Namasté, beautiful soul! So happy you’re here! 🙂
What do first think of when hearing of “yin and yang”? – The Chinese symbol of a circle that is divided into half with a white and black spot on each side? You may also think of yin yoga, right? A rather slow and soft practice where you hold your poses for an extended period of time.
Many of you may be familiar with the principle of yin and yang: Yang represents the masculine, yin stands for the feminine principle or energy. They hold certain (opposite) qualities, thus, represent the duality of our world, and are both needed in order to bring balance into the world. This state of equilibrium is represented by the chinese yin-yang-symbol.
But what does this have to do with you, with us, with the world? – A hell lot!
We all inherently hold both types of energies. So does every living being, and we all together as a society, a culture, politics, economy – you can apply those principles on an individual as well as on a collective level. Simply because everything is made up of energy!
“I am the roots that grow in the dark.
You are the leaves bathing in the sun.”
I recently wrote about the moon and already mentioned and described the feminine (yin) qualities it holds. On the contrary, the sun represents the masculine (yang) energy. Today, I feel strongly guided to go deeper into those energetic principles as I can feel and see a very clear reflection of them in our world, by each and everyone of us, within myself…
In this article, we’ll get into the nitty gritty of the spiritual perspective on…
- why the world seems to be completely upside down right now.
- why we’ve been facing race and gender issues in the western world.
- why soooo many women suffer from hormonal imbalances and period problems.
- The transformative power of yin energy.
- My experience with cultivating -what I call- “yin days”. Why these are crucial during these times.
Lean back, take a deep breath, grab a cupper, and let’s get started!
~ Yang: The active life-force ~
Yang. The (divine) masculine energy. – Active, alert, focused, logic, disciplined, strong. These are key characteristics that the masculine energy embodies. These are all beautiful and powerful traits that bring us into action, so we can manifest ideas and bring thoughts into physical reality. When well-balanced, the yang energy helps us take action upon our heart’s truth. So we can live and truly embody our purpose, i.e. to do something that is in alignment with the wellbeing of others, the planet, and with our own soul’s evolution and evolvement.
“Vision without action is a daydream.
Action without vision is a nightmare.”
(Japanese Proverb)
However, if imbalanced, the “impure” masculine energy will be expressed as pushy, dominating, scared, aggressive, judgmental, ego-based, burned out, over-exhausted, and detrimental. Having a look at the collective consciousness, we can perceive traits of the impure masculine.
The era of our masculine dominant world was accelerated a few centuries ago. Back in the seventeenth century, the philosopher, mathematician, and scientist René Descartes came up with the statement “I think, therefore I am.” With the abandonment of religious and/or spiritual beliefs, this time was a massive breakthrough for science. It was the beginning of our intellectually dominant (western) world. Objective thinking has been worshipped, whereas intuition has been abandoned.
What our society has come to appreciate nowadays, are…
- science over spirituality,
- logic over intuition,
- thinking over feeling,
- working (hard) over taking a rest,
- doing over being.
As I mentioned before, neither of those are “good” or “bad”, they are complementary to each other. A state of balance brings harmony into our lives and into the world. For example, I’m very grateful that I was able to get a deeper insight into science and research when I was studying nutritional science at university. It is amazing how far research has brought us in the past decades. Yet, we as a collective have turned into a rational and performance driven society, losing the spiritiual connection completely. This energetic imbalance has led people to perceive them as separate and alone (heavily identified with their bodies, thoughts, and emotions) rather than living in oneness (realizing the sea of consciousness that unifies us as a collective).
~ Yin: The transformative power ~
Soft, gentle, graceful, still, nurturing, grounding, receptive, intuitive – These are qualities of the (divine) feminine energy. Yin. She also represents restoration, renewal, creation, birth, healing, compassion, and sensuality. You can start by looking inside yourself: What qualities are you in contact with? What do you express and embody? And then you can compare it with the masculine energies you can connect with. Is there a balance?
Do you hustle, or do you flow?
The divine feminine has the power of transformation. Yin energy guides us into deeper aspects within ourselves that may hold us back from experiencing wholeness. Her energy allows us to move through those wounds, to experience transformation and deep connection with truth. If we’re willing to bring awareness and open up to the dark, hidden parts within, they’ll be able to transform. This is usually a very deep and painful experience. However, any transformation will connect us deeper with the universe inside of us. It ultimately leads to freedom, authenticity, and wholeness. What this shift requires is our willingness to surrender, to be vulnerable, still, and open.
“Vulnerability is the most transformative,
life-changing and life-affirming aspect of the Divine Feminine.”
(Freya Dwyer)
In today’s world, many of us are more in touch with the masculine energy. That’s the way we were raised, what society and therefore the collective consciousness embodies. Since a disharmony has arose, the universe is strongly seeking for balance. It is literally forcing us to look at where we have suppressed the yin energy. Realigning with the (divine) feminine means to release inner blocks that do not allow us to embody the truth of who we are: the oneness of the divine masculine and the divine feminine.
“You cannot make yourself whole;
you can only realize the wholeness that has always been inside you.”
(Deepak Chopra)
When imbalanced, the feminine can result in neediness, self-doubt, being strongly identified with emotions, attached to certain outcomes, inflexible,demanding, and jealous.
You may ask yourself: But how can I tap into my feminine energy? Especially when you’re a woman feeling dominated by the masculine energy, I have a few suggestions for you:
- Creativity: Allow yourself to let the creative juices flow. Women are innate creators. It doesn’t have to be a professional type of art. It’s about giving yourself permission to experiment and play with your creativity. Expressing yourself in whatever way feels harmonious as you’re letting go of rational thoughts and any structures.
- Women Circles: Come together with other spiritually seeking women and experience deep healing in a sacred space of vulnerability.
- Sensuality: Explore your senses. Tap into the beauty of your body and soul, because this is the embodiment of the divine feminine.
- Intuition: Being in touch with your inner guidance system is a trait of yin energy. The divine feminine rests in openness and receptivity. You can connect with your heart and/or your womb which holds an infinite amount of sacred wisdom. Put your hands on those body parts, relax, and listen …
- Meditation: A beautiful practice to find stillness and peace while you’re observing and therefore detaching from thoughts and emotions. This further supports your intuitive ability.
- Body love: Physical self-care signals your body that you care for and love it. When you’re embracing your body and celebrate it for the divine masterpiece that it truly is, you’ll cultivate yin energy.
~ Gender gap, race issues & period problems ~
For centuries, we’ve obviously been facing an imbalance between the yin and yang energy on the planet. There are a lot of examples for the impure masculine dominance, thus, the suppression of the feminine. Oppressing the weak, the dark, the shadow, the deep. Whether it is with regards to gender, race, politics, economy or the financial distribution on the planet: What happens outside is “just” a reflection of what we suppress within ourselves. If these two energy forces were balanced within, harmony would be mirrored in the external as well.
“The bad news: Nothing lasts forever.
The good news: Nothing lasts forever.”
From a spiritual perspective, we can also see this imbalance happening in the physical body. The women’s body has changed to a certain degree, along with the consciousness. Nowadays, women (especially in the west) are mostly unconsciouslyimitating the impure masculine, i.e. hustling, working hard, studying, exercising in order to build a really muscular body, pressure to perform, to achieve etc. The goal is to be become more independent.
We’re living a rigid daily life from morning to night. Everyday is the same. We have to function on a daily basis. This mindset completely disrespects the cyclical nature of women, of the yin energy within each of us, and the connection to the moon cycle.
This mindset has contributed to cause some really heavy issues, especially in the female body. It is a hard pill to swallow when I see how many people, predominantly women, are struggling with their hormones. Whether it’s the thyroid, the adrenals or the reproductive system. It is insane how many girls and women are struggling with their periods: heavy bleeding, excruciating pain, irregular periods, PCOS, no periods at all – for years, for decades. The only “solution” the medical world has is a prescirption for the hormonal birth control pill which has to fix the problem, so we don’t need to face the underlying root cause. Is this the “new normal”? I’m deeply devastated by this issue and can clearly see a connection to the mindset and lifestyle we’ve created.
However, these issues are strongly striving for an energetic balance in the collective consciousness. They’re once again bubbling up to the surface (e.g. G. Floyyd with regards to racism or suppressing the weaker gender (women) in many countries around the globe) in order to make us look at the shadows within the consciousness of humanity. And we can truly observe a shift happening…
“The union of feminine and masculine energy within the individual
is the basis of all creation.”
(Shakti Gawain)
Look at the rise in personal development: People are ready for change within themselves. This area holds yang energy in terms of setting goals, taking action, “working on yourself”, and shifting your mindset, but also yin as it initiates growth and transformation. Many people have started with a deep dive in personal development, working on a mental level, and have found their ways into spirituality. Dropping their awareness from the head down and deep into the heart. Becoming more sensitive of the energies, around and within themselves. The whole movement around yoga, meditation, qi gong, and other mindfulness practices are already perceived as “normal”, even if people just perceive them as a method to reduce stress – they are so much more powerful than that. Reiki and other energy healing modalities are on the rise. Many of us are becoming more acquainted with terms like “spirit guides”, “akashic records”, or even “channeling”, right?
These are all signs for the rise in yin energy. A new era. A transformation is happening. And I couldn’t be more honored and excited to be on the planet at this exact time. Each and every one of us has the power to be the change, to be a contributor for this change, to support the consciousness in awakening, in balancing, in becoming one!
~ Why I cultivate “Yin Days” ~
In the beginning of November, I started getting more imbalanced as the energies were pretty heavy in the collective:
- The full moon on Halloween.
- The 2nd lockdown here in Germany and Austria.
- The horrible terror attack in my home city of Vienna.
- The US elections.
I felt the imbalances in the areas where I am most sensitive and prone to as a high Vata mind-body-type according to Ayurveda:
- physically: digestive issues, hormonal imbalance, overactive nervous system
- mentally and emotionally: anxious, worried, insecure, overwhelmed
Especially during autumn and winter, everyone, but especially we Vata types and very sensitive beings need to pay extra attention to grounding, nurturing, self-caring and -loving practices.
“Countless words count less than
the silent balance between yin and yang.”
(Laozi)
I’ve always tended to be more on the active side. I used to be a perfectionist, competing with myself. Having a mind that constantly tells me what to do next, to get even more done, to push myself, to get another degree etc. Basically to be on the run all the time … This behavior obviously goes hand in hand with my Vata (and Pitta) nature. But also, very much with the yang energy. Can anyone relate?
Although I consciously take time for quiet time, stillness, self-care practices, nourishing myself well, going into the feeling and intuitive body etc., I received clear signs from my body and mind that the energy behind those yin practices is more needed than ever before. My body always is a mirror. My active mind was a wake up call at that time.
How I responded to this intuitive nudge was picking a day at the weekend and consciously choosing to go within, to honor and appreciate the yin energy within. My so-called yin days look as follows:
- No phone, no e-mails, no social media, no exercise (besides gentle yin yoga and walks outside in nature), no work, no to-do lists, no obligations, no attention on what others say or do.
- Sleeping in, starting my day with deep breathing, an extended meditation, drawing, loads of self-care practices (face mask, self-massage with warm oil, shower/bath), cooking for and nourishing myself with grounding foods, sitting out in the sun, observing and being present with nature, a gentle yin yoga practice, taking a nap after lunch, reading, emphasizing a night time routine with lighted candles, incents, essential oils, and another meditation practice focused on my womb (wisdom), bringing full attention to what my inner guidance says.
My (conditioned) mind used to tell me how unproductive, lazy, inactive, lethargic I am by doing those things (or “not doing anything”). Can you relate? Yes, we grew up in a society where the imbalanced yang is so dominating. Meaning, yin is depreciated, perceived as unimportant. Yet, we’ve come to a point where we ran into a “yang burnout” as a collective. This is where my “yin days” come in. Days where I deeply appreciate, honor, and nurture the feminine energy that has been forgotten and neglected, not only by myself. But what I can do now is starting within me – and so can you. Right now, it is more important than ever before to start tapping into the yin. Regardless of gender.
Let’s bring balance in our own bodies, minds, and into the collective consciousness.
Let’s be the change.
Let’s get this ripple effect started.
Are you in for a “yin day”?
~ Conclusion: Yin-Yang balance in our world of duality ~
Yin and Yang. Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine. Two opposite, yet complementary energies that dwell within each of us. The degree of masculinity and femininity will determine our daily thoughts and actions. Examples are (masculine vs. feminine):
- working vs. resting,
- being logical vs. being emotional,
- giving gifts vs. receiving gifts,
- leading vs. being guided,
- rational vs. intuitive, etc.
“Every rainbow needs both,
the storm and the sun.”
Both qualities are beautiful and equally as important in order bring or hold harmony within a living system. However, we as a collective have moved way too far into the impure masculine, so that the energies are urgently striving for balance right now. So many of us feel a deep urge to get out of the hustling system: we face burnout and diseases as a wakeup call to cultivate more stillness. So many of us get hooked by the personal development movement and the world of spirituality. So many are now turning their awareness within and start listening to what their intuition says.
Dear one, today I invite you to have a look inside yourself. To reflect on your own expression of the yin and yang energy in your day-to-day life. Are these qualities balanced? Or do you (like myself) tend to pay more attention to one of them?
“Wholeness cannot be destroyed,
only hidden.”
(Deepak Chopra)
Take your time. Be gentle with yourself. There is no right or wrong. I simply invite you to make an inventory with your feminine and masculine sides, and -if needed- find a way for yourself to bring and keep those in(to) balance. If we start this way of healing and balancing on an individual level, we will automatically create an energetic ripple effect in the collective. It takes a conscious choice within the individual. Because each and everyone of us is strongly connected to the collective.
As always, my love, feel free to reach out to anyone you feel called to, including myself. Remember: We don’t have to do this thing called “life” alone, on our owns. We’re all here to “walk each other (back) home”, as Ram Dass said so eloquently.
I’m sending you a warm & soft hug, my dear!
Lots of love & Namasté,
yours Isabel!
Pictures
Unsplash (www.unsplash.com)
