Work: In the Throes of Yin

This week seems so different from last week... I am whirling faster, clients are pushing my good intentions to the limit, and I am feeling "burnt" which is a sign I recognize as "Hey, wait a minute. Let me step back and decide what is the best way to go forward from here."

According to what I've learned from my doctor of traditional Chinese medicine and eastern teachings, the seasons have yin and yang properties. In the fall and winter, we go into the "yin" time, when days get shorter, animals hibernate, plants die, and it is a feminine, introverted, inward time of year when we naturally want to hunker in. In the spring and summer, we begin the "yang" time of the year which is masculine, expansive, extroverted, outward, active. When we go against the natural rhythms, we risk becoming ill. It makes perfect sense to me. I can watch my cat Margarita to observe natural rhythm: She sleeps all day during the winter, waking up a bit in the evening to do her business, but it's cold and she sleeps all night too.

Right now the season is just beginning to swing towards the promise of a new season. But a promise is not the same thing as the real thing. Let's be realistic: It's still the dead of winter whether we accept it or not. The days are still shorter than we would like them to be. It's colder than you-know-what. We are feeling impatient. Perhaps the yin-inward-feminine part of nature is beginning to yawn. But we can't get ahead of ourselves. I know that I am pushing too hard right now and I need a long, long nap to return to a balanced state. I must make a choice (yes, everything in life is a choice) to give myself what I need. I need to stop reacting to outside opportunities, saying YES to everything and everyone. That can come in the spring, when nature is with me. Right now I need to pace myself so that my urge to spring forward is acknowledged, but not catered to. I must be patient. Or, risk illness. I'm burnt. And that is my sign.

You might be in the throes of yin like I am. It won't last forever! Just another month or so. Then the horses can be loosed from the gate to run free. In the meantime, let's all get the rest we very much need, and give ourselves permission to enjoy every second of it.