The ‘Yin Deficiency’ and How to Get Back in Balance

When your work load spikes, and the multiple responsibilities of work, home, family coincide and shunt out the door all but the smallest moments of self reflection and pausing, ‘me time’ seems a luxurious (perhaps even laughable) and distant idea.

In fact, just to ‘stop’ for more than a few mouthfuls of tea can be painful rather than relaxing as the should do’s/ought to’s and ‘musts’ cloud your thoughts, creating the guilt and anxiety that urge you to press on.

In those busy times, there is a momentum that starts to run on cortisol induced ‘to do’ lists and, like the drug it is, it’s hard to stop. Before you know it, you are the workaholic who burns out at the end of the week. You most likely crave and need simple things like fresh air, a moment of heart to heart connection with loved ones, a walk and a good belly laugh… yet you actually get caffeine and sugar as a sticky plaster to keep going.

Yep, I’ve been there too, however with practice and a few simple interventions I do manage to catch my ‘Yin deficiency’ symptoms earlier than I used to and re-establish my mind, body and spirit balance.

What is ‘Yin Deficiency’ and how do you recognise it?

Whether you are a woman or man, you have your own unique mix of Yin (feminine) and Yang (masculine). However, fairly often for many, it can seem less like a balance and more like domination by one side of the equation – often the Yang. When you are ’over Yang’ you can cause stress on your body and whole mental emotional self because you are only using half of your creative cycle, namely the ‘doing’ without the ‘being’.

In fact this is part of a wider ‘over Yang’ western culture in which we exist, that we see through things such as the lack of work/life balance in many peoples lives - we are working longer hours, with fewer breaks. Or the constant and increasing levels of information and stimulus that are coming to us to which we become addicted to reading and contributing to.

You might also notice it on a personal level in certain ‘overactive Yang’ tendencies such as:

You find yourself constantly doing, acting, planning and feel bereft of stopping, resting, relaxing and being.
You give, give, give and find it hard to receive.
Your thoughts/mind seems to drown out feelings/heart.
You use your rational, analytical capability more than your intuitive capability.
Taking time to nurture and listen to your body and enjoy your sensual nature feels like a luxury.

The ‘Yin deficiency’ is the phrase my Chinese medicine doctor uses to describe the cause behind all of the above symptoms and that she believes has a significant impact on the health of women.

The good news is ‘Yin energy’ is something we can cultivate within ourselves and our lives in fairly simple and easy ways. So once you do catch yourself on the over doing bandwagon, you can fairly immediately start to incrementally build up your ‘Yin quotient’ again.

So instead of having to swing between ‘all out’ and ‘burn out’ you can find that creative balance where your Yang active ‘lets do it’ energy is matched by the ‘nurture and replenish’ of your Yin.

You’ll know your heading in the right direction because you’ll start to experience yourself and life differently, for example:

You are active and purposeful yet also reflective and responsive (vs reactive).
You feel grounded vs anxious.
Your breath is spacious, deep and regular (vs shallow).
You are flexible and strong in your body.
Your creative outputs are valued by you and others.
Your tasks and to do list is a helpful reminder and not something to which you are a slave.
The amount of effort you put into work/life is matched by the same or greater level of enjoyment and fulfillment.

Ways to build your ‘Yin Quotient’

Along with ‘Yin foods’ to nourish your body and ‘Yin yoga’ that uses slow, long held poses to increase Yin, there are a number of habits that you can reset in your days that will build your Yin energy.

This is because our days and lives are supposed to flow with the same balance and regularity as our in breath (Yang) and out breath (Yin). Honouring this flow, and giving space for the transitions as you move from Yin to Yang and back to Yin, can be a really powerful way to get into balance.

For instance, 2 key transitions where you can build Yin energy are:

When you wake in the morning from your deep ‘Yin’ state of sleep and dreams, can you hold off the to do list of the day and enjoy your Yin self for a few moments? E.g. noticing the soft receptive state of your body in your comfy bed, or the half light of your bedroom and the quiet before the first words are spoken. To enable you to do this might also mean:
- Turning all wifi off on your phone so no ‘new information’ comes from the outside world, giving space for your inner world.
- Making your first cup of tea more a ritual of enjoyment than a necessary shot of caffeine.
- Stretching your body as a gradual introduction into the movement and Yang activity of the morning.

When you finish your work day that is likely full of Yang activity, take time to unwind your mind and body, ready for a relaxing, receiving Yin evening space. For example:
- Go for a walk that allows tension to release, ground on the earth and become receptive to the elements and nature.
- Schedule in some time just for you between work responsibilities and home life. Yin energy thrives on inner connectedness. Even just 5 minutes of meditation, journaling or conscious breathing, so that aware of how you feel (mind, body and spirit) right now makes a huge difference.
- Have mini rituals that symbolise to you that you are shifting from ‘work’ to ‘home’. Be that putting your computer away in your home office, changing clothes from daytime to evening, lighting a candle, or even putting on a lovely scented hand cream or essential oil. Rituals that appeal to the senses work wonders in nurturing Yin energy.

If you start with these two key transitions in your day and give a little more space for your Yin energy, you’ll disrupt over doing and start to connect in to your own healthy cycles of doing and being.

If this feels good, you can start to punctuate other points of your day with ‘Yin moments’ such as:

3 breaths where you extend and lengthen your outbreath and blow gently out through your mouth.
Feet on the earth that’s real mud and grass, not concrete or indoor floors. (shoes on is fine).
Gratitude Practice: Think of 3 things that you feel grateful for, then spend a couple of minutes really feeling your appreciation for these things.
Watch this 4 minute video on ‘Yin and Yang’ energies and reflect on how you experience them through your day and week.
Taking time to share and ask how friends, family and colleagues are in your day. Giving space for yours and others ‘being’ in the midst of doing.

Exploring and welcoming the often missing Yin in our lives is a powerful and transformational inquiry, and it’s one that in some way often underlies the shift that many women I coach and work with are going through. If this article has spoken to this shift in you, and you feel a ‘Yin reset’ is calling as part of your Heroine’s adventure, you can join me for a Circle of Women event, or contact me for a 30 minute complimentary coaching session.

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