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CHINESE MEDICINE 101
The Eight Branches
The Eight Branches of Chinese Medicine can be traced back as far as 2600 B.C.E., with each branch pertaining to one aspect of life. They have been found in both of the ancient texts related to Chinese medicine: the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine (Huangdi Neijing) and the Classic of Change (Yi Jing). All of the branches together are said to create the foundation for a healthy, happy, balanced life.
As you explore the Eight Branches, you may notice an important theme in Chinese medicine: you are partially responsible for your own health and vitality. This does not mean it’s all your fault when you experience illness, but rather that you are empowered to support your health in different ways that extend far beyond simply going to the doctor when you are sick. Just as you can participate in your own efforts to become healthy, you can also unknowingly participate in your own imbalances.
Before they know how best to treat you, Chinese medicine practitioners will ask you a number of questions, including what you have been eating, if you have been exercising, and if you have been meditating or cultivating any spiritual practices. All of these elements are considered vital for a healthy and balanced life. The doctors will not simply prescribe a medicine to take your symptoms away. Remember, they are looking for the root cause of your concerns.
Believe it or not, during the sixteenth century, a famous Chinese medicine doctor named Li Shizhen decided to flip the practice of being paid for treating sick patients on its head. He said, “To cure disease is like waiting until one is thirsty before digging a well.” Therefore he started a trend of asking patients for a small payment as long as they were healthy. This required that he become an integral part of their lives. When they fell ill, the doctor would treat them without compensation. In this groundbreaking system, both patient and practitioner took responsibility for the patient’s health. What a different concept from the way it is now! Generally, most of us only show up at the doctor’s office when we are ill (and usually have been for some time). We walk away from the office with medicine that may make us feel better but won’t likely get to the root cause of our illness. So we return when the symptoms return.
Doctors of Chinese medicine took partial responsibility for each patient’s health care because they not only prescribed herbs and performed acupuncture, but they also advised the patient of the appropriate diet to follow based on his or her constitution and the time of year. They suggested supportive lifestyle changes and nourishing practices to assist patients in finding their unique state of balance. The practitioners also gave each patient the tools needed to participate in his or her own care and prevent future imbalances. The Eight Branches are the foundation of these tools and serve as a blueprint for health and vitality.
1. Meditation
As long ago as the fifth century B.C.E., Taoists practiced meditation as a tool for cultivating inner peace. There is always an aspect of the mind that is quiet, calm, and present; however, it can be masked by thoughts, stories, and emotions that pull us out of the present moment. The mind can be like a toddler, running around from place to place, with an attention span of about one minute. It can easily switch from one emotion to the next. Meditation is not simply the practice of stopping all this chaos and quieting the mind; rather, it is the building of awareness about the mind’s habitual nature and the reduction of its distractions. As we build our awareness of the nature of mind, we can learn to watch it the way we watch an airplane fly through the sky, without being tethered to its every whim. We can begin to see ourselves in others and develop immense compassion for all life. The more we practice, the more we reap the benefits of meditation in the short and long term. Some of the many benefits include relaxation, a reduction in stress, better concentration, increased self-awareness, and positive and stable moods. It’s important that we gift our minds each day with moments of stillness and intentional time. Meditation could comprise just sitting quietly for a few minutes each day.
SIMPLE MEDITATION INSTRUCTIONS
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Find a comfortable position to sit or lie down.
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Soften your gaze or close your eyes completely.
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Begin breathing naturally, noticing the sensations in your body without forcing anything.
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Bring your attention to your breath. When you are inhaling, notice how your body expands. When you are exhaling, notice how your body relaxes and grounds. See if you can be present with each inhale and exhale. If your mind wanders, that’s OK. Simply bring your awareness back to your breathing without judgment.
Begin by practicing for 5 minutes each day, and then keep extending it so you have longer sessions each time. Notice how this practice influences your day, your emotions, and your life in general.
2. Exercise
Moving our bodies daily is vital to our overall well-being. Physical activity also moves our blood and cleanses our organs. Tai chi and qigong are both ancient forms of exercise used in Chinese medicine for the cultivation of energy. When visiting east Asian countries, you will see groups of people coming together to practice these movements every day. Even if you don’t know these two ancient practices, walking, running, swimming, dancing, hiking, playing sports, and even stretching are all wonderful forms of exercise. Movement helps us to move the energy in the body and also to create new energy for the body to use. Each day should include some form of movement to keep the body supple and the blood flowing. The more we find ourselves in jobs that require us to sit and think rather than use the physical body, the more we need to make a special effort to incorporate movement into each day. Otherwise our bodies can stagnate and develop aches and pains.
3. Nutrition
Food is like medicine. It can nourish us to our very bones, bring us back from illness, and give us a tremendous amount of energy for living. Imagine taking the wrong kind of medicine at the wrong dosage three times each day. What would you expect to happen eventually, if not right away? You would expect to get sick. Not knowing which foods to eat at what time of year and for what kinds of imbalances, not to mention eating food from unknown sources—where it was grown, how the animals were treated, if/what chemicals or preservatives were used—puts us in this same territory. Many of us are getting sick. Returning to natural, unprocessed, whole foods that match your constitution, align with the season, and support you through any imbalances you may be experiencing is the most direct way to find balance. Through this lens, each meal provides an opportunity to heal from the inside out and to prevent illness rather than be vulnerable to it.
4. Cosmology
Cosmology refers to the foundation of any spiritual tradition that reveals the core beliefs of how we human beings came to exist and what helps us to thrive. In Taoist cosmology, human beings are not seen as separate from the natural world but rather as a manifestation and integral part of it. Therefore, to cultivate a state of balance, we must look to the natural world around us and mimic the rhythms and cycles we see. For instance, if it’s wintertime, we should try to align with what we see happening around us: it’s a darker time of year, animals are hibernating, trees are drawing in their sap, and there is a pause in growth. To mimic that, we might save some of our own energy, hibernate a little, sleep a bit more, and otherwise conserve energy so we can enter springtime renewed. We can learn to use this deep connection to the natural world to benefit our health and strengthen our bodies, minds, and spirits.
5. Feng Shui
Just as we can benefit from finding balance inside ourselves by meditating, exercising, and eating a diet that is aligned with nature, we can benefit from creating a similar balance outside ourselves. This is called feng shui, and it encompasses the practice of enhancing health through the environmental balancing of the home, office, garden, and other sacred spaces. Feng shui reminds us that even though we may separate ourselves physically from the landscape, we are not, in fact, separate. We are a part of the ecology we find ourselves in, and the more connection we can build with it, the more balanced we will become. Learning permaculture, growing some of your own food, getting to know your neighbors, shopping locally, and generally caring for the earth are all ways we can develop strong feng shui. We can even use it to cultivate specific energetic invitations, such as for abundance, career enhancement, fertility, and health. For example, if you wanted to call more abundance into your life, you could place a piece of wood (nature’s symbol of abundance) in the area in your home that corresponds to abundance (the southeast corner). Feng shui reveals that making this change opens the energy of your life to abundance.
6. Bodywork
Touch is vital to our overall health. The physical practice of being touched in a therapeutic way allows us to relax deeply and experience the release of tension on all levels. Bodywork gifts us with a number of amazing endorphins (feel-good hormones) most especially, oxytocin. Oxytocin is sometimes referred to as the “love hormone,” as the body releases it when we experience physical affection such as hugging, holding hands, or lovemaking. We also get oxytocin when in physical contact with an animal such as petting a dog or cat. By supporting the movement of energy in the body, we can move the energy of the mind and spirit too. You would be surprised to find how much your thoughts and feelings can change after a bodywork session! Some of my favorite types of bodywork are acupressure, massage, tui na, shiatsu, Rolfing, craniosacral therapy, and reflexology.
7. Herbal Medicine
Chinese herbal medicine has been around for thousands of years as a vital tool for maintaining health throughout the life cycles and seasons. Eating medicinal plants from the earth allows us to be in direct relationship with the earth. In addition to a diet that is in sync with our nature, herbal medicine can target specific health imbalances and enhance the healing benefits of meals. Thanks to the early practitioners of Chinese medicine, the precise energetic nature of many plants, animals, and minerals was tested and recorded. These practitioners also discovered that each medicine has a particular affinity for a specific organ or system. As you can imagine, a vast legacy of information was left behind and is now available for our reference.
This branch of Chinese medicine is gaining popularity in the West as we not only recognize the limitations of synthetic pharmaceutical drugs but also witness their repercussions. From teas to tinctures, herbal medicine both enhances our health by supporting us in resolving imbalances and prevents future ones.
8. Acupuncture
The final branch of Chinese medicine is also the newest of the eight (though still more than two thousand years old)—the practice of acupuncture. Acupuncture is the art of inserting very fine, sterile needles just under the skin in strategic places to nourish, calm, or otherwise direct the movement of energy. This ancient art form has been found not only to reduce pain but to influence myriad systems in the body, mind, and spirit. From anxiety to leaky gut syndrome to depression to inflammation, acupuncture treats us on many levels. While this practice can certainly address everyday imbalances, I have found it to be most beneficial when used as a tool for prevention. Acupuncture can also be done without needles (called acupressure) by stimulating the same points on the same meridians but using your fingers and massaging the points instead. To become a licensed acupuncturist requires many years of study and at least a master’s degree in America. It’s important to find a skilled acupuncturist and one you connect with easily. (For more information on how to find an acupuncturist, see the “Resources for Delving Deeper” section at the end of this book.)
INTEGRATIVE HERBAL MEDICINE
It is important to note that I do not use only Chinese herbs in my practice. Because I am from the West, I am naturally inclined to learn about and use the herbs I see growing all around me. Not only that, but I was introduced to Western herbal medicine first and studied it extensively before learning about Chinese herbs. There is no denying that Western herbal medicine is in its infancy compared to Chinese herbal medicine. In fact, some of the formulas I mention in this book have been patented and documented to have been used for thousands of years. Research about Western herbs is just now coming to the forefront, showing their efficacy, potency, and affinity for certain conditions, some of which are above and beyond the current measures of Chinese herbs. As such, I will include Western herbs that also support everyday imbalances and serve to complement the Chinese herbs described. There is a complete list of herb and food energetics in Appendixes B and C.
CHINESE MEDICINE THERAPIES
Chinese medicine includes supportive therapies to acupuncture and bodywork such as moxibustion, gua sha, tui na, acupressure, and cupping. These adjunctive remedies enhance our healing capacity when used alongside the Eight Branches.
While many practices call for you to work with a practitioner, there are some that you can learn and begin doing every day to support your healing. Here I will introduce you to those that are safe to perform at home, will enhance your nervous and immune systems, and will bring you closer to your unique state of balance. Many of these tools are most useful when applied at the earliest sign of an imbalance.
Moxibustion
In addition to performing acupuncture, a Chinese medicine practitioner almost always burns moxa in a therapy called moxibustion. This is an ancient practice known to increase energy in the body and warm it up. The plant burned is Artemesia vulgaris, otherwise known as mugwort. Practitioners burn it on strategic areas of the body, including acupuncture points and along meridians where chi is stuck and/or depleted, giving rise to pain, coldness, edema, fatigue, and other imbalances. Moxa comes in many forms, including raw leaves, salves, topical tinctures, and pressed into pencil- to cigar-size sticks. For home use of moxa, I recommend using a tiger warmer (more on this in the next section). Thousands of years ago, moxa was placed under a patient’s pillow to bring about dreams, visions, and insight, as well as to eliminate nightmares.
Jade Facial Roller
This is a hand-held facial massage tool that is used to increase circulation in the face and neck, increase absorption of skin care products and reduce fine lines, wrinkles, under-eye swelling, and dark circles. It works by supporting lymphatic drainage away from the face. The roller is typically made with two smooth jade stones, one at each end. Depending on the size of the area you are working on, you can use either the small or large end. To use, simply massage your favorite skin cream or oil onto your face and neck and, using the roller, make small sweeping motions from the center of your face, out toward your hairline or down toward your neck. Do this for about five minutes each morning. If you tend to have puffiness under your eyes or red, irritated skin, you can put the roller into the freezer overnight and use it cold the next morning.
Tiger Warmer
Due to the risk of burning yourself during moxibustion, it is safest to work with a practitioner. However, there are some safe and effective ways to practice moxibustion without that risk. My favorite method requires a tiger warmer. This small metal tube suspends a burning moxa stick just far enough away from the skin that you can treat acupressure points, meridians, sinuses, muscles, and organs that need support without burning yourself. Tiger warmers are used to heal everything from pain to diarrhea to sinus congestion.
TOPICAL OILS
When it comes to using a jade roller or tiger warmer or practicing gua sha (loosely translated as “to scrape until you see redness”), acupressure, or cupping, I recommend using topical oils to support your skin while performing the therapy. It’s important to use oils that mimic those your skin has naturally. I find that jojoba is the most similar in this regard, and it is easy to use in these therapies. After jojoba, my favorite oils to use are almond, sesame, and coconut.
You will need a tiger warmer, a lighter or match, and pressed moxa sticks that fit the warmer you have. Tiger warmers come in small and large sizes, depending on what you are treating; I prefer large as it is the most versatile. Suspend the moxa stick inside the metal tube of the warmer, ensuring that the fit is tight and the moxa stick won’t slide out, and light the end. Insert the suspended and burning moxa stick and tube inside the larger metal tube, keeping the lit end of the moxa stick visible through the holes at the end of the tiger warmer. This ensures that the stick will stay lit because it has access to oxygen. Frequently test the heat at the end of the warmer on the back of your hand to make sure it feels warm to hot but not burning. Press the tiger warmer directly on the acupressure point, meridian, or area you wish to treat, moving along the meridians in a sweeping, circular, or tapping motion. Do this until the area you are treating becomes pink and feels hot, indicating an increase in circulation. Then slip the moxa stick out of the larger metal tube and place the lit end in water. Save the stick to use again. Repeat 1 to 3 times each day until symptoms resolve. Expect to see results in 24 to 72 hours for acute symptoms and 4 to 6 weeks for chronic symptoms.
Gua Sha
This practice of strategically “scraping” body surfaces is performed to relieve pain, reduce inflammation, increase circulation, and boost the immune system. Traditionally this is done with a small, flat jade stone with rounded edges, which can be used on the body, muscles, acupressure points, and/or meridians to release heat, toxins, and so on. You usually scrape in the direction of the meridians only until you see small red dots (called petechia). These red dots indicate that blood has been brought to the surface of the skin, where it is able to release the heat and toxins. Chinese medicine calls this “raising the sha,” which is said to eliminate stagnation and inflammation in the blood and protect the immune system for days or even weeks after the treatment. You can easily learn to do this at home for certain conditions, such as when you are feeling vulnerable to a cold, have tight or sore muscles, or are feeling inflamed in a particular part of your body. For chronic conditions such as cancer or autoimmune disease, or if there are lumps, cysts, or fibroids, I recommend working with a practitioner before performing gua sha.
To do gua sha at home, you will need a jade stone with rounded edges, or you can use an Asian soup spoon. I also recommend using an oil like jojoba to protect your skin and support the smooth flow of chi and release of sha.
To start, locate the point, meridian, or area of pain or inflammation you will be working on, and put enough oil on the area so that it feels somewhat slippery. Grip the stone or spoon in your hand and place it on the skin at a 45-degree angle with about three pounds of pressure (the amount it takes to use a can opener). Briskly begin to “scrape” the area repeatedly until you see small red dots forming. Stop once you see this reaction, and do not repeat until they are completely gone. The photos below show a gua sha treatment for the common cold, allergies, and asthma; due to the location of the treatment, another person was needed to perform the gua sha.
Acupressure
Acupressure points are places in the meridians where a patient’s energy can collect and cause a disruption in the harmonious flow of chi. This can cause any number of symptoms, from emotional imbalances to physical imbalances like pain and inflammation. Learning to stimulate or sedate the acupressure points supports the return to an appropriate flow of energy and therefore a reduction in symptoms. As such, acupressure point prescriptions are given later in this book to provide you with personal tools to treat common imbalances. Note: acupressure points are the same places in the meridians that acupuncturists use as acupuncture points; however, you can use them to treat yourself with your hands rather than needles. If you were to see an acupuncturist as well, he or she would likely use these same points.
If you are working with an acupuncturist, ask your acupuncturist which points they would recommend you work on at home. If you are not, then the first thing to do with acupressure is to discover which points would be most appropriate to stimulate. For a comprehensive approach to this, keep reading to discover your constitution and any patterns of imbalance you might be experiencing. For quick reference, turn to Appendix A for a list of my favorite acupressure points and their descriptions. To utilize the appendix, simply choose 3 to 5 points to stimulate during each session. They can be the same each time or you can rotate, depending on what you are working on.
The best way to find and treat an acupressure point is to locate it, using the charts in Appendix A. Feel around the place suggested by the dot on the chart. Using your fingertips, notice where you feel a slight ache or tender place in the vicinity of the dot. This is usually where the acupressure point is. Once you have located it, you can stimulate the point using about three pounds of pressure (the amount it takes to use a can opener), massaging vigorously in a clockwise direction for approximately 60 seconds. You can stimulate the same point on each side of the body at the same time, but I recommend stimulating different points separately. Repeat this treatment anywhere from once per day to once per week until you notice results (typically 24 to 72 hours for acute conditions and 4 to 6 weeks for chronic conditions). Do not perform more than one treatment in a day (3 to 5 points total).
Tui Na
The practice of working with chi energy in the meridians is done only with your hands, sometimes using lotion or oil. Tui na is similar to giving a massage, but instead of focusing on muscle groups, you focus on the meridians that run through the muscles. For instance, if you are having bowel issues like constipation or diarrhea, you can use tui na to massage the Large Intestine meridian from end to end. You can massage, tap, brush, and/or squeeze the meridians to achieve the desired effect. If the large intestine is overactive, as in the case of loose stools, you can massage the Large Intestine meridian in the opposite direction of chi flow to slow the chi in the meridian. If it is underactive, as is typical in cases of constipation, you can massage the meridian in the direction of chi flow to help move the energy to induce a bowel movement.
Cupping
Cupping is an adjunctive therapy used only by acupuncturists and bodyworkers. This is the ancient practice of stimulating circulation and pulling toxins from a particular area on a patient’s body by creating suction with a vessel and placing it strategically on areas of pain, inflammation, stagnation, and so forth. While I don’t recommend you do this on yourself at home, it is worth having a practitioner do it for you. Cupping relieves pain, calms the nervous system, and helps even the oldest and most stubborn injuries to heal. Sometimes you are left with small circles of bruising after the cups have been removed, and the lightness or darkness of these bruises indicates the level to which the stagnation and/or injury occurred. This means that the darker the bruise, the deeper the injury or stagnation, and the greater the healing opportunity. The bruises heal over the course of a few days or a week and leave you with more free-flowing energy. Of note, cupping can also stimulate detoxification by pulling toxins from deep in the tissues and releasing them into the bloodstream for elimination. Be sure to drink plenty of water after cupping therapy.
CHI—LIFE FORCE ENERGY
All living beings, including plants and animals, have a life force that is energetic and resilient. We each have our own life force that is unique to us and yet very similar, even across species. A toddler’s life force is different than a dog’s life force, but both are animated with personality, preferences, and aversions, and both have the will to stay alive and avoid suffering. This life force energy is called chi in Chinese medicine, and an understanding of it shows how this system of medicine can impact so many different kinds of people and illnesses.
Imagine you were born with a bucket of energy in your hand. This bucket reflects the energy your parents shared with you at conception and during your development. If they had a lot of energy, ate and drank well, shared moments of loving connection, and generally took care of themselves, then they likely had a lot to give you. The opposite is also true. They had less to give if they were exhausted, didn’t eat a great diet, and were stressed or overworked; if your conception came at the end of a long, hard period in their lives; or if you were last in the line of many children. The energy you were born with is called jing qi, and Chinese medicine practitioners assess this energy because it sets the foundation for the energy you will have in your life.
Whatever amount of energy you were born with, however, is not the only determining factor for the energy you will have access to throughout your life. We derive energy from a multitude of resources and experiences in our world, including the food we eat; the water we drink; the air we breathe; the loving relationships we have; the habits we form (such as rest, meditation, and movement); and even the contact we have with plants and animals. Because of this, we can, in effect, add to a bucket that may have started out a little low.
Throughout our lives, we will draw from the energy bucket, and how we live our lives determines how much energy we draw. The goal is to replenish it faster than we take away from it. If you live a high-intensity, stressed-out life that is incongruent with the energy you have available, you may first find yourself addicted to things that will bring you temporary feelings of energy (like caffeine), but you will end up exhausted and depleted. Rather if you live your life well, preserving your energy when possible and replenishing it frequently, you will have enough energy for the life you want to live.
Meridians
The chi bucket is a metaphor for the human body as chi lives everywhere inside us. Chi lives inside each cell, organ, and tissue, and it runs like a multitude of rivers from the head to the toes and back. These reservoirs of energy were mapped and studied extensively by practitioners almost three thousand years ago, and today we refer to them as meridians. There are two meridians that act like oceans and twelve that act like rivers, drawing chi from and returning it to the oceans.
Each meridian reflects a relationship to an organ and/or system in the body. This means that when an organ or a system is functioning well, it will produce plenty of chi to flow in its corresponding meridian. And when the meridian is flush with chi, it will keep the organ or system nourished and functioning well. Not only that, but if an organ or a system is struggling, another organ or system will often step in to compensate for the imbalance. These kinds of things happen in the body all the time and reveal the interconnected relationship between all the organs and systems.
When chi is flowing freely through the meridians, we feel fantastic, energetic, and at home in ourselves in such a way that we feel we can be and express who we truly are. We have limited physical discomfort, and when life throws us curveballs, we bounce back quickly. However, when chi gets stuck, we feel emotionally vulnerable, physically uncomfortable, and sensitive to life’s ever-changing tides. Everything we do to care for ourselves (or not) impacts our chi and therefore our meridians. Acupuncture is the practice that works directly with balancing the chi in the meridians. When we receive this therapy, we can often feel our own chi and its movement along our meridians. It’s quite spectacular!
Yin and Yang
The two foundational qualities of chi are yin and yang. Most of us have heard of the concept of yin and yang, which draws from ancient Chinese texts (more than eight thousand years old) and can be used to describe the nature of all things in life. The Chinese character for yin literally translates as the “dark side of the mountain,” whereas the character for yang translates as the “light side of the mountain.” The best metaphor for yin and yang is introversion and extroversion, as these are familiar concepts in the West. Introversion is a quieter and more contracted energy, whereas extroversion is a louder and more expanded energy. Here are a few examples of the qualities associated with yin and yang:
| Yin | Yang |
| Moon | Sun |
| Feminine | Masculine |
| Passive | Active |
| Intuitive | Logical |
| Creative | Intellectual |
| Dark | Light |
| Cold | Hot |
| Moist skin | Dry skin |
| Submission | Dominance |
| Contracting | Expanding |
| Downward | Upward |
| Night | Day |
| Soft | Hard |
| Stillness | Movement |
| Water | Fire |
| Valleys | Mountains |
| Feeling, emotion | Thought |
| Right-brained | Left-brained |
| Left-hand dominance | Right-hand dominance |
| Receiving | Giving |
| Nurturing | Protecting |
| Flexible | Rigid |
| Introverted | Extroverted |
| Dampness | Dryness |
| Cooler body and personality | Warmer body and personality |
| Aloof, dreamy | Hyperactive, focused |
| Timid | Aggressive |
| Fearful, insecure | Impatient, irritable |
| Pale complexion | Ruddy complexion |
| Soft voice | Loud voice |
As you can see, yin and yang describe the everyday energetic qualities of the world we live in and our experiences. Energy lives on a continuum and is constantly shifting the way day turns to night and back into day again. Nighttime brings about a yin experience, then as the sun comes up, the yang experience of daytime grows. When the sun sets, we move from yang back to yin, and the cycle continues.
Yin-Yang Cycle
The seasons follow their own rhythm of yin and yang, winter being the most yin of all the seasons, and summer being the most yang. Everything in between is a mixture of the two. Spring, for instance, is the movement from a mostly yin experience (winter) to a mostly yang experience (summer). Even the places we live have a yin or yang energetic quality to them. Places that are sunny and warm all the time are much more yang in nature, whereas places that are rainy and cold all the time are much more yin. Of course, there is every variation in between.
You can see how each moment of life can be characterized by whether yin, yang, or a mixture of these energies is at play. It’s important to note that nothing in life is ever completely yin or completely yang, as neither state is ever static—they are fluid energetic states. Why is it important to know the yin-yang state of things? Because each of us has a yin nature and a yang nature that are always in flux. For instance, although you may feel drawn to a yin environment, that does not mean you are a completely yin-natured person. You undoubtedly have some yang qualities within you, even though you might lean toward yin, at least at this moment in your life. Each of us has our own unique quantities and expressions of yin and yang energies within, and that is part of what makes us different. The more familiar we are with our unique energetic qualities, the more appropriate our life decisions will be for enhancing our health.
Twenty-first-century Westerners live in a predominantly, energetically yang society. This means we have endless opportunities, activity buzzes around us constantly, and productivity is highly rewarded. Although some people who are quite yang in their energy do well in this environment, those with a more yin nature can find this level of activity challenging. In fact, many clients come to me because they are exhausted, overstimulated, and often even addicted to substances that help them cope with this level of busyness. It’s clear to me that they are trying to conform to a life that is not congruent with their nature. Sadly, these clients often feel like something is wrong with them and not the other way around.
The most common concerns I treat in my office are anxiety and depression, and these diagnoses are two sides of the same coin: anxiety being the yang expression of stress and depression being the yin expression. Many of the symptoms associated with these imbalances come from this feeling of incongruence between their authentic nature and the lives they find themselves living. This split between what many of us need energetically and the activities we participate in makes it easy to understand why addiction is so rampant. In particular, addiction to stimulation and stimulating substances such as coffee, sugar, and alcohol, and activities such as TV, video games, and even exercise like extreme sports. These habits undoubtedly increase our energy (albeit temporarily) and may even make us feel much more extroverted than we really are. However, when we forsake our energetic needs, we will always pay a price.
If you know that you have a mostly yin nature, it’s important to do things every day that will support your yin-yang balance. If you have not extended yourself enough (for example, working too long in a yin environment, being too sedentary), you may need to invoke more yang practices to find balance. The same need for balance is true if you feel you have a mostly yang nature. When you notice you have overextended, be sure to recoup your energy by adding in nourishing yin activities.
YIN ACTIVITIES: Sleeping and napping, eating slowly, cooking meals slowly, baking, spending one-on-one time with friends or family, reading books, taking baths, going on slow walks in nature, meditating, doing yin yoga, getting a massage, doing light gardening, playing cards or other low-key games, spending quiet time with loved ones or alone, playing instruments, drawing/painting
YANG ACTIVITIES: Socializing with a group, exercising (such as aerobics and weight lifting), participating in competitive and/or team sports, performing hard labor, running, playing, dancing, singing, having a potluck, planning a vacation
MENSES AND THE MOON
Women are gifted with the opportunity to cycle through yin and yang monthly (and psst: men have similar cycles too!). Menstrual cycles follow cycles similar to that of the moon, and if we are in tune with the natural world, we will either be ovulating or menstruating on the full and new moons, respectively. During menstruation is the most yin time of the cycle, as it is dominated by the yin hormone estrogen. Then as the cycle moves toward ovulation, the yang hormone progesterone begins to dominate, giving us access to increasingly more yang energy.
I see many women in my practice who feel overwhelmed and anxious during specific times in their cycle. After mapping out their energetic patterns along with the days of their cycle, we can see that their feelings of being overwhelmed often come at a phase during which they are ruled by mostly yin energy. Yet their lives are still moving full speed ahead. I believe this is where most premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms—irritability, sadness, anxiety, depression, anger, fatigue—come from.
Knowing what is happening in our bodies energetically empowers us to do what we can to care for ourselves and tend to those deeper needs. If you are menstruating, try honoring your cycle phases by transitioning into a more yin time during those first two weeks (slowing things down, taking breaks when possible, limiting yang activities, and so on), then gradually increasing your yang activities for the second half of your cycle (returning to the full scope of work, scheduling social outings, and otherwise engaging in the world in a more extroverted way). Learning to live in accordance with our natural energy is the first step toward health.