Have you ever wondered why you yawn and if there is a deeper meaning to the action? One school of thought is that yawning cools the brain. Whenever you yawn, any hot blood in the brain is replaced with cooler blood from the lungs.
Yawning is also a key part of human body language. In animals, yawning is a communication gesture. In humans too, yawning is a form of non-verbal communication, indicating a change in one’s mental state and the need for an alternative action.
In medical terms, yawning is an automatic reflex action. The action is seen as a response to tiredness or boredom. The mouth opens wide during yawning, which leads to increased intake of air into the body. Other simultaneous actions that occur during yawning include stretching of the eardrums and shutting of eyes. As eyes get tightly shut, tears form in the eyes.
Yawning can happen before or after sleep. It is often thought of as a sign of tiredness. It is also often seen that people that indulge in tedious jobs or work tend to yawn more than others.
Since the mind, body and soul are connected, does the action of yawning have a spiritual significance? What does yawning mean spiritually? This article delves into this aspect.
Yawn Opens Up your Inner Energy
It is believed that yawn can reset your inner energy channels and bring more awareness into your lives. The action of yawning is seen not only in humans but also in animals. Animals such as dogs yawn before activities such as exercise or walking as it recharges them for the activity.
So, if you are wondering how yawning, which spans only a few seconds, can help you achieve greater things in life, then here’s how:
A Yawn Facilitates Deep Breathing
When you yawn, you open your mouth wide, widening your chest and inhaling in a large amount of air. This act of taking in air helps reduces stress. Stress reduction techniques such as meditation too involve deep breathing.
Yawning is also believed to open up self-awareness points within the body, such as the precuneus in the parietal lobe region of the brain.
Yawning is a social act. When you watch someone yawning, especially someone close to you, you are more likely to repeat the act. This contagious behavior is believed to develop feelings of empathy in the doer.
Well, who would have thought that yawning can widen your emotional experiences!
Yawning Increases Inner Clarity
What does yawning mean spiritually? Yawning contributes to your inner spiritual self by increasing your awareness of the moment.
When you yawn, body chemicals that contribute to a positive mood, are released. Such chemicals include dopamine, oxytocin and serotonin. These chemicals are responsible for keeping an individual focused, happy, positive and emotionally present.
So, if you are looking to be more alert and present in the moment, the easiest way would be to yawn!
Every spiritual experience requires an individual to be present in the moment. Is it not quite
astonishing that a simple action such as a yawn can be a beginning to a great spiritual experience?
Yawning Releases Energy Blockages
Any spiritual experience involves energy. If you are a spiritual enthusiast that often wonders “what does yawning mean spiritually ,” then perhaps it is time to experience the result firsthand.
When you feel your energy levels are low, an act of yawning increases energy levels in the body. Any energy block within the block is released and the paths are freed for energy to flow freely. These changes happen naturally with a yawn.
Energy block can manifest itself in the form of headaches or tiredness. A yawn expands your energy paths, endowing you with more focus and clarity.
An energy block can generate negative vibrations in you, which usually manifest in the form of fears and negative emotions. A simple activity of yawning releases not only the blocks but also the associated negative vibrations.
Yawning Improves Internal Energy Balance
Energy balance need not always be about achieving the perfect middle. It can also be about relative adjustments so that the overall energy is positive and favorable.
An act of yawning helps achieve this energy adjustment in the body. Every being is a storehouse of energy. This energy or aura can be negative or positive. An adjustment is needed when opposing energies come into contact with each other. People tend to yawn when encountered with such situations.
For example, say you are angry, frustrated or are harboring a grudge or resentment. These negative emotions reflect in your aura. When you encounter spiritually-elevated environments such as places of worship, or spiritually evolved individuals, in this condition, then an energy adjustment can occur.
In such instances, you may find yourself yawning frequently. This process adjusts the energy fields, which is why you often tend to feel calmer after visiting a place of worship or meeting an enlightened being.
Similarly, when you are in a hostile environment, you may find yourself yawning more. This could be an indication that your inner energy fields are trying to adjust to the negativity around you.
Energy adjustment is also the reason why many beginner Reiki practitioners find themselves yawning quite often. Novices at Reiki usually have lesser control over their energies. The act of yawning helps them exercise more control over their energies. They are able to adjust their energies better to be in tune with the other individual, or with the environment.
Yawning Relaxes and Awakens the Spirit
Another belief related to yawning is that it has the potential to awaken the spirit. When you yawn, your spirit reaches a relaxed state releasing all the tension from your body. You may also notice a change in your breathing. You feel yourself becoming more relaxed and calmer. This state helps you connect with your inner self.
You may notice yourself achieving such spiritual state when you are praying. In this state, you feel closer to the universe, Nature, or the One you believe in. An act of yawning can also help you reach this state.
Yawning can be a Call for Change or Preparedness
A yawn may also be indicator of the need for a change in your life. The spiritual meaning of a yawn depends on the current phase of your life.
For example, if you yawn frequently in the presence of your life partner, then it could be a call for change. Perhaps, you are felling bored or less satisfied in the relationship, and a change may rejuvenate you. A change need not necessarily be a separation. You could improve your relationship through better communication or frequent “we” time.
You may be yawning in front of a colleague or a family member for the same reason. These people may be sapping your inner energy.
People facing dangerous or stressful situations tend to yawn too. A yawn works as a spiritual communication telling the individual to be well-prepared for the situation ahead.
The spiritual meaning of yawning is best interpreted by an authentic spiritual healer.
Yawning Maintains Brain Temperature
Good physical health is essential for elevated spiritual experiences. Yawning can help maintain the brain temperature, which contributes to good health.
There is scientific evidence to this fact. Andrew Gallup, a researcher at Princeton University, studied yawning behaviors in 160 people during summer and winter. 80 people were studied during each season. It was found that yawning helped keep brain cool through heat exchange that happens when air is inhaled during a yawn.
Bring Power into your Life with Conscious Yawning
It is now quite clear that yawning can wake up your inner sense, alert you to the present, make you more empathetic, and keep you in a positive mood. So, why not yawn consciously so that you get the benefits of the action.
Often, when you yawn, you are seldom aware of the act. Conscious yawning involves yawning in an alert state. You indulge in some fake yawns until you yawn naturally. Relax yourselves with some conscious yawning!
How to Practise Conscious Yawning?
When you question yourself “what does yawning mean spiritually,” you are probably paving a path for more spiritual energy in your lives. The benefits of yawning can be evoked through the practice of conscious yawning.
You can include conscious yawning as part of your daily routine and improve your lifestyle. Start with the following routine:
· Stand erect with your hands raised up above you in a vertical stretch. Open your fingers wide enough to feel the stretching. Inhale.
· Lower your arms to your sides while exhaling.
· Inhale deeply with your mouth wide open in this erect position. Let out air. Exhale air now while letting out a sigh.
· Relax and pause. This act of pausing is as important as yawning itself.
· Repeat conscious yawning 12 to 15 times. Remember to pause in between.
· Be still for 10 minutes after the required count is reached.
Prepare yourself for the day ahead with more energy, clarity, alertness, and wisdom.
You can also practise conscious yawning before meditation, or before any significant event such as delivering a speech. Yawning is also a great spiritual exercise during times when you are stressed or angry. While negative emotions drain your energy, yawning can re-energize you so that you handle the stress better.
In Conclusion
Yawning is so natural that people tend to take it for granted. It is considered as a mere reaction to fatigue or boredom arising from doing mindless chores.
If you are among those that want to explore “what does yawning mean spiritually,” then consider yourself blessed. Understanding the spiritual potential of a yawn is in itself a spiritual experience. This experience will reveal the enormous spiritual power of yawning.
An understanding of the spiritual significance of yawning also enables you to use the act to bring more good energy and positivity into your lives.
Spiritual experiences are a path to understanding your own potential and unleashing them to realize your dreams. A simple yawn can be your path to spiritual wisdom and greater materialistic success.
