I have a confession to make. I am a little bit in love with yawning. And it is not because I promote stuck energy for people. Rather the opposite.
I find yawning a widely misunderstood concept. Yes, it does bring more oxygen to the brain when it is needed. However people don’t only yawn when they are tired or bored.
If you have been to my Qigong/Tai chi classes, there is a very high chance that you have seen me yawning more than once. No, it’s not because I am bored of my own classes 😀
In Chinese medicine frequent yawning is often seen as a symptom of Qi constraint (energy failing to move freely in the body).
Now this is true, however the action of yawning is actually a “process” to relieve tension and constraint. It is a natural body mechanism. The action of yawning has an ability to release the diaphragm, which is often overly tight for most people. Whether that is because of unresolved trauma, excessive stress or postural imbalances, digestive issues etc.
A relaxed/healthy diaphragm is essential for the optimum movement and dispersion of Qi within the body. Which is initiated via the Lung and Liver organ axis.
Moreover, yawning is not only a process but also an important sign. A sign that the nervous system is becoming relaxed. Indicating active parasympathetic (rest and digest) or Ventral-vagal (social engagement) states of the central nervous system. In lay terms, if someone starts yawning whilst talking to you, It probably means that they feel relaxed enough in your presence so that they need not to be in a fight flight state.
In conclusion, yawning is something that I love to see and encourage in my classes and practice.
Let’s yawn away all that stress and anxiety 🙂
Let me know if you are interested in practices that help to release pent up emotions, stress and tightness in the body.