Getting to Know Your Five Spirits

意
Yi

We’ve come to the last of the five spirits; the Yi. Of all the spirits, Yi greatly involves what goes on in our heads. It’s responsible for cognition, concentration, memory, and attention, but also for looking inside via introspection and self-consideration.

The Yi is engaged when we apply our thinking to something. It’s the spirit that we rely on while studying, problem solving, and strategizing. This is in contrast to the Hun which is responsible for our big-picture plans, or the willpower of the Zhi that aims us toward our purpose.

The character for Yi is 意 and is comprised of two parts. On top is the character 音 yin, meaning sound, tone, or pronunciation. The bottom is 心 xin, the character for heart, mind, or soul. Putting them together you can interpret the meaning of the character to be, ‘the tones of the mind/soul.’ You can interpret this as providing meaning by giving voice to the heart.

Yi: Focus and Mental Faculties

While discussing Zhi we made the distinction between the Zhi-spirit’s dominion over purpose, and the Yi’s function of thought and focus. The Yi is our capacity for thought, analysis and interpretation. It’s how we organize information; both our own thoughts, and from the world around us.

As you can imagine, the Yi is very important in our modern day-to-day. So much of our time is spend being mentally ‘on’, and that requires a strong Yi. There’s so much of a demand on our Yi, in fact, that for many of us our downtime is when the Yi is completely abandoned. Those pleasing, brainless activities like watching TV or scrolling through social media give the Yi an opportunity to rest.

Because of its role in interpreting and internalizing, the Yi is very closely related to consumption. This is especially true when you consider its organ correspondences, which we’ll discuss in a moment. Every day we’re bombarded with information that we either engage with or ignore. Some of it is a choice; the news we read, the gossip we share, and the entertainment we enjoy. Some of it isn’t, like the work we do or the things we experience. Whatever the circumstance, our Yi is always analyzing, interpreting, and filing – making it a part of you. This means that in exactly the same way what we eat is a big determining factor of health, the same is true for the information we consume.

Yi’s Connections and Dysfunctions

In the wider philosophy of Chinese Medicine, the Yi corresponds with the Earth element as well as the Spleen and Stomach. The Earth element is situated in the center of the other four, and is assigned the virtue of stability. It maintains the balance of production and consumption. In the same way, the spleen and stomach - located in the center of our bodies - are responsible for extracting nourishment from what we consume and delivering to the rest of the body. This mirrors the functions of the Yi in extracting useful information from the world around us and utilizing it as needed.

However, this system can become imbalanced. Precisely like how eating something toxic can upset our stomachs, the internalization of toxic information can make us ill. Conspicuous consumption ‘feels good’, but the empty calories make us slow and fat. Thus, maintaining the Yi is about maintaining balance between how much we engage it, and what we expend it on – production, and consumption.

Modern research has found fascinating links between our gut and our minds. The connection is so profound that they call the gut ‘the second brain.’ Poor diet can result in sluggish thinking, forgetfulness, and worry. The opposite is just as true; many people combat over-stimulation of the mind by feeding cravings, or we fight depression by seeking that dopamine hit from tasty food. It’s important to recognize that each of our spirits, the Yi included, are so integrated into us that their health is reflected in our physical wellbeing, and vice-versa. We can’t neglect one, or everything is thrown off balance.

Cultivating the Yi

A balanced Yi comes from walking the line between production and consumption. Being discerning of what we take into ourselves and how we expend our resources is key to a healthy Yi. How can we ensure that this crucial spirit is cared for?

1.       About 70%. This is your ‘sweet spot.’ Eat to about 70% capacity; try not to expend more than 70% of your energy; Only spend a maximum of 70% of your time on mentally challenging tasks. In short, don’t overextend.

2.       Consider reciprocity. Give of yourself, but also see to your own needs. But do these in a way that is nurturing instead of consumptive! Seeing to your own needs does not mean eating a whole cake. Seeing to others doesn’t mean doing everything for them.

3.       Be discriminating about what you consume. Periodically take time to take stock of your life and ask whether what you engage in is fruitful or wasteful.

4.       Find a balance between momentum and repose. The imbalanced Yi will tend to fluctuate between an inability to get going, and an inability to stop. Practice being measured in action.

Now that we’ve come to the end of this series about our spirits, I hope it’s provided a novel perspective. One of the great virtues of living abroad was learning about the different way people think. Being exposed to these concepts was a wonderful exercise for my Yi. From time to time, perhaps go back over what these spirits do and ask if you feel like they’re in balance. Sometimes looking at something from a different angle helps put things into better focus.

脚踏实地
jiǎo tà shí dì

Keep your Feet on Solid Ground