Ready for Yin Season? 🌙

ISSUE 4 | SEPTEMBER 2025

This might be an unpopular opinion, but i’m secretly glad that summer is coming to an end… hold up let me explain.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, summer is the season of “yang” energy — a time that represents masculine energy, lots of movement, action, opportunities. As someone who is naturally more “yang” to begin with, summer can feel overwhelming (and at time exhausting) with all the “to-dos” and plans.

So as much as I love the sun and warm weather, I’m also looking forward to the season changing, slowing down and focusing on my projects for the rest of the year. Let’s welcome “yin” energy!

Yin energy represents qualities of stillness, passivity, receptivity, darkness, coolness, often associated with the feminine, earth, and the moon.

EACH ISSUE INCLUDES:

→ one thing i’m unlearning
→ a nervous system or gut healing protocol
→ a recipe or ritual I’ve been loving
→ a book, product or tool worth your energy

ONE THING I’M UNLEARNING

[ not every day has to be 100%]

As a recovering perfectionist, I still catch myself expecting every day to be “the ideal day.” The workout, the clean meals, the productivity, the to-do list all checked off. But let’s be real — that’s not possible every day.

Some mornings you wake up tired and unmotivated. Other days, life throws something at you that knocks the whole plan off course.

That’s where embracing the ebbs and flows comes in. Not every day has to be 100%. Balance — yin and yang — means some days are 75% so others can be 125%. And sometimes you’ll stack a few “off” days in a row.

Don’t wallow. Don’t self-criticize. And definitely don’t spiral into negative self-talk. Just notice it, accept it, and let it be.

After a decade of “seize the day” and hustle culture, learning to accept 75% days is brand new for me. But here’s what I’ve realized: sometimes, simply allowing things to unfold — instead of trying to control every outcome — is what ends up working out for the better. You just won’t see it until you let go :)

Balance is the art of honoring both the push and the pause.

ONE HEALING PROTOCOL

[ grounding ]

Few weeks ago I was in Vancouver, British Columbia… and if you’ve been there before, you’ll know that they have some of the best green spaces in the city.

Grass so clean that it makes you want to take your shoes off and practice grounding! And that’s exactly what I did.

Grounding is the practice of connecting your body to the Earth's natural electric charge, which may offer several health benefits, including reduced inflammation and chronic pain, improved sleep quality, reduced stress and improved mood, and increased energy and vitality.

Best part? Doesn’t cost a dime.

ONE RECIPE

[ fiber booster hack]

As a gut healing girly, my primary nutrition goal is to increase my prebiotic fiber intake and lemme tell ya, IT IS SO HARD.

Luckily, I discovered sprouted chia seeds and flax seeds powder and I sprinkle that sh*t on everything! Congee, oatmeals, rice, soups, whatever you want!

Sprouted chia and flax seeds are better absorbed and digested compared to their raw counterparts because the sprouting process reduces anti-nutrients like phytic acid and increases the bioavailability of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

On top of this combo being a great source of prebiotic fiber, you also get omega 3s and antioxidants. Highly recommend adding it to your rotation especially during the follicular phase to support estrogen levels.

This is the brand I use! Make sure it’s sprouted and organic :)

ONE TOOL

[ beginners guide to traditional chinese medicine ]

I often get asked how I learned about traditional chinese medicine. Full transparency, I am NOT a doctor or health professional by any means.

But being of Chinese background, I grew up surrounded by traditional chinese medicine. So part of it is ancestral knowledge passed down, and the other part is me having the curiosity to learn more about the practice through my TCM doctor, acupuncturists, books, and online content.

I’ve been reading a few TCM books and I’ll be honest, alot of them are quite dense and difficult to read. But I recently came across a very beginner friendly intro to TCM by Dr Lily Choi called “Heal Yourself With Traditional Chinese Medicine”. It’s a good 101 on the basics of TCM. Check it out!

UPDATE ON MY TEA BRAND @INNERCODE.CO

As you may have seen by now, I’ve been building my cycle-synced tea brand and documenting the journey here.

Earlier this month, I shipped out free samples to a group of women from my VIP tea taster community to get their feedback, and so far, it’s been really positive!

I’ve decided that I want to run a soft launch this fall because I’ve had hundreds of women across YouTube and IG ask me for the teas. Except I have a problem.

I’m bootstrapping everything so I’ve been trying to keep costs low…

So I’ve been picking and packing everything myself.

Plus I’m using these kraft paper pouches without any branding.

And I’ve been using these plain cardboard boxes with my temporary logo sticker.

Part of me wants to invest in the branding and go all out for the launch (ie. printed boxes and pouches) but that would run me at least a couple thousand dollars. Plus I’d have to get the brand identity finalized and designed.

The other part of me is thinking that I should just soft launch as is, get real customer feedback, and prepare for a full launch early 2026 (which was my original plan).

What are your thoughts? Would you purchase a product from a new small business if they didn’t have the branding on the packaging yet? I’m thinking of offering a limited supply of boxes for pre-order at a special rate, given that there’s no official branding yet.

Let me know what you think by responding to this email!

Thank you for reading the 4th issue of The Art of Unlearning! Are there any topics you want me to talk about in the next issue or in a video or post?

Drop me a note to hello@artofanna.com. I respond to every email :)

Be sure to stop by my youtube for more content on gut & nervous system healing.