I would like to write a little bit about Yin and Yang energies. If those terms are unfamiliar to you, think of it as:

In our modern, Western world, people have evolved to value Yang above Yin, i.e. we value our fast, energetic and busy lifestyles, and frown upon Yin energies – we consider them lazy and unproductive.

Many things in our lives are set up to keep us busy and arguably “more efficient”, such as fast food restaurants and mobile phones. Even colours and music in fast food restaurants are chosen so to keep us eating faster – McDonalds with its yellows and reds come to mind, whereas green colours, for example, affect us in the opposite way, they relax the mind and make us enter into Yin energy.

So what is wrong with being busy and active? Isn’t that necessary for progress?

Yes and no. To a certain extent, it is good to be active, but in my opinion, we have taken it too far. We use caffein and drugs to keep us awake because we feel like there is not enough time in the day to do all the things we want to do. We believe that doing nothing is lazy and judge ourselves and others for taking a day off.

The key to many things in life is BALANCE. Just look at the Yin Yang symbol here, is there more of one than the other? No…then why do we stay more in the Yang than the Yin?

Have you ever noticed how once in a while you have a super busy week, you barely sleep and stress everyday…then at the end of the week you just can’t get out of bed. You are sick and you can’t understand why, you don’t remember going outside in the cold with your hair wet, so why’re you suddenly knocked out for 5 days?

It is most likely that you simply did not give your body and your mind the right energy balance. You don’t drive a car for 7 days straight and expect it not to overheat, so why do you expect that from your body? Both your body, mind and spirit need a break, and it is vital to find the time for it.

Going on holidays to exotic islands is just as important as daily meditations, daydreaming or just quiet time reading a book by yourself. Don’t think like “oh I’m going on holiday next week, so I should and can work extra hard this week and manage on 4 hours sleep a day because I will relax afterwards”. NO! Everyday you need that Yin Yang balance! When I worked at an office, I went outside to the park during lunchtime, or to the meditation room (I was lucky enough to work close to “Inner Space” in Covent Garden) to have some quiet time.

There is one thing that really upsets me about this world. When I worked in London, the working hours were from 9:00 – 18:00 with an hour for lunch. Most people worked through lunch, eating a sandwich at their desk, and left the office at around 20:00 or even later! Leaving at 18:00 was frowned upon and those who left early felt guilty. I understand that some bosses can pressure you to stay late without paying overtime, in which case I urge you to ask yourself “is this job worth your health?”. But more often than not, it is us who puts the pressure on ourselves because of what we think others may think of us. Personally, I didn’t miss a single lunch time, even if it was raining I made sure to leave the office, and I went home at 18:00 on the dot. Who cares what people think, I’ve finished my job and I’m going home to MY LIFE now! Ok, rant over now.

As a final note…please don’t miss your life because you are “too busy”…enjoy every moment of your day and take that vital time your body needs to recuperate and stay healthy!

With love and light, may your day be blessed with peace, always