Yin & Yang: How to find balance in our daily lives?
Yin & Yang: so much more than a 90s fashion trend or a symbol of Chinese culture. SO so much more!
Essentially at it's core; yin and yang is about BALANCE! The harmony of embracing both the YIN; the feminine part in all of us and the YANG; the masculine part in all of us (regardless of gender biological or association).
This harmony and balance is seen in all aspects of life; both subtle and obvious.
Yin Vibes
Yin is all about being calm. Surrendering. Relaxation. Choosing time and space, stillness and self reflection. Going deep and going within. Cocooning. Yin is associated with the night. It's passive time; not action time. It's intuitive, soft and all about patience. If it were associated with a season; it's Autumn and Winter!
Yang Vibes
Think of the Sun; the energy and radiant light making you feel alive, ready for action. Awake! It's invigorating, feeling driven with purpose, physical, loud and ready to make plans and DO! It's logic and masculine in nature. If it were a season, it's Spring and Summer!
Yoga Balance
When you do yoga; each pose is done on both side of the body. The left side (the heart side) is the YIN side and the right side is the YANG. If you don't balance the poses on each side, the benefit is only seen on the one side of the body. YIN Yoga as a style is slower, flowing, calming, restful and about honouring the bodies needs for rest as a priority. YANG yoga is active, physical, strengthening, challenging and the type of yoga where you work up a sweat!
Brain Balance
Do you consider yourself to favour more of a left or right brain way of thinking? If you're creative, intuitive, a 'feeler' and can get caught up in the moment, a dreamer and focused on the art of it, you are more of a left brain person. Or are you a doer, all action stations, expressing yourself physically and love a list, a sense of accomplishment and practical? Then you are more likely to be a right brain person. We all have both parts to our brain and will dip in and out of both sides of our brain's key characteristics but we do tend to be one or the other.
Personally, I have always felt really balanced with both left and right. I am very creative but I love to get "s7*t" done. I am a very intuitive person but also a practical person. I have found this to be slightly uncommon and as I have matured and do more spirit work, I am grateful for this natural sense of balance.
But how we are wired in the brain isn't always reflected in the body or emotionally.... as we have both YIN & YANG in our minds, bodies and souls. Sometimes we lean into one more than the other.
Whilst my brain was balanced between Yin & Yang, my body and soul was identifying as more YANG. I was a doer and I really leant into my accomplishment, practical side. I favoured male company and had more male friends than female friends. I disliked all the bitchy gossip vibes that so many of the girls around me favoured. I wasn't interested in image, boy dramas and friendship gossip. I wanted more than that. More fun, more light hearted and more in the moment. The boys I was friends with were creative and had a healthy balance of feminine and masculine energy. They were gentler than other teenage boys and we forged great bonds.
As I grew up and found my life partner, I wasn't surprised to attract someone who had a strong feminine balance within them. They allowed me to be me (both YIN and YANG) and fluctuate between the two at different times. Then when I became a mother, I had no choice but to lean into my YIN side. And it was needed. I was still too YANG focused and it didn't bode well for me as I was favouring the YANG doing energy and wasn't resting and pausing enough to balance my physical energy. Motherhood forces you to focus on your YIN side as the nurturer as you biologically need to intuitively tune in to your babies needs.
As I've matured, I am aware I am course correcting; I favour more female friendships (balancing my youth) I am leaning into my femininity by running female focused moon ceremonies because I have learned that to be female is a gift and a privilege and I yearn to learn more about ancient womanhood and the circles of how women supported each other.
Nowadays, I am so utterly conscious of the two energies; where do I need to tune into YIN more, how can I make sure I incorporate more YANG. How can I achieve more BALANCE?
I invite you to reflect on 3 simple questions below...
1. Do you feel you are more left or right brained?
2. How do you feel right now? Which energy (yin or yang) do you feel you associate with?
3. What activities, rituals or practices can you incorporate into your world to be more balanced?