10/26/2024
This post is a perfect analogy to our own thinking minds and how over-thinking (Yang) consumes our resources (Yin). The intellect (Yi - governed by the Spleen/Stomach) is meant to process information in a way that is digestible; meaning we aren’t chewing on information without any real purpose. We take in stimuli through our sensory organs (notice how the first 7 points on the Stomach channel pass through all of the sensory organs) and then are processed by the brain (St-8), where the information is then digested and integrated (from St-8 the channel then descends toward the feet). A great reflection of this process is “how am I digesting my experiences? What am I constantly chewing on (rumination)?”
We take in so much information everyday (much of it purposeless), our brain’s capacity to process is flooded, and our capacity to think critically has been severely compromised. But we think that thinking is a passive process, when it isn’t. It consumes energy and resources to be in our heads all day everyday, and eventually it starts to consume our blood and fluids to keep up to the pace of the mind. If you think of the fluids in your body as your cooling system, keeping everything nourished, lubricated and juicy, and also as the rooting and cooling system for your Yang (mind and function), you’ll notice many symptoms arise as a result of this yin consumption (muscle cramps, tight fascia, joint pain, stiffness, dry skin/hair/nails, excess heat in the body (worse at night), inability to fall or stay asleep, anxiety, rage, constipation, the list goes on and on. These are symptoms that I see in the clinic everyday, often in a single person. A conversation I find myself having over and over is around not only supporting our Yin (through rest, sleep, eating hydrating meals like soups, congees, stews, etc.), but by creating space in our minds so that we aren’t “running the computer” all day everyday, which is a huge culprit in consuming our Yin. Taking breaks from screen time, going out into nature, meditation, having a bath, deep breathing, sitting on a park bench watching the world go by, listening to the birds…these are all beautiful examples of creating spaciousness in our thinking mind.
In a world that celebrates productivity and busy-ness, in a world that is in it’s extreme levels of Yang (capitalism, patriarchy, resource extraction and over-consumption, the world is literally on fire), it’s a radical act to support our Yin. Yin is nourishing, introspective, reparative, and reflective. We deserve our Yin. We need our Yin. ❤️
