Life balance ~ sorting out your Yin & Yang!
BALANCING LIFE WITH YIN & YANG
To live a harmonised life, we need a balance of yin and yang energy. It’s not all woo-woo stuff I promise, it can be quite a simple pragmatic approach to life. Have you experienced an inability to relax, anxious, quick to anger or feel frustrated, find you need for constant external stimulation and can’t sit still? …….a bit too Yang? OR maybe can’t make things happen, procrastinating, feel a bit stuck no idea what your next step is? …….. a bit too Yin?
WHAT ARE YIN & YANG
The symbol of the two curved teardrops, one white, one black, with an inner circle in each with the opposite colour – the infamous yin-yang symbol symbolising the ‘way of life’.
Think of yin and yang as two independent, polarising, yet complementary energies. In the symbol, yin (the black) contains a seed of yang (the white dot), and vice versa – demonstrating that there can’t be one without the other. Yin and yang can be applied to many of life’s dualities like our work and life balance, our femininity and masculinity and our constant need for action verse our need for down time.
Yang is an energy of external focus, sun, masculine, active, driven, ambitious, logical analytical thinking. When we’re with too much Yang we can feel overstimulated, overwhelmed, restless, unsettled, anxious, high blood pressure, insomnia. Yin is an energy of internal focus, moon, feminine, nurturing, passive, calm, creative, intuitive. When we’re with too much Yin we can feel procrastination, stuck, stagnant, depressed heavy moods, sluggish, low blood pressure, unmotivated. So, ‘treat with opposites’. For example if you are wanting to make something happen but you are experiencing procrastination - gently add a form of movement into your day, connect with the external, choose practices to uplift ~ in other words bring in a bit of Yang! Or, if you are wanting to slow down the circus ride and enjoy the moment and play a little more - add a form of stillness into your day (start small - just 5mins), connect with the internal, choose practices to release, calm and slow down ~ in other words bring in a bit of Yin!
Some say we need to find ‘balance’ in these elements, but I prefer to see it as mastering my ‘choosing’ between Yin & Yang depending what I feel like so that I create the state of being I would prefer to be in. Rather than finding the perfect spot in the middle and holding steady there ….. what if balance is about finding ease in moving towards your desired state, in the choosing to take action or inaction to do so. To put it simply, assess your symptoms and choose the remedy ~ my motto is ‘treat with opposites’, the Ayurvedic philosophy on life.
If your job is very demanding, busy, full on, including juggling parenting, there may well be an overdrive of Yang energy in your life and therefore throwing you into disharmony. To combat this, we need to nurture ourselves by bringing in more Yin activities and way of life.
On the flip side if life has thrown you a few curve balls and you have recently felt a bit stuck, difficult in finding motivation and making decisions, feeling lethargic and that everything is feeling like too much effort this can be a sign there is too much Yin energy and we need to commit to bringing more Yang into our ways.
Life doesn’t have to be hard work, we can actually get a lot done with calm and ease, we can also do nothing at all and it be the most beneficial time spent of all! Now THAT is Yin and Yang in balance.
Need a lil more YIN?
When we live in our yin, we tap into our inner introvert, creativity, peacefulness and wisdom. We use our imagination and intuition. We become passive, process-oriented, collaborative and we focus on being as opposed to doing. We feel relaxed and we embrace our femininity. If in need a little more of this to get to where you want to be, choose one of the following and add it to your daily routine;
First thing in the morning, 5 mins to start with, focus on the breath in and out ~ become more aware of your EXHAAAAAALE throughout the day
Do 5 mins of writing and ‘releasing’ what is on your mind - choose YOU first, rather than the external
Try Yin Yoga (check out my Yin Me Out! playlist in my Breathe + Move with Nic online studio) ~ there’s a practice in the FREE Practice Sample until 2nd May
When you notice something that needs to be done (around the house, for business, for someone else) - close your eyes and sit for 5mins to breathe in and out - choose YOU first, rather than the external (trust me the external will get a better version of you this way anyhow….but more importantly YOU will get a better version of you xx)
Do something creative - write, draw, create, design, colour in a mandala
Connect with earth - garden, walk in nature
Remove excess external stimulation especially before bed, remove technology
Here are some YANG things to choose from;
When we are living in our Yang we’re ambitious and courageous as we embrace our extroversion and get things done with excitement and logic. We are directive, goal-orientated and masculine. If in need of a little more of this to get to where you want to be, choose one of the following and add it to your daily routine;
HERE ARE SOME WAYS TO ACHIEVE WORK-LIFE BALANCE:
1. BREATHE
If you want to invite more yin on the spot. You can focus on your breath. Slow down and deepen your inhale and exhale, track where your oxygen flows. Breathing deep into your belly, you feel it rise, then your chest rises, breathe that bit extra into your head and casually release. Repeat. Try my Meditation on the Breath 8mins (free trial in my online studio)
One of my old statements in my Yoga classes was ‘the only difference between an irrational response and a rational one, is just one more breath’. Learning how to manage your state of being by manipulating your breath is life changeing!
2. GET OUT IN NATURE
Take a walk or just sit and be, allow yourself to be in the moment instead of checking your phone every 5 minutes – being present to the sounds, animals, landscape.
3. GET TO BED EARLY
Allow your body to regenerate, regulate hormones and create a good balance between yin and yang. If you struggle to fall asleep, try my Meditation on the Breath 8min practice (free trial in my online studio) or 20+ on my Improve My Sleep playlist. If you have gotten to the end of your day and have not yet enjoyed any peace, put your headphones on to enjoy relaxing music to quieten and still your mind - I like the YOGA SANCTUARY playlist or my Inspya Me Yin Playlist on Spotify.
4. STRETCH MOVE + RELEASE YOUR BODY
Your fascia, muscles and joints hold ‘stuff’ and we feel stiff and fatigued when the nervous system is wired. If you feel you have too much Yang try Yin or Restorative Yoga, such as my Yoga for Improved Sleep (free trial) or any of the practices in my Inspya Me Online Yoga + Meditation studio 18+ playlist ‘Yin Me Out!’ If you feel you are lethargic and have too much Yin try a more flowing Yoga, Tai Chi or Qi Goong, or my Yin Yang Flow (free trial) or any of the practices in my Inspya Me Online Yoga + Meditation studio 49+ playlist ‘Boost Your Mood’.
5. AVOID RUSHING
This will involve being more organised, leaving earlier to get places, having things planned the day before and being more realistic with how much you take on during your day so you are not rushing like a mad person between appointments. I have even taken to lining up on my desk what I need ready for my day….especially so I don’t miss the ‘me time’ and get caught up in all the rest, when I am planning on swimming my flippers are ready in my face ;-)
6. MAKE THE ‘TO DO’ LIST SECOND, make YOU first
Instead of stressing over the little things – everything that hasn’t been done in the house like the dishes, clothes or the mess hasn’t been cleaned or your work in tray is not emptied …give yourself permission to go without considering those things. You want to let go of that negative tension and return to these things with a fresh mind. This is about just being instead of always doing. As difficult as it may seem the first time, do something just for you, only you for just 10 minutes. Perhaps it is just to sit and do one of the above, or move and be.
COMMITMENT
It takes a lot of time and dedication to create good habits and find that work-life balance. The end result is totally WORTH IT! I truly wish you all the best on your journey. Having personally gone through this, I know that these practices will change your life as they did mine. If you would like a more personalised approach to practices you could be doing please do not hesitate to book in with me for a private session (online + in-person) CLICK HERE
Enjoy the process of harmonsing your life.
Namaste
Nic Whiteman xx
