Trust me, you will yawn a lot when reading this article! Let’s start? 🥱
If you yawn on the phone to your mom, you know she’s going to tell you off for it. My mother usually goes with the line: “Sorry, am I boring you?”
Honestly, it cuts like a knife. But what if I told you there might be other reasons behind your little yawning spree than just being bored?
Would you believe me? Please allow me to share with you the spiritual meanings of yawning.
What Does Yawning Mean Spiritually?
Yawning can have spiritual connotations as well as being a physical display of tiredness or boredom.
It is sometimes linked to inner anxieties, a lack of self-care, a battle with your spiritual self, and much more besides.
Why do I Yawn During Meditation?
It is pretty common to yawn during meditation and other activities that require similar things — stillness, quiet, concentration, etc.
This isn’t because you’re tired of doing it, or bored of doing it, or any of the other somewhat negative things that are linked with yawning.
Instead, the yawning could be a sign that you’re doing the meditation right.
The whole point of meditation is to find peace, re-find yourself spiritually, and relax.
When you’re relaxed, all of your muscles are loose, and your mind is calm. It is inevitable that your brain might feel a little sleepy.
Meditating and finding your quiet moment is the equivalent of coming in from a long, cold day to a hot meal. There’s no way you won’t fall asleep afterward!
Also, learn about the superstitions and myths about sneezing.
Why do I Yawn during Prayer?
We are taught that yawning during prayers or in church is incredibly disrespectful, but sometimes, those yawns are completely out of our control.
And it’s not that we’re bored, or tired, or anything else that makes us not completely present for the spiritual and religious occasion.
Instead, yawning at church or during prayer could be a sign that your prayers are being heard… and perhaps they might even get answered.
Some spiritualists believe that yawns happen when something or someone spiritual is in the close vicinity.
The opening of the mouth could be your spiritual self’s way of opening you up to receive the message or sign that’s being directed your way.
The inhale of oxygen could also represent the same.
9 Spiritual Meanings of Yawning a Lot
In order to work out the right spiritual meanings of yawning a lot for you, you’ll need to take a step back, just for a moment, to look at the bigger picture.
Ask yourself a few questions, and scribble down the answers.
You should consider things like:
- Where you are when the yawn happens;
- Who’s around you;
- If animals or other potential spiritual signs are present;
- How you feel both health-wise and spiritually;
- What else is going on in your life.
The more information you can take in and process, the clearer your spiritual message will become.
As you read through this list of spiritual meanings, the one meant for you will – quite literally – jump off the page.
It’ll be almost crystal-clear that it’s meant for you, because of something only you can understand and relate to.
1) You’ve Lost Yourself a Little Bit
By being lost, I don’t mean literally lost. Instead, I mean being spiritually lost — not knowing what your purpose is in life, or just generally bumbling along, with no knowledge of who or what you are, or what you stand for.
Have you been working too hard, focusing on earning a whole bunch of money whilst neglecting your personal relationships?
Maybe the problem is your need to impress, focusing on what you’re wearing or what jewelry you have on, rather than how you can live a happier life or help the people in need around you.
You will get bored of money, your job, and material items at some point in your life.
Are you still wearing the same pair of shoes you favored five years ago? Ten years ago? See: you’ll soon forget about them.
Your connection to your spiritual self, personal relationships, and a feeling of contentment lasts much longer than the things you can buy.
As the old saying goes: money does not buy happiness.
2) You Need Something You’re Not Getting
Yawning a lot could be a sign that you need something.
You might even know what’s missing in your life and if that’s the case, you should see the yawning as a sign to get a move on… in a nice way, obviously.
Just as your body (might) need more oxygen/less carbon dioxide, you – spiritually, emotionally, physically, or otherwise – need something.
Sadly, a yawn can’t fix that part. You’ll need to work on that part.
3) You’ve Got Some Anxieties
I know what you’re thinking: we’ve all got some anxieties, right? What’s that got to do with yawning?
Some canine experts have a theory that dogs yawn when they feel anxious or nervous, using it as a self-soothing action.
Some human behavioral experts believe that humans do exactly the same thing.
When speaking of anxieties, this can relate to a number of things. A few examples are:
- Discomfort at work because of a new boss/colleague;
- Being annoyed with a friend because of something they did or said;
- Having problems in romantic relationships;
- Worrying about how you’re going to pay the bills;
- Being concerned about a medical condition/your health.
4) You Need to Stay Alert
Another theory behind yawning has been backed by several studies and is primarily focused on animals that might be attacked by predators at any moment.
The need to stay alert is incredibly high because you’ll never know when these spring attacks might happen.
Sleeping or being tired and not as alert, therefore, would be incredibly dangerous — and sometimes deadly.
Experts think that the yawning action might be a way for the body to tell the animal that they are feeling sleepy and will soon start to be vulnerable.
Think about it in a different way.
You’re in your vehicle, driving along the highway, when you start to feel a little tired. You might let a little yawn slip, which alerts you to the fact.
To avoid a collision or putting yourself in danger, you might take a sip of your drink, open the window, turn the radio up, sit up straight, slap yourself in the face a couple of times, etc.
Alternatively, you might pull over and have a little rest, knowing that it’ll beyond dangerous to drive when tired.
The yawn might be a way for you to tell yourself that you’re tired and need to do something to stay alert and awake.
The same could happen if you hear a whistle out of nowhere.
5) It’s Time for Self-Care
Yawning when you are actually fatigued could be a sign that more than just your body is feeling tired. Perhaps your spirit and your soul are tired too.
I know it can be hard to focus on yourself and practice regular self-care, but if it’s the one thing that might fix the problem, why wouldn’t you give it a try?
Self-care can be as simple or as complicated as you’d like it to be.
For me, self-care means a face mask in the bath, candles lit, soft music on, lights out.
For my sister, on the other hand, a walk in nature is her self-care and therapy, all rolled into one.
6) Something Needs Cutting
The Greek physician, Hippocrates, held the belief that yawning was a way for humans and animals alike to get something bad out of them.
When someone was unwell, he would almost prescribe yawning as a way to get the ‘bad air‘ out.
Could it be that you need to let something bad out of your life? Maybe the yawn in real life is a sign of just that, especially if you seem to be doing it a lot lately.
The ‘something’ in question could be many different things, from a bad job to a bad partner, and everything in between.
Only YOU will know what doesn’t fit or feel right in your life.
7) Wait, Chill Out, Then Move
Some scientists think yawning is a way for your brain to cool itself down when it’s feeling the heat, and it’s a theory that a lot of people have jumped on of late.
In that sense, the yawn might be sending you a very clear and very simple message:
You must wait, let things cool down, then react.
The brain won’t work properly if it’s too hot, and neither will you when you are too heated or emotional.
I know you’re probably thinking about a scenario such as a fight with a friend or loved one, but it could be the direct opposite of that.
What if the warning is about the new partner you’re thinking of getting involved with, or a new friend who’s always around?
Either way, I’d recommend having some caution, thinking all sides of a situation through before reacting, and taking your time to make what could be big decisions in your life.
8) You Need to Be/Are Empathetic
In some scientific circles, the yawn works in the same way as a wolf’s howl in the night: as a form of empathetic communication.
Why is it empathetic? Because yawns are often contagious. Haven’t you ever noticed?
If you yawn while looking at your friend, your friend will probably yawn too. If you look at your cat and yawn, they might yawn back. My cat does.
Yawning is contagious. It’s thought to be an empathetic ‘herd’ instinct, letting other members of the herd know they’re feeling fatigued.
In response, the rest of the herd will act accordingly, either stopping to rest or allowing the tired member’s position to move.
Perhaps you’re feeling particularly empathetic and open on your ‘yawning day‘, or you should start allowing yourself to see things from other peoples’ points of view.
9) You’re in Need of Guidance
For some people, yawning is a natural bodily process that happens during moments of complete overwhelm, or immediately after the overwhelming incident.
This is definitely the case for me. A panic attack (or the threat of one) can leave me yawning endlessly afterward.
Oftentimes, overwhelm means that you need a little help from other people or places. That might be what the yawn is trying to tell you, spiritually: you need to open yourself up and let other people help you.
You can’t go through life alone, all the time. You can try. Maybe, you might even succeed for a while.
Very few people have the ability to go through life entirely alone, though. We are social creatures. Loneliness is not meant for us; that’s what we get sad when we feel lonely.
The universe finds crazy ways to communicate with us, for example, you might also notice doors opening by themselves.
You just need to pay attention to the little things.
Why Do I Yawn All Day Spiritually?
Before you begin to think about spiritual meanings of yawning, you must first make sure that there aren’t medical conditions that might be causing it.
Alternatively, could you just be tired? Or bored?
If the yawn feels like a sign or important to you in some way, it’s definitely a good idea to take a closer look at the potential meanings.
It might be the case that you need to be more spiritually aware, or that you have some problems in your life that you need to attend to.
The spiritual meaning of yawning isn’t good or bad. It falls somewhere in the middle, serving as a warning, a spiritual diagnosis, and a life-marker, all at once.
I am Yawning a lot, but I am not Tired: It’s a Spiritual Sign?
It could very well be the case that your yawning sprees are a spiritual sign, especially if they won’t go away or happen at the worst/more significant times.
As always, with any kind of new body ‘quirk’, you should always rule out medical causes.
Could you be bored? And not of whatever you’re doing now, but of something else in your life — relationship, social life, fashion, work, etc.?
Maybe you’re fatigued with a situation or person rather than in a physical sense, or you want to change big things in your life because you’re tired and done with them but don’t feel able to.
Something might not be right in your life if you’re yawning a lot but aren’t feeling tired or bored.
Is there something that stands out to you immediately as you read this? I’m going to hazard a guess that, that might be the ‘thing’ you need to address.
I believe that you’ll also enjoy reading about what it means if you keep spilling water.
Final Words
As you could see, yawning has a deep spiritual meaning. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re bored or tired.
It’s a way for the universe to send you a message. All you need to do is try to understand which message is directed to you.
Yawning has much more meaning than we acknowledge. Whether it happens during meditation or praying, it just means you’re connecting with the universe and God. Enjoy that connection.
Passionate about spirituality and everything the spirit world has to offer. I also have a Youtube channel that I use to spread all my knowledge.