Hello, beautiful beings! Happy Full Moon in Aquarius (tomorrow) 🌕
I have found myself having many conversations about Yin and Yang recently, which inspired this newsletter (and upcoming ones). Understanding how to harness the power of Yin and Yang offers us many ways to naturally and simply feel more vital, healthy and radiant.
Read to the end for how you can tap into Yin and Yang in daily life.
We've all seen the symbol, but what does it actually mean?!
And how can we harness Yin and Yang for more radiant energy and health?
Yin and Yang are complementary opposites and their eternal dance that animates Life. And while they might sound mystical or exotic, Yin and Yang are very pragmatic concepts. Informed by the study of Mama Nature, they describe the world around us:
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Yin and Yang are the polarity of :
night & day
shadow & light
cold & hot
Winter & Summer
ebb & flow
rest & movement
matter & function
feeling & thinking
receptive & active
magnetic & electric
being & doing
Earth & Heaven
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Their cosmic dance - back and forth from one polarity to the other - is what creates Life.
Without polarity, there is no Life - no movement, growth, cycles or transformation.
Everything in our world arises from this dance of Yin and Yang. ​
One of our ancient texts sums it up:
"All things carry Yin and embrace Yang;
they achieve harmony by combining these forces."
Dao De Jing (6th Century BCE)
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Life - and health - rests on the harmony of Yin and Yang
They are equal, but different.
One is not “better” than the other - without both, there would be no life. Without night there is no day, without summer there is no winter, without an exhale there is no inhale.
But our modern lifestyle does not always arrange itself in this way. We tend to glorify the active Yang mode of living - the doing, the striving, the achieving. The hustle!! “Just do it!” Be a “boss babe!” “Soldier on!”
And when we live in a near-constant state of Yang - when we don’t allow our Yang time to recharge - we drain that precious spark of life, and can end up burnt-out.
All the functions of our body depend on Yang
When our spark - our Yang - is weakened, we can run out of energy to run all of our body functions. We can end up with low energy, poor digestion, slow metabolism. For some, it may be flat moods and low motivation. For others, weight changes, bloating, congested skin. We are all unique. But the foundation for health is universal.
Nourish the spark of life, and balance Yin and Yang.
Putting it into practice
Understanding Yin and Yang can help us to bring more balance to our own lives.
If we have been constantly on the go and using up our Yang, we can top up the reserves by choosing foods that are more Yang (cooked, warm, nourishing - like thick stews).
Yang can also naturally top up again when we stop running the Yang program and switch over to Yin mode for a bit. Yang recharges when “do” less and “be” more, Less action, more stillness. We can further support Yang by avoiding activities that would drain it more, like heavy cardio, long sauna sessions, long work hours, late nights, little sleep and stressful content (anything that elicits a stress response, whether an intense drama, the news or a horror film).
Our brilliant body-mind-souls send us clear messages when it's time to switch to Yin mode. We might feel tired, unfocused, or lack clarity to get tasks done. But many of us have learnt to "push on", grab a coffee and "get the job done".
This denial of sensed “body wisdom” is emblematic of a place we’ve arrived at in modern culture, where we have divorced aspects of ourselves - mind over matter, thinking over feeling. We collectively glorify the Yang principle of “going hard”, and ignore body signals for rest. This is a denial of the essential and balancing aspect of Yin. But health is wholeness, and we need both Yin and Yang in balance. Simply slowing down, listening in and honouring the quiet voice is a powerful step towards harmony and wholeness.
Our breath - our connection to Yin and Yang in every moment
Inhale & exhale. Yin & Yang.
How are you breathing?
Is there a balance between inhale and exhale?
Is one longer than the other?
Lengthening our exhale relative to the inhale can introduce some calm and down-regulate us towards a more Yin state. This in turns supports rest, digestion and repair and stops us burning up our precious Yang.
Very often, when I observe people (or myself!!) in a more Yang state - rushing, stressed or ungrounded - there is a series of shallow inhales, without much of an exhale. Maybe we eventually let it all out in a big sigh. At times like this, I have found a Triangle Breath to be really anchoring.
Calming Yin Pranayama: left nostril breathing
The left side is associated with Yin, and activating the left nostril can bring more Yin into the mix - calming, slowing and down-regulating any over-function. I like to use a count of 4 for the inhale and 6 for the exhale, but be guided by what feels best for you - you may find it changes at various times. I like to allow time for a longer exhale, because of the signal of safety this sends to the body.
Left nostril breathing can be great for any hyper-stimulation, where we are burning up Yang and need to switch out of "go" mode. This might show up as anxiety, restless or scattered mind, trouble sleeping, elevated blood pressure, trouble sitting still.
This pranayama calls on the on the moon-like qualities of Yin, and is aptly named Chandra Bedhana (Moon-piercing). If you would like to generate more Yang energy - focus, motivation, energy - you can flip this breathing technique (blocking the left nostril) and breath through the right.
WHEN NOT TO USE IT: Because it calms and slows what is over-functioning, proceed with caution when using this breath in cases of colds, phlegm, asthma, fatigue, etc. that have under-functioning at the root.
How else can we apply the wisdom of Yin and Yang to ...
In upcoming newsletters we will chat about:
- it's not all "love and light" - embracing our shadows and depths
- making space for rest and emptiness
- being ok, and even celebrating!, our cycles - we are living beings, not machines!
- how building & nourishing Yang can ease hot flushes, insomnia, wild dreams ​
(yes, I said more Yang!)
Stay close to hear how and why!
There is so much more on all aspects of health in the podcast
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