If you haven’t heard me bursting about this yet, I’m currently working on getting my master’s in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). What a mind-blowing medicine!
Long story short, it’s played a massive role in my physical healing, which has also provided a puzzle piece to my spiritual remembering.
A concept that’s helped me understand the whispers of my body is the Chinese philosophy of Yin and Yang and how it relates to the body. Wherever you are in your journey of listening to your body, I think understanding this concept is a great thing to add to your toolbox.
First, I’ll break down the general categories of Yin vs Yang:
There are so many more qualities to list, but I’m hoping you’re catching the feel of this.
Want to know something cool? Everything in our universe ebbs and flows within this dualistic state of Yin and Yang.
Want to know why this is relevant to you? Every human body exists within this state of Yin and Yang.
YES. You got it- you are a microcosm (mini universe) within the macrocosm (THE infinite Universe). I’m tempted to go on about how this means we humans are infinite, but I’ll save that for another day. Point here is for you to relate this concept to the state of your body.
Next, you need to understand the conditions/nature of existence of Yin and Yang.
One cannot exist without the other- they are mutually dependent.
The conditions of Yin and Yang are constantly ebbing and flowing- they are never constant.
They rely on each other to maintain balance- so if Yin is out of balance, it may need help from the Yang- and vice versa.
If one is out of balance, it can also hurt the balance of the other. For example, if your body is experiencing an excess of Yang, then it’s likely it’s eating up/consuming your body’s Yin energy.
Our individual bodies tend to have a propensity towards one energy over the other. Typically, we gain this tendency from our genetics and/or our prenatal development. However, this doesn’t mean this predisposition is constant throughout your life. Your diet and lifestyle will influence these energies, too.
Are you with me? If you’re hungry for more, I recommend doing your own research. If I’m being honest, trying to summarize Yin and Yang does not do this complex theory any justice. There’s so much more to this philosophy that a short blog post can cover. Nonetheless, I believe it’s better to plant this seed of thought than to give up before trying.
Onwards!
Here’s a beautifully simple image of how yin and yang should look in your body:
In medicine, another name for yin and yang is cold and heat, because of the way they manifest in the body.
Here are the ways that yin & yang/cold & hot energies in the body can go wrong:
To keep things simple for you (and for me), I’m only going to cover the conditions of Excess Yin/Cold energy and Excess Yang/Cold energy. If you’re disappointed I’m not doing them all, then that’s honestly awesome. I strongly encourage you to do your own research- dive deep my friend!
Now, I’m going to give you a VERY basic, simplified list of how it looks when one is experiencing an excess of Yin/Cold energy:
*You don’t need to experience every single one of these symptoms to be in a state of Excess Yin/Cold.
** It might help for you to conjure the image of implanting a large ice cube within someone’s body while reading these symptoms.
Excess Yin/Cold
Always feeling cold, or afraid/avoidant of cold
Little to no appetite
Low energy
Excessive sleeping
Runny nasal discharge that’s white or clear
hypo-tension/low blood pressure
Stiffness or contraction of tendons
Contracting abdominal pain
Fluid-retention/bloating
Runny stools/diarrhea
Excessive urination
Apathy
Lethargic, weak movements
Low voice/ quiet voice
Depression
Tongue looks pale purple (or pale, bluish color), and is thick/flabby with a thick white top-coat. may also appear wet
Next, here’s a VERY basic, simplified list of how it looks when one is experiencing an excess of Yang/Heat energy.
*You don’t need to experience every single one of these symptoms to be in a state of excess yang
** It might help for you to conjure the image of implanting a blazing fire within someone’s body while reading these symptoms.
Yang
always feeling hot, or afraid of/avoidant of heat
excessive appetite or eating in excess (even with no appetite)
High energy/high strung (often labeled as stressed or anxious)
hypertension/high blood pressure
Dry skin/head hair
Insomnia
Nasal discharge that’s thick and white or yellow
Acne (particularly the angry, red ones)
Dehydration
Constipation
Erratic, incessant movement
Red, sore throat
Burning and scanty urination (color looks bright yellow/orange)
Aggression/ Explosive/ Easily angered
Loud voice
Fast talker
Red complexion
Mania
Tongue appears very red, cracked, may be small, thin, and/or shriveled, may have small red prickles, and may have a yellow top-coat (or no coat)
So? Which energetic excess resonates more with you?
Please be aware- I’m not telling you this information so that you can now diagnose yourself. That would be VERY dangerous. And please don’t ask me to diagnose you- I have a long way to go before I’m a board certified doctor of Chinese Medicine.
I’m telling you this information so that you can better understand the state of your body. So that you can understand your body’s whispers so that you’re not waiting until your body is screaming.
Now, I don’t like presenting problems without providing solutions.
Because I’m giving you a summarized version of this theory, I’ll keep solutions simple!
So, you’re someone who’s Yin energy is more prominent in your body- what can you do to find balance?
Move more! Resist the urge to stay stagnant. Start with a light walk and work your way up.
*Incorporate more “warming” herbs/spices in your diet (ex. Cinnamon, cloves, cayenne, ginger. etc.)
*Stay away from raw, uncooked foods (ex. salads, juices, smoothies, etc.) and replace them with warm, cooked, and “strengthening” foods (ex. Hearty soups, oatmeal, congee, rice, curries, meat, nuts, etc.)
Drink hot, warm, or room-temperature water/tea. Iced drinks will just exacerbate your symptoms.
Use heat treatment to warm any contracting tendons and/or muscles.
Go to a sauna- get a good sweat on.
Breathwork recommendation: Bhastrika (breath of fire), Lion's Breath, Wim Hoff breathing technique
See a licensed acupuncturist/TCM doctor for proper diagnosis, treatment, and herbs (herbs are insanely effective- for me they’ve created the biggest changes in my body)
Or…
Do you fall more on the Yang side of the spectrum? You may feel more balanced if you:
Slow. Yourself. Down. Take a break from the crossfit/hiit/powerlifting every once in a while. Find a yin yoga class, go on a light walk, try tai qi, or look into meditation. Repeat after me: it’s more than ok to take a day off and rest.
*Stay away from spicy foods- that’ll aggravate your symptoms. Instead eat light, brothy soups (this’ll help you re-hydrate) and more “cooling” herbs such as mint, dill, nettle, or marjoram.
*Incorporate more cooling foods (research “cooling foods TCM”) and either eat them raw in moderation, (Raw foods in excess can cause more harm to both Yin & Yang energies) steamed, or lightly cooked on low heat.
Try cold therapy (ex. Cryotherapy or take a cold shower- although TCM doesn’t like cold treatment, I personally do)
Drink more liquids (warm or cold, maybe iced)
Take it easy on the caffeinated drinks and pre-workout. These are dehydrating you in more ways than one.
Breathwork recommendation: "Doubling" breath, alternate nostril breathing, and two-part breath
See a licensed acupuncturist/TCM doctor for proper diagnosis, treatment, and herbs (herbs are insanely effective- for me they’ve created the biggest changes in my body)
*Note on food: If you want to learn more about food therapy, I recommend the book “Healing with Whole Foods” by Paul Pitchford or just google “TCM diet for nourishing yin” or “TCM diet for nourishing yang”.
Whew! Does your brain hurt? My brain kinda hurts.
As I’ve mentioned again and again (and again) this is just the tip of the iceberg! My goal is to one day teach you more about how yin and yang can help you listen to your whispers in book-form, but for now this is what I’ve got for you..
I hope this post has inspired you to look more into this medicine and philosophy, and (most importantly) enabled you to take your health into your own hands.
Knowledge = Empowerment = Radical Responsibility = Soul Sovereignty = Ascension
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