Caring for our yin

All parts of Chinese medicine involve the central principle of yin and yang balance.

We are in the best expression of ourselves when the yin and yang within our bodies and within our lives are complementary and balanced in measure.

Many of you may be familiar with these terms already. Yang is nonmaterial. It is energetic, masculine, warming, and bright. Yin is material - the physical substance of the body. It is restorative, feminine, cooling, and dark. In Chinese medicine, some organs are considered yang, while others are yin.

There is always a bit of yin in yang and a bit of yang in yin, as depicted in the well-known symbol.

When we bring these abstractions down into our material world, we can see examples of yin and yang all over the place. When flowers bloom, they are in their most yang expression. The cool temperature drop of nighttime is a transition into the yin time. A laughing, dancing child is very yang.

We can probably all agree that we live in a very yang modern world. Just think about your life. Going, doing, imagining, making things happen.

In lots of moments, this way of life can feel inspiring and fulfilling.

However, a very yang life can lead to pathology when there is not a balance of yin.

A lifestyle that involves a great majority of yang without enough yin creates a reliable pathway to depletion and deficiency, which underly so many pathologies.

I want to direct our attention toward yin.

As we move closer toward the cold season, we begin to enter the yin time of the year. Chinese medicine shows us how to live with the seasons, and this can be a good time to reflect on your relationship with yin.

How do you intend to nourish your yin this season?

One way to nourish yin is to engage more regularly in yin activities, such as:

• gentle, flowing exercise (walks, yin yoga, qi gong)

• restful sleep

• flowing breathwork

• reading and journaling

• swimming

Most of the time, whether an activity is more yin or yang depends on how you approach the movement of your body or thoughts.

Another aspect of yin nourishment comes from food.

• Moistening foods like soup, stew, congee, porridge, and zucchini support our stomach yin.

• There are many yin-building foods, including sweet potatoes, seaweed, fish, meats, beans, and high-quality fats.

• Grains, like millet and barley, help to nourish yin. (Note: The contemporary vilification of grains is not part of classical Chinese medicine. Grains are vital in this medicine. More on this in another newsletter. ☺️)

So yes, we have found our way back around to what might be termed “boring medicine” but I find it endlessly interesting: How is your sleep? How is your diet? What can you to do replenish and support these parts of life?

It took me a while time to internalize the importance of yin. Even once I “got it” conceptually, I wasn’t always able to easily prioritize the nourishment of this aspect of life.

Growing up, my health priorities were tethered to intense aerobic exercise and low-fat diets. I was a competitive athlete, and I worked really hard in school. I didn’t have so-called lazy days or intentional times for rest.

These lifestyle habits came with me into my adulthood. In my twenties, it seemed that everything was about my productivity, accomplishments, and output. For years, I used to get very sick for several weeks every winter. This didn’t stop happening until I slowed down and addressed my pathology.

Today, I would consider myself a recovered chronic overworker. I love yin activities. When I start to edge toward too much yang, which is still easy for me to do, I am much more aware of the signs of depletion that show up in my body and mind.

But it wasn’t always this way for me.

If you are sitting there reading this and you are thinking that yes, more yin support sounds great but you have a hard time sitting still or you start to feel antsy (or even guilty) when you rest, consider that this is a practice.

You can change your behavior gradually. Chinese medicine is an incredible guide for this practice. 😌

Warmly,

Artemisia

Clinical Herbalist | Chinese Medicine

innervillagehealth.com

@innervillagehealth