Blog post written by Jess Smith Acupuncturist and Chinese Medicine Practitioner.
One of my favourite things about the turn of a new year is the changing of the guard within the Chinese lunar calendar. The Year of the Wood Snake in 2025 seemed, for many, to invite an uncomfortable kind of upgrading. For some, it brought necessary growth. For others, an unanticipated shedding of old patterns, beliefs, and structures that no longer fit.
Regardless of how it arrived, anecdotally in clinic and in conversation, it was a year that asked a lot. A year of adjustment, reflection, and sometimes discomfort. Many people are entering 2026 hoping for something a little steadier, and a more familiar ebb and flow of energy.
The new lunar year commences in a few weeks, and I always find it helpful to consider the kind of energetic theme we’re stepping into. In Chinese medicine, these yearly cycles are not about prediction, but about awareness. They offer a framework for understanding the broader tone of a year, and how we might support the body and nervous system through the changes it brings.
2026 brings us into Bǐng Wǔ 丙午, known in English as the Fire Horse year. This is the 43rd year in the traditional 60 year cycle, a system used in Chinese medicine and classical cosmology to describe the energetic qualities that influence each year.
These cycles are not superstition. They are a way of observing patterns in nature, physiology, and human life. Each year carries certain themes, and understanding them can help us respond with more stability and intention.
What can we expect of the Fire Horse Year
Fire Horse years are associated with strong yang energy, movement, innovation, and rapid change. They also often bring a sense of acceleration.
This can be a powerful year for breakthroughs, creativity, and new directions. Things tend to move quickly, sometimes unexpectedly. For many people, it can feel like life is asking for growth and adaptation all at once.
At the same time, strong Fire energy can become excessive if we are already depleted. The Fire Horse year is not necessarily a year to push harder. It is a year to stay grounded and intentional while life gathers momentum in our wider orbit.
Key Dates for the Transition
The energetic shift into the year occurs in two stages.
The solar new year begins on 4 February, marking the seasonal transition.
The lunar new year begins on 17 February, which is the cultural new year most people recognise.
Many people begin to feel this change before the celebrations, particularly in sleep, mood, digestion, or stress patterns.
Fire, the Heart and the Need for Grounding
Fire is associated with the Heart system in Chinese medicine. This includes not only circulation, but also sleep, emotional steadiness, and mental clarity.
When Fire is balanced, it supports warmth, connection, and vitality.
When Fire becomes excessive, it often presents as:
- Restlessness or anxiety
- Lighter or disrupted sleep
- Inflammatory flare ups
- Overthinking and mental agitation
- Feeling wired but fatigued
For this reason, 2026 is often discussed as a year that requires grounding practices and nervous system support, particularly for those prone to stress or burnout.
Growth, Change and The Role of Qi Movement
Each year can be understood as an invitation toward both global and personal growth. Change is not always comfortable, but it is often necessary.
In Chinese medicine, health depends on the smooth flow of Qi through the channel systems of the body. When movement and change are resisted, stagnation develops.
Stagnation can affect physical movement patterns and pain, emotional regulation, digestion, decision making, and clarity over time.
Progression requires flow. The Fire Horse year often highlights where movement is needed, and where we may be holding on too tightly.
How Lunar New Year Traditions Support Qi Flow
One of the most interesting things about Lunar New Year is that many of the traditional customs reflect the same principles we talk about in Chinese medicine.
The preparation is not only cultural celebration, but a way of clearing stagnation and entering the new cycle with more order and stability.
In the weeks leading up to the new year, families traditionally deep clean the home (扫尘 sǎo chén), symbolically sweeping away the heaviness of the past year. From a Chinese medicine perspective, this mirrors the idea of moving stuck Qi and creating space for fresh energy.
People also aim to resolve unfinished business, settle debts, and close out lingering conflicts before the year turns. This reflects an understanding that entering a new cycle with less burden supports clarity and smoother emotional flow.
Food plays an important role as well. Reunion meals are designed to nourish and strengthen connection, which aligns closely with the Heart system in Chinese medicine. The Heart governs not only circulation, but also spirit, sleep, and emotional steadiness. Beginning the year with warmth, community, and nourishment is a form of regulation.
Even the avoidance of certain actions in the first few days, such as arguing, rushing, or excessive cleaning, speaks to the importance of setting a stable tone early. The beginning of the year is seen as energetically significant, and the body responds in much the same way. When we start a cycle feeling grounded, the nervous system is more able to adapt to change.
Ultimately, Lunar New Year traditions remind us that health is not only about treatment, but about rhythm. Clearing what is stagnant, supporting what is depleted, and entering the year with intention is one of the simplest ways to work with seasonal energy.
Staying Open to What the Year Brings
This is a year that benefits from awareness and responsiveness. Paying attention to what arises, physically and emotionally, can help guide decisions and priorities.
From a Chinese medicine perspective, the body often provides early signals when the system is under strain or when adjustment is needed.
Remaining open to opportunities, and receptive to change, allows growth to occur with less resistance. Many shifts make more sense in hindsight, but they require openness in the moment.
Supporting Yourself Through the Year Ahead
Practical ways to work with Fire Horse energy include:
- Create or maintain consistent grounding routines
- Nervous system regulation and sleep support
- Moderate movement rather than overexertion
- Cooling and nourishing foods when heat signs appear
- Acupuncture to maintain balance and prevent stress accumulation
Acupuncture can be particularly helpful in years with strong Fire influence, supporting regulation, reducing inflammatory patterns, and keeping Qi moving smoothly. When life speeds up, creating internal rhythm becomes essential. Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is slow the system down enough to hear what the body is asking for, and respond before stress becomes depletion. If you’d like support moving into the Fire Horse year feeling steadier, clearer, and well resourced, acupuncture is a simple and effective place to begin.
If you would like to book in for acupuncture with me I am available at PH CLINIC on Tuesdays 2pm-8pm, Thursdays 10am-8pm and Saturdays 8am-4pm. I would love to help you on your health journey. You can book via the free ph clinic app or simply click the link here.
