The Year of the Yin Wood Snake
Happy Chinese Lunar New Year! It was on January 29th, on the new moon, and it is celebrated until the full moon on February 12th.
We just finished the Year of the Yang Wood Dragon, which brought many big changes and challenges for people and the world at large. It is now a Yin Wood Snake year, and I have to admit—I am ready for some Yin after such a Yang year!
The Wood Snake in Chinese astrology is the most Yin of all the animals. It is very self-reflective and introverted, embodying the qualities of emptiness and stillness. Yin is darkness and stillness. With this quality of emptiness, the world becomes more transparent, allowing us to see through old stories and constructs that no longer serve us. We can no longer pretend—it becomes very apparent what is working and what is not.
What can make this process easier and gentler is finding stillness. The Wood Snake is so Yin and still that we don’t feel a strong influence from it like we do from other animals. This allows us to gain clarity about who we really are, without outside influences. We have the capacity to discover our true selves when left to our own devices. Without the influence of the yearly Qi, the world becomes a mirror, reflecting back who we really are. Questions may arise, such as: Who am I? What do I want in life? What really motivates me when I’m not being influenced by the outside world?
Remember, we don’t have to know the answers—just asking the questions will change patterns and provide clarity.
Since this is a Wood Snake year, it means the snake is not venomous and carries a gentle, innocent energy. Wood is also the element of creativity, new beginnings, and visionary qualities.
Compassion for others and ourselves this year is very important as our inner and outer lives shift.
The Snake is wise and visionary, but because it is so introverted and self-reflective, we must be mindful of depression and hopelessness. Be sure to remember not to take things too personally and to invite laughter into your life. Self-reflection doesn’t have to be heavy and dark. It’s good medicine to laugh at ourselves and not take this temporary time on the planet too seriously.
This is a good year for presence and awareness. The more we can drop the stories and constructs that are no longer true for us, the better we will do this year. It's also a good year for reflecting, pausing, and planning. The energy to bring everything out into action will come next year with the Yang Fire Horse.
This year is like an open canvas. The Wood element is about creation and vision. Pause to see what is there. What wants to be created?
Because the external energy of the year is so minimal, it’s a good time to simplify and clear out clutter—both physically and mentally—allowing spaciousness to arise. Observe what happens in stillness. Do we sit with it or become uncomfortable? Learning to be still isn’t easy. This is a great year to start a meditation practice. You can begin with just 5 or 10 minutes a day of guided meditation.
It is also Winter—the most Yin time of the year. The Yin Snake energy can help us embrace the practices that will keep us healthy this season. In Chinese medicine, Winter is associated with the Kidneys and Bladder and the Water element. The emotion connected to this season is fear, while its positive counterpart is a sense of safety. When we are Kidney-deficient, we may experience symptoms such as low back pain, depression, low energy, frequent urination, bone issues, aversion to cold, knee pain, or low libido. This is the time of year to drink plenty of warm fluids, eat nourishing soups, and rest more. Eat foods that nourish the Kidneys like kidney beans, black beans, seaweed, and dark greens. The Kidneys become drained by excessive stimulation, so practices like meditation or slow movement—such as Qigong or mindful walking—help nourish them by allowing us to be present without overstimulation. Being stuck in the sympathetic nervous system (fight-or-flight mode) also depletes the Kidneys. The more we can access and remain in the parasympathetic nervous system, the better it is for our Kidneys and overall health. Practices like meditation, Qigong, Tai Chi, slow walking, and deep belly breathing can help with this.
This is the time especially after such a yang year to reset our nervous systems and drop into slowing down and self-care. Also, how we treat ourselves in Winter will determine how healthy we are in the Spring. If we don't nourish our Kidneys (water element) now we may have more issues with our Liver and Gallbladder in the Spring (Wood element) leading to potential ligament and tendon issues or increased irritability and anger. If you'd like to schedule a Winter (Water element) tune up please click here.
https://patientscim.md-hq.com/schedule_visit
Life will continue to happen, but how we respond can determine whether we nourish ourselves, improve our health, and support our personal evolution.
The most important aspect of any year—regardless of the animal or element—is how we meet it. Are we balanced, taking good care of ourselves, and finding beauty and gratitude, even in the midst of challenges?
May we all enjoy and nurture our health together during this Yin Wood Snake year.
In Gratitude and Health,
Adrianna
PS Here are some meditation apps to try out if you're interested. You can look through them all and see which one resonates with you the most. Just 5-10 minutes a day make a huge difference.
Happier
Insight Timer
The Way
Waking Up
