When we welcome the Lunar New Year on February 17th, 2026, we will step into the Year of the Yang Fire Horse — a year characterised by warmth, movement, and outward-flowing energy.

Gōng xǐ fā cái / Gong hei fat choy — may this year bring you health, happiness, and prosperity in abundance.

To understand how this year may influence our wellbeing, it helps to explore the different energetic layers at play: Yang energy, Fire, and the Horse archetype.

Yang Energy: Outward and Active

After the inward, reflective Yin energy of 2025, 2026 brings a clear shift into Yang energy, which supports action, visibility, and engagement with the world. It encourages momentum and participation, but can also lead to over-extension if not balanced with rest.

This is a year to move forward, learning to balance momentum with rest — pacing yourself will be key.

Fire Energy: The Heart at the Centre

Fire is the element of the Heart in Chinese medicine. It governs circulation, vitality, and the clarity of the spirit (Shen). Fire is also associated with warmth, connection, imagination, expressiveness, and the spark of creativity.

After two years dominated by Wood energy, which focused on growth, planning, and direction, Fire shifts the emphasis from where we’re heading to how we’re living once we get there.

Horse Energy: Movement, Strength, and Belonging

The Horse is also associated with the element of Fire, giving this year a quality of double Fire. The Horse embodies strength, endurance, and vibrant energy, with a lively spirit that thrives on movement, purpose, and connection. It reminds us that vitality grows through engagement with life and with one another.

Unlike the introspective Snake of 2025, which encouraged shedding and inner transformation, the Horse turns us outward — toward community, shared experience, and what genuinely enlivens us

Double Fire — Softened by Water

With Fire as both the element and the animal, 2026 carries double Fire, amplified further by the warmth of Yang. This brings enthusiasm, passion, and a strong pull toward activity and connection.

At the same time, 2026 is a Number 1 year numerologically, which carries a Water quality — associated with beginnings, reflection, and inner resources. While subtle compared to the dominant Fire, this Water influence offers a cooling, softening counterbalance.

Fire brings enthusiasm and momentum, but when things become too intense, energy can scatter, leaving us feeling ungrounded or anxious. This year invites us to enjoy the moment rather than chase quick bursts of excitement that ultimately drain our reserves. The aim is to cultivate a gentle, warming, sustaining fire, rather than a wild bushfire of panic or insatiability.

The key this year is noticing when enthusiasm tips into exhaustion, and ensuring that self-care is part of your daily routine.

Heart-Centred Living

In Chinese medicine, the Heart is far more than a physical organ pumping blood around the body. It governs circulation, but is also closely linked with emotional wellbeing, restorative sleep, and overall vitality. The Heart houses the Shen — our spirit — often described as the light that shines from our eyes when we feel truly alive.

The Year of the Yang Fire Horse invites us to care for not only our physical heart, but also our mental and emotional health. This doesn’t require dramatic change — small, consistent practices are often the most effective.

Key self-care principles for supporting the Heart this year include:

  • Sustainable daily rhythms: Consistency matters more than intensity. Balanced routines around movement, work, rest, and nourishment support long-term cardiovascular resilience and help prevent burnout.
  • Connection and social engagement: Meaningful relationships support emotional regulation and nervous system balance, while social isolation is recognised as a risk factor for heart disease. Connection matters — though not at the expense of rest or self-care.
  • Regular, moderate movement: Walking, gentle strength work, and mindful practices such as Qigong support circulation, regulate blood pressure, and help manage stress. Combined with breath awareness, fresh air, and sunlight, movement becomes a powerful ally for heart and nervous system health. When pain or stiffness limits movement, acupuncture can help restore ease and flow.
  • Restorative sleep: Poor or inconsistent sleep is linked with inflammation and increased cardiovascular risk. Supporting sleep through consistent routines is one of the most protective choices you can make for your heart. Acupuncture can also help settle your nervous system and improve sleep quality.
  • Dietary support: Staying well hydrated is essential this year. Foods that gently nourish fluids and cool excess Fire include seaweed, dark green leafy vegetables, and clear broth-based soups. Bitter foods such as radicchio and rocket are traditionally associated with the Heart and make a wonderful condiment to add to meals. Lighter meals, quicker cooking methods such as steaming or stir-frying, and avoiding overeating help maintain good health. With the creative energy of the Horse, this is a wonderful time to be more inventive and playful with your cooking.

Seen through this lens, heart-centred living in 2026 is not abstract or idealistic — it is practical, preventative, and embodied.

Letting the Heart Lead

True health is shaped by how we live day to day, not just by what we achieve. Heart-centred living invites us to listen to our inner guidance, finding harmony between the head, the heart, and the spirit.

Strong Fire energy invites openness, connection, and emotional expression. When this feels unfamiliar, it’s natural to respond by becoming more guarded or seeking control as a way of maintaining balance. This year encourages a softer approach — staying grounded while allowing yourself to enjoy life, share warmth, and open gently at your own pace. Finding joy in small, everyday moments helps anchor the Heart, particularly when the wider world feels uncertain. A simple gratitude journal can support this by keeping attention on what is still good and nourishing. When Fire is well tended, it warms and nourishes, allowing light, love, and awareness to flow more freely.

As we move through 2026, may we care for the heart — physically, energetically, and practically — and allow that care to guide the year ahead.

If you feel your Fire needs support this year — through stress, fatigue, poor sleep, or feeling out of rhythm — acupuncture can help bring your Heart back into balance. You may also like to explore my Heart Centred Self Care ebook, or join me for my Ignite your Inner Fire workshop in February, where we’ll work with movement, lifestyle, and practical tools to support heart-centred living through the year ahead.

Your feedback and questions are always welcome – please feel free to leave a comment below.

For further information about Chinese Medicine, you can contact Tania Grasseschi, practitioner of Acupuncture, Chinese Herbs, Qigong and Wholefood counselling. Tania is an AHPRA registered practitioner of Chinese Medicine, based in Katoomba, NSW and previously lectured at the Endeavour College of Natural Health (Sydney campus) for six years.

The information provided on this site is for educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare provider if you are seeking medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. You are responsible for your own health and wellbeing at all times.