my alarm. Definitely not my usual.

Conversely, in winter, you feel tired and sluggish more often than not. The snooze button gets smooth with wear. You want to sleep later, and you find yourself crawling into bed much earlier than usual. I always find it amusing how in winter, no matter how much I exercise, I’m still yawning come 4pm.

What gives?

There’s a very simple explanation for this according to Five Element theory that I will dive into in a minute. But it’s also quite easy to understand from a western standpoint. This is just our circadian rhythms at work. We usually understand this concept in terms of our sleep/wake cycle in a 24-hour period. But it’s just as applicable to the years and decades of our lives. Our pineal glands, that govern these rhythms, are exposed to more light. That means they make less melatonin in the summer and tell our bodies to be awake longer. Think of it as your seasonal circadian rhythm.

But how do we look at this through a Five Element lens?

In summer, the fire element is dominant. Fire lights and warms everything, and encourages everything to grow. As Yang energy is higher in the summer, so too is our Qi. It naturally feels more abundant and we can do so much more. Arguably, some of us even find our Qigong practice more powerful in the summer.

The Huang Di Nei Jing, or the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine, the first and oldest text written on the subject of Chinese medicine, describes it perfectly in this passage:

The three months of summer,

they denote opulence and blossoming.

The qi of heaven and earth interact and

the myriad beings bloom and bear fruit.

Go to rest late at night and rise early.

Never get enough of the sun.

Let the mind have no anger.

Stimulate beauty and have your elegance perfected.

While this dance had been playing itself out year over year throughout my life, it took me until I was a little older and wiser to notice it as a pattern. Now that I understand this, I welcome the early mornings in the summer and don’t beat myself up for feeling more tired on a cloudy January day. Equally, I remind my patients of the same thing when they feel as if there’s something wrong simply because they are more tired in the winter.

This is where the idea of living in harmony with the seasons comes into play. This is also why I’m always reminding students and patients to eat soups and warm foods in the fall and winter, to allow themselves adequate time for rest and reflection when that time comes, and to focus on Qigong patterns that build energy at the Dan Tian during these months. The fast and active pace of spring and summer is great. But that energy, just like any fire, burns itself out eventually and we have to begin the cycle of gathering and resting when it is time so we have enough reserve energy to blossom when the time comes again.

So, for now, eat that ice cream. Let your Qi flow be a little wild in your practice, stay out a little later with your friends if it makes your heart feel light. When that energy settles down again, as it always does, you’ll be ready for rest and restorative practice.

***Class this fall will be dedicated to my advanced students. If you’re looking to begin your practice, check out my self-paced courses to get you going before the 2027 schedule comes out. Qigong for Stress and Anxiety is still half off, because, well, the world.