Tea Time with Jo|Yin Days & Their Importance

You might be reading that headline and thinking “what the heck are 'Yin Days' ”? Modern life in the western world values productivity above everything else. Society pressures us into thinking that we must always be doing something “productive” or we may get labeled as lazy and unambitious. This mindset leads us to live lives that are very much in the Yang energy. Yang energy is all about movement, busyness, productivity, and go-go-go. But what about Yin energy? Yin is the slower, more relaxed, healing energy. 

Living a balanced life consists of having as much balance as possible between these 2 energies. Nature understands this balance. We have daytime (yang) and nighttime (yin). We have Spring & Summer (Yang) and Fall & Winter (Yin). Trees understand this balance. They often produce so many leaves and blooms in the warmer months (Yang) but then shed all of that growth in the Fall so that they can focus on growing roots in the Winter (Yin) The animals understand this balance as well. So many of them often spend the most energy on the days with longer daylight (Yang), preparing to go into hibernation or move into a slower pace when we have longer nights (Yin).

If this balance is so innate in the natural world around us, why is it that humans struggle so hard to grasp this concept? I find that it is because we are programmed that time equals money and that being a “good, productive member of society” means that we have to spend every waking moment producing income, or thinking about how to produce more income. For some, it’s the whole “Hustle Culture” when one must “Grind ’til I die” (which is sad because usually health suffers tremendously and people work themselves to death, quite literally). 

In other instances, the “Work Hard, Play Hard” mentality is the focus. Unfortunately, this tends to result in working over 40 hours a week just to spend more money and energy on “partying”. I don’t know about you but that drugs, alcohol and the nightclub scene is exhausting and not my idea of a party. After a certain age, “partying” becomes more of a way to continue consuming alcohol in daylight hours (I’m look at you tailgaters and boaters) or to pack days off work with adventures and outings that leave you with no recovery time for the week (looking at you cycle enthusiasts that bike 30 miles in a weekend). 

What about the fitness addicts? The people who’s lives are quite literally all Yang energy with the constant need to train. The motivational talks in some gyms are down right atrocious. “No pain, no gain”, “earn your rest”, “pain is weakness leaving the body”, “you need to make up for that donut you ate this morning”, etc. Absolutely horrendous!

So where does Yin energy fit into all of this? 

The short answer is, we need to make the time. For menstruating bodies, Yin days are built into the design. Taking time off to rest during menstruation is extremely important for encouraging unimpeded release of lining. This helps to reduce cramping in subsequent cycles, maintain proper hormone balance and more. We have a very dysfunctional way of disregarding bleeding during menstruation and expecting to maintain the same level of productivity and energy when the body is bleeding. If a human being bled the equivalent amount from an injury, no one would every second guess that person taking time off to rest and heal. Somehow, the blood coming out of a uterus invalidates that in this society. 

For bodies that don’t menstruate, and yes that includes men, Yin days can line up with the New Moon as they are the most Yin time of the lunar cycle (new moon=darkness, darkness=yin). 

So what does one do on a Yin day?

 It’s simple, you rest. Just as the trees let go of their outward growth so that their roots can expand, these days are meant to give your body and mind a break. It is no secret that creativity increases when the mind has a chance to decompress from everyday stressors. However, there are even more benefits to rest. Your immune system performs better when the body rests. Recovery from exercise and overworked muscles happens during rest. Our brains detox through the glymphatic system when we rest. The list goes on.  

It is important to note that how we rest also makes a difference. Resting doesn’t consist of mindlessly scrolling on your phone or binge watching TV shows. Your eyes are still consuming content that your brain has to process so its best to choose this content wisely. Rest can look like clearing your calendar of any obligations (including social ones) and only scheduling things that bring you joy. Lunch with a friend can be very restful versus dinner with the in laws, for some people. Rest can also look like taking a Restorative yoga class or going for a walk in nature. It can also look like sleeping in a little longer or waking up to see the sunrise but allowing yourself a nap in the afternoon. 

Jacquelyn Atkins, a business coach from Australia, teaches the concept of a “Yin Week” in which a person can block off a week of every month so that they can slow down. It doesn’t mean not working at all but, in her case, it means not seeing clients for a week and using that time to do admin work, update her website, perform “brain dumps” etc. She avoids scheduling work meetings and does only work she wants to do, on her own time, without any appointments or deadlines. 

Clearly a whole week every month is not feasible for everyone but it could start with just one day a month that you take off to rest. As mentioned above, for menstruating bodies, lining this day off with the first or second day of menstruation (whichever is more challenging for you) would be ideal. For none menstruating bodies, it could be any day but you can use the New Moon as a guide to which day to block off. If it lands on a day you are already off, you can just shift it over by a day or two. Jacquelyn mentions maybe having an extended weekend once a month where you take off Friday-Monday. 

Regardless of which method works for you, the bottom line is that rest days deserve to be scheduled in your calendar with the same, if not greater importance, as scheduling maintenance on your vehicle or a dentist appointment. If you are someone who only gets paid when you work (no paid sick time or personal time), keep in mind that you can help offset your Yin days by picking up an extra shift on any other week of the month. 

In an ideal world, our days would be a balance of Yin and Yang, with rest and work intertwining. I truly believe that if we all consciously make the decision that we deserve these rest days, eventually, the paradigm will shift. Those of us that live in countries in which paid time off is not standard really need to emphasize Yin days more than other countries, perhaps. Since it is not a given for us, we must prioritize it for ourselves. 

I hope that this post has helped to shed some light on the importance and benefits of taking dedicated time off to nurture our bodies and spirits. I encourage you to look ahead on your calendars and start blocking off some Yin days as soon as possible. Even if the first opportunity isn’t for another couple of months, you’ll feel so much better knowing that, every month after that, you have these days blocked off for your own nurturing. Enjoy!