Ways to Get Ourselves to Actually Relax

One way lately that has been helping me undo societal conditioning to always be on the go, is to think of balancing my yin and yang energy. I am not an expert of the concept, but the way I've conceptualized it has helped me. Some people refer to these types of energy as masculine and feminine but I've been really resonating with yin or yang.

To give my interpretation of this is yang energy is pushing energy, it's the energy we use to achieve our goals, to go outside of our comfort zone. Yin energy is more restorative, restful, it helps us refill our tanks, let things come to us. My friend and I were talking about how the same activity can be both yin and yang, depending on the energy behind it.

I often can read in a very yang way. I think "oh I should be reading! Let me read at least 10 pages of my book so I can finish it." Some of this also is rooted in a resistance to my natural way of doing things, which is very nonlinear.

So even on our days off, we can be trying to do activities that are "good" for us- going to yoga, cooking, reading, the hobby we're trying to start. But when we do these things that are “good” for us we are in the yang energy, so it's not fully restorative or balancing the yang of our rest of our week.

I've been trying to intentionally take 1-2 days a week and think of them as my "yin" days. Right now I am going through a lot of transitions, and also doing many things that are new to me. The new things are stretching me out of my comfort zone, and it takes a lot of exertion energy.

Having yin days have been so nice. I've been trying to just follow what my body wants at every moment, and not do anything that is a "should," even if it is something I usually enjoy doing or is something "good" for me. Like yesterday was my yin day, and for those of you who know me, you know that I love to learn and I love listening to podcasts, audiobooks and classes, but yesterday, my body didn't want that. It probably did not want to integrate any more information, but just wanted to absorb all of the new things that have been happening around me. So while I drove I just listened to whatever music called to me, and let my day be carried by my body. 

This is even more important for our healing journeys and to follow our inner compass. This theme came up often in my healing sessions this month. If you do not have the energy, you will not be able to do the healing work to become our most authentic selves or to see what we truly want. Going through those portals takes a lot of energy, so we must be nourished and integrated. We need enough yin.

Are you usually in yang or yin energy? How could you balance the yang and yin energy in your week more?