As we are now officially in the holiday season many of us are feeling overwhelmed. Gifts may still need to be purchased. The house has to be prepared to accommodate guests. Holiday cards haven't been completed. Special holiday cookies remain to be baked. The list seems to become longer with each passing year. Many of us are glad when the holidays are over and life can return to normal.
I would like to remind everyone that the holiday season is a season of giving and the best gift one can give is the gift of oneself by being fully present with friends and family. Many of us have a hard time staying focused in the present at this time of year because of all the frenetic activities that we are allowing to invade our lives. We may be thinking about all that we have to do that day and the list that has to be accomplished the next day rather than being fully present right now. I know that many times when I have too many things to do I am not fully present and therefore am unable to fully give of myself. I am living in my head. I can be with someone I really care about, but my monkey mind has taken over and I am barely aware of what they may be saying to me. When I’m in this state, I can neither give of myself nor receive the love and attention others may want to give to me.
The best way I have found to overcome this “monkey mind” is to reserve a few minutes each day to shut down, close my eyes, concentrate on my breathing and focus on my breath. Something very profound happens when I am able to still my mind. A sense of peace exudes from the very core of my being and I feel a sense of connectedness with life. I am finding the “yin within”.
The whole principle of Chinese medicine revolves around yin and yang. Yin nourishes and yang activates. Blood is yin and nourishes the body. Qi, or life force, is yang and moves the body. Yin and yang cannot exist without each other just as the body cannot move without the vital presence of blood. We restore this balance between yin and yang by eating, breathing and sleeping. We can upset this balance by too many activities which depletes our yin.
Yin and yang also apply to the seasons of the year. Winter begins in late December which means that we are entering into the most yin period of the year. It is the time of quiet and stillness. The earth is at rest. Most wildlife has either migrated to warmer climes or has burrowed in for protection from the cold. To be in concert with nature, we, too, should seek that sense of quiet and calmness by limiting our activities and reserving time to reflect and contemplate.
From a physical standpoint, western medicine has recognized the benefits of meditation as lowering heart rates, decreasing blood pressure, increasing the cortical density of the brain, and reducing the probability of Alzheimer’s disease. Meditation can be as simple as sitting quietly in a chair for seven to ten minutes, breathing deeply and concentrating on each breath. By bringing attention to each breath, the focus is on the body rather than the “monkey mind”.
May you find the “yin within” and have a glorious holiday season.
