Yawning: spiritual meaning and emotional causes

What yawning is

A yawn is an involuntary reflex: the mouth opens wide, you breathe in deeply, and the jaw and face stretch before you breathe out. Everyone yawns, often when tired, bored, waking up or going to sleep. Yawning is also contagious: seeing, hearing or even thinking about someone yawning can set it off.

Yawning more than usual is most often a sign of tiredness or poor sleep. It can also come with sleep disorders such as sleep apnoea or narcolepsy, as a side effect of some medicines, and occasionally with conditions that affect the heart or the nervous system. If excessive yawning is new, persistent or comes with other symptoms, a doctor can look for the cause.

The emotional meaning of yawning

Spiritually, yawning is a natural form of expression that society often frowns on. It is also a kind of imitation: it rises on its own, without thinking, when you see someone else yawn.

A call to rest

First of all, a yawn says it is time to go to bed or to rest. You are tired, worn out, and need to rebuild your strength. Listening to it is the simplest response.

Hunger and what you cannot digest

Yawning is also read as a sign of dissatisfaction with food: you may yawn when you have not eaten enough, or when digestion is slow. Symbolically, the question widens: what is boring you, and what are you not digesting in your life?

Boredom and "leave me alone"

You may be bored to the point of showing it without meaning to, alone in front of the television or in the company of someone who does not suit you. Behind the yawn there can be a quiet "I want to be left alone!"

The lion's roar

Like a lion opening its jaws, a yawn can show dissatisfaction. Spiritually, it is a way of keeping an enemy at bay, of defending yourself: do not come too close to me.

In folklore

In popular belief, not medicine and not the spiritual interpretation above, covering the mouth when yawning was once said to stop the soul from slipping out or something unwelcome from slipping in. In some places, a yawn is also taken as a sign that someone is thinking about you. These are old customs, not facts about the body.

A gentler way to hold it

• Accept the yawn. It is part of life. You can let it happen with kindness, rather than fighting a reflex that old rules of politeness taught you to hide.
• Rest when you need to. Treat frequent yawning as a reminder to sleep, pause or eat properly.
• Look at what bores you. Notice which situations or company drain you, and what you have not yet digested.
• Lower the guard. If part of you is pushing people away, ask whether you could let them come a little closer.
• Let yourself be cared for. Allow others to look after you, too.