The Architecture of Yielding: Reclaiming Wellness As A Rhythm (Not A Task)
Moving out of catch-up mode and back into your natural flow
Are you treating your wellness as a destination you could reach if only you moved faster or did it better?
Many of us are hollowing ourselves out trying to get everything right, turning self-care into just another chore on a frantic to-do list. But this inquietude—a word in Portuguese that means restlessness, uneasiness —is precisely what blocks the view of the wisdom already residing inside.
The living wisdom of Ayurveda — Ayu means living; Veda means wisdom — reminds us that balance isn’t a happy accident; it’s an architecture. We are often seduced by the allure of demanding instructions and rigid rules—all the ‘mores’ that tempt us to build on top of a foundation that isn’t ours. This only takes us further into excess. To return to our dynamic balance, we must relearn how to yield to the structural design already present within us.
How then do you yield next time you find yourself trapped in a fast, frazzled-paced mode?
The solution is often hidden in plain sight….
- Unclench your jaw. It sounds small, almost too simple to be impactful, but the jaw and the pelvis are the keystones of your physical architecture. They are intimately connected; when the jaw releases, the pelvis can yield. In turn, the gates of cooling, fluidity, and receptivity—qualities of the Water Element—can open.
- Turn to your senses to regulate your internal architecture. At my desk, I keep a fragrance such as Rose. Its fresh, sweet, cooling scent is a sensory bridge that reinforces your structural integrity, offsetting angst at the early stages, before the heat of the day takes hold.
- Step back. When you find yourself in the “solve everything now mode,’ identify the sharpness as a quality of fire in your internal weather. Recognizing that fixation leads to burnout makes it easier to shift gears toward a “childlike inquiry.” Be like a kid playing a scientist.
While these few examples are subtle, they are significantly impactful because they are rooted in Nature’s Universal Formula:
Opposite qualities restore balance, while like qualities increase one another.
Think of a moment when you’ve had smoke coming out of your ears….
What came next?
Did your mind demand “fix the problem—now — at all costs”?
This is natural, because tension has sharp and heating qualities. By default, you try to put out the fire with a blowtorch.
Yet, if you pause to unclench, receive a soothing scent, or simply step back to play scientist, you can redirect this tendency of “like increases like” and re-harmonize with the “opposite qualities”. This is how the Rishis (ancient yogis) maintained the resonance already written inside. We share this physiology; we just need to relearn how to use it.
Like a kid, experiment with the laboratory inside you.
Begin today, taking pauses in your day to ask yourself:
- 🌡️ Does my body feel warm or cool?
- ☁️ Does my mind feel heavy or light?
- ✋ Does my skin feel smooth or rough to the touch?
- 🌊 Does my interior feel mobile or stagnant?
- ✨ Does my perception feel clear or cloudy?
Instead of treating your wellness as a problem to solve, be the scientist who says:
Hmmm….
There is somesharpness here. How can I bring in a drop of softness?
I’m all over the place. How can I bring in a touch of stability?
I’m heating up, let me take a few chill breaths.
What might the outcome be if you take such a daily pause for presence for 30 days?
Hmmm….
I’d love to hear it:-)
In kindness and Wonder,
Christianne
