6 extraordinary routines to lead a more yin life

Yin sounds weak, passive, listless, almost lacking in determination or inability to act, in a world that values ​​action highly! But if you understand how our receptive, soft, undemanding side, it is as essential as yang, which it also helps to sustain.

Yin, even when it materializes in maximum stillness, is also energy, only in a different way. type of energy that we are not used to appreciating. As described by Taoism, yin and yang are opposites that collaborate and support each other, to the point that one is always included in the other.

The role of yin, apparently inert, is actually that of a germ, it contains within it all the action that later unfolds, because in the pauses the movement can be endowed with a new impulse and a new direction. When we nurture and let go is when the deepest thing in ourselves can manifest.

How to boost your yin energy in a yang world

Our time is not very yin-loving. The prevailing slogans point again and again to “doing”: you have to respond, move, progress, change, solve… And the yin is the opposite: it proposes a gentle treatment, a kindness to ourselves and our needsabandon all imperative.

In that “letting go” easy attention is given, which does not imply effort, and we perceive more. The body, to which we hand over control, prepares to recover its balance through the mechanisms it has for it.

Frequent yin as an attitude, in a broad way, learning to calibrate the forces and feed them when they falter, it is necessary in a society that is clearly yang, solar, masculine, that enhances strength, self-improvement and the race towards immediate satisfaction to the detriment of a more feminine withdrawal, which women know for their hormonal cycle and their phases of greater vulnerability.

In this yang context, both men and women need to cultivate yin, especially when we accuse a excessive activity, socialization and stimuli. Introducing these small gestures into your routine is the key to advancing on that path:

1. If the body asks you to loosen up, listen to it

This turn towards a increased awareness of our energy needs It’s subtle, often consisting of small gestures, such as giving up a match if you’re tired, no matter how much you feel like it, or choosing a slower speed in a pinch.

when we are able to escape from the dictates of the mindwhich makes its plans many times disconnected from the body, we recover a certain sovereignty because we are deciding to listen to each other, attend to each other, respect each other.

embrace the tiredness Instead of requiring us to overcome it, it is an act of love towards ourselves that later reverts to our efficiency and in relationships with others: it allows us to redirect ourselves to the world with greater energy, greater mental clarity and a loving disposition born of that placidity of moments. in which the guard has been lowered and it has been accepted that some things cannot be solved, at least for the moment.

The effort transforms us but also the meek, soft, delicate.

2. Allow yourself not to do

Accepting that released time whenever we need it, even if circumstances force it to be brief or limited, means a twist in the way of life and in the well-being that we enjoy.

Without waiting to feel saturated, start learning to allow breaks, blank spaces, time without filling in, is a way of printing more yin into our lives. The great learning is to understand that this is not wasted time but very valuable.

The people of yang natureLike many men, but also some women, they need to strengthen the calming down that is so difficult for them. But even people in whom a calm energy predominates, less prone to action, equally need to respect and take care of that fundamental base on which their balance is built to, precisely, better embrace action.

In all cases it can be useful consider whether we are not committing ourselves to too many things, overloading the agenda with obligations and with what we don’t want to miss from the attractive and tempting world that surrounds us and that constantly knocks on our door.

maybe it’s worth it aim to do lesssponge the activities instead of chaining them, so that once its wake is finished it can complete its journey in us.

3. Observe those who still know

Let’s look at the children and let’s learn from their lack of sense of time instead of rushing them over and over again. Let’s watch as they play, dream or discover the world around them.

Let’s learn from dogs and let’s walk with them instead of making them walk with us: let’s stop pulling them by the leash every time they stop to sniff around and try the adventure of an aimless meditative walk in which you don’t have to get anywhere.

Let’s practice a different point of view that escapes any imposition, own or others.

4. Give yourself a moment before acting

Being more yin is challenge ingrained habits. We live in constant communication with others and it seems that we have to respond immediately to everything. Adding yin to our lives also means deciding when to get out of that constant exchange of words on the networks.

It means not immediately proposing solutions to what they tell us, break with the inertia of reacting quickly before any situation.

That yin: listening, perceiving, welcoming, cultivating our receptivity.

​

5. Avoid your own yang traps

The challenge is such that we should also be able to avoid our own traps when, supposedly resting, we organize our yin time with a very yang attitude! It’s not exactly about making time for yoga or meditation, or forcing yourself to do anything, but about experiencing the almost sacrilegious sensation of surrender to lack of goals.

Perhaps leading a more yin life means maintaining a life that is more attentive to inner needs, listening more carefully to what we feel. The challenge is ask ourselves every day if we can be kinder to ourselvesif we can feed that part of us that society tends not to empower.

6. Take special care of transitions

Transitions are important: cultivate your yin moments when you get up in the morning and when you go to bed at night to practice being gentle with yourself.

In the morning

start the day right: don’t jump into the race as soon as you get out of bed.

If necessary, get up a little earlier (go to bed earlier to respect sleep hours). But treat yourself well from the first moment: accompany your body and your mind without haste in that transition towards activity.

You can do some stretching, if you prefer something physical, but you can also meditate, observe your plants, open a window and look at the sky with gratitude while you savor an infusion or a juice… In other words, do what you feel you need to be fine.

You will notice that, if you create that tone from the beginning, the day develops later more serene and positive, and that you perform better because you concentrate better on each thing you do. It will not be lost time for you, but a time gained.

At night

Prepare the dream and, before going to bed, let the day fade away.

Get away from screens and create your own rituals: wash the dishes slowly, massage your feet with some oil, do some abdominal breathing with your legs resting on the wall…

Be flexible and allow yourself what you feel that at that moment can go well for you.