I’ve been reading an interesting book on breath-work recently, called Just Breathe, by Dan Brulé. There’s a section where he addresses the importance of yawning; full-body, uninhibited and luxurious yawning, complete with instinctive stretching. He talks about how essential it is for the body.
There is plenty of research out there about yawning, with the most supported theory being that we yawn to help regulate brain temperature. Some believe it serves to oxygenate the body when carbon dioxide levels are too high, but this hypothesis seems to be losing favour.
Brulé strongly criticises the social pressures we create around repressing this behaviour as somehow being unacceptable, especially with regard to the way we teach kids not to do it because it’s associated with sleepiness and boredom, and therefore “rude”. Actually, yawning forces blood through cerebral blood vessels and increases alertness, so far from being rude it is really an unconscious effort to stay engaged.
Brulé prompts us to look for other areas in our lives where we inhibit our natural and instinctive behaviours in this way, in order to conform. I’m sure there are many to explore, from the way we hold our bodies and facial expressions in certain situations, to other natural bodily functions deemed “inappropriate” for particular circumstances. How could repressing these behaviours act as stressors on our minds and bodies? How much harm does such repression do us?
Brulé places much emphasis on the physiological aspects of yawning. He views it as a wholly natural way of clearing internal energetic blockages and a means of being more connected to our bodies.
From a Chinese medicine perspective, I think this is fascinating. Yawning itself stretches our facial muscles, of course, and if we allow our body to follow suit with a natural whole-body stretching, then it has the effect of opening up space within our bodies.
When we create space, something fills it, and Chinese medicine says this something is Qi. When our Qi can flow unimpeded through the spaces in our bodies, then we have good health. When there are blockages and Qi cannot flow freely, this leads to stagnancy and disease. So yawning, especially full-body yawning, may be far more beneficial than it appears.
All mammals yawn, and many other animals, too. Lionesses yawn before and after hunting, and Brulé suggests this might serve as a kind of bonding mechanism. I wonder if it also helps prepare the body for movement by freeing up “stuck” areas and getting the blood and Qi moving smoothly?
As well as a way of encouraging our autonomic nervous system into a parasympathetic state, which is crucial for rest, relaxation, healing and digestion, Brulé also puts forward arguments for yawning’s ability to strengthen our awareness and capacity for empathy, and to release various beneficial neurochemicals. So much of our busy, modern lives are spent in a sympathetic nervous state that we become stuck in a permanent fight or flight response, and our health inevitably suffers. Could it be that as well as relaxing us, yawning is actually making us more aware and more connected to others?
I found it a fascinating read and thought I’d share these nuggets here. It’s something I’ve never really thought about before, but I definitely do suppress yawns, even sometimes when there’s no one else around. And I’m sure I’m not the only one. Not any more! (Well, maybe with the exception of work meetings and funerals!)
Brulé suggests making full-body yawning a conscious daily practice. I for one shall be joining him, and revelling in it, too. Vive la révolution de bâillement!
The Azure Dragon 