IN SEASON: August
Ripening, receiving, and savouring
Funny how the summer never turns out exactly how you had imagined…
After a long winter focused inward, I expected to want a fully filled calendar, trying to squeeze every last drop out of the few hot months we get each year. But it has been quite different — solo dates to my usual cafés and parks, finding comfort in repetition, and keeping my circle tight. What has brought me the most joy hasn’t been the chase of the perfect on paper summer, but returning to the things that make me feel most like myself.
And perhaps that is what this season has been trying to teach me.
In the natural world, August is the time where everything begins to ripen. Seeds planted months ago bear fruit, gardens overflow, and there is an undeniable sense of abundance everywhere you look.
I’ve realized the same has been true in my own life as well. The intentions I set months ago to feel calmer, more grounded, and happier have come to fruition, just not in the ways I had expected. Surprisingly, work has become a source of fulfillment rather than something I had to do. I also don’t feel the need to push my body as much, filling every morning with a hot yoga class and every evening with a rigorous bike ride. Rather, I’ve been much more in tune with my body, understanding what it needs, when to move, when to rest, and what foods feel truly nourishing rather than sticking to a carefully curated plan.
Intentions rarely unfold exactly the way we want them to. What grows isn’t always what was planned. But it is, without a doubt, always what was needed.
Energy
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, August is recognized as the Late Summer season. When we think of summer we tend to think heat, but Late Summer is associated with the Earth element. This time feels significantly different from the outward, energetic excitement of Early Summer.
Element: Earth
Organs: Spleen + Stomach
Emotion: Worry (when out of balance), contentment and trust (when balanced)
Flavor: Naturally sweet (think sweet potatoes, squash, corn—not refined sugar)
Theme: Nourishment, digestion, stability, abundance
In TCM, digestion isn’t just physical. We digest everything from experiences to emotions to seasons of life. Without the pausing to savour and to digest, even the most beautiful of experiences can leave us feeling depleated.
Balancing a scattered Earth energy
If you’ve been feeling mentally scattered, tired after eating, craving sugar constantly, or are overthinking everything, you will likely benefit from supporting your Earth energy. TCM describes this imbalance as a weakened Spleen Qi. The goal isn’t to stimulate it; rather, we want to warm and stabilize it.
Eat regular, nourishing meals
Include more cooked foods
Journal
Spend time in nature
Build a meditation practice
Maintain a regular sleep schedule
Books/movies/hobbies that help you feel grounded
Eat outside
Practice receiving rather than always giving
When we allow ourselves the space to come back into balance, the mind and body naturally start to feel steadier, more resilient, and at ease.
Seasonal Foods
The Spleen and Stomach are responsible for transforming food into energy and nourishment. Choose foods that are satisfying, gently sweet, and easy to digest. At the same time, long stretches of heat require naturally cooling foods to replenish the body naturally, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and melons. Cooked grains and vegetables will provide the grounding, steady nourishment the Earth element thrives on.
Allow what’s in season to guide you.
FRUITS
Stone fruits: peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums, cherries
Berries: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries
Melons: watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe
Grapes, apples, pears (late August)
VEGETABLES
Fruiting vegetables: tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplant, zucchini, summer squash, cucumbers
Leafy greens: chard, kale, spinach, lettuce, arugula
Sweet + starchy veg: corn, potatoes, carrots, beets, sweet potato
Pods + beans: green, romano, shelling
Fresh herbs!!!
Mushrooms: button, shiitake, cremini, oyster
This is my Go-To August Farmers’ Market List:
Tomatoes, corn, peaches, blueberries, cucumber, basil, eggplant, bell peppers, swiss chard, white beans, lentils, millet, white rice, wild salmon, sardines, eggs, olive oil
Lifestyle Practices
Practice receiving
We spend so much of the year setting goals, working toward them, and planning for the future. Let August be the month of pause—sitting with what has already been cultivated. Practices like meditation, gratitude journaling, celebrating small wins, and intentional self-care can be powerful ways to reconnect back to yourself. Reflect on the changes and the growth of the season, or year, thus far. Be with that.
Slow down your meals
The Spleen wants softness and simplicity. Mindful eating has a lot bigger of an impact than you may think. Practice eating without distractions: sitting down, no TV, no phone, slower chewing, resting between mouthfuls, and deeper breathing. Bonus points if you can get outside and eat in nature. Make eating a ritual, not a race.
Spend time in nature
Surround yourself with green. Contemplate on the endless abundance of nature. Take a walk through a farmers’ market and practice feeling gratitude for all the fresh produce that is available to you. Walk barefoot in the grass. Go swimming in a natural body of water. Remind yourself of the power of the natural world and all that is has to offer.
Leave room for pause
Don’t schedule every hour. Take an afternoon to do absolutely nothing. Choose the longer way home. Go on a post-dinner walk without distractions. Take 5 deep breaths before moving to the next thing. Organize your time so that you can avoid feeling rushed.
August wants us to slow down, to notice, and to enjoy.
Care for your home
The Earth element loves being centered and supported. Small acts of homemaking can go a long way in feeling more regulated.
Buy fresh flowers, open windows in the morning, hang laundry outside, make time for cleaning up, light a candle at dinner.
Your environment influences how you feel. Caring for your home is one of the most underrated forms of self-love.
Late Summer teaches us to accept impermanence. Before you rush through this month, make it your intention to savour what is fleeting: the sweet taste of a ripe peach, the long, cooling summer evenings, an afternoon nap, the perfection of a sliced tomato drizzled with olive oil and flaky salt.
Slow down enough to appreciate what has come to bloom—both around you and within you. Build small rituals around gratitude and presence. Let yourself be nourished by the season.
Because before you know it, the air will turn crisp, the leaves will begin to change, and another season will require something different.