Today's article is about yin and yang...the foundation of Chinese Medicine. The relationship between yin and yang is very profound and the dynamic can be witnessed all around us. I'm often surprised how often I hear the words used in media and pop culture. Here's a little Chinese language tip for you... yang actually rhymes with song not sang...a lot of people pronounce it wrong. I used to too 🙂

Anyway....enjoy learning more about the fascinating relationship between yin and yang.

Over 2,000 years ago East Asian practitioners discovered that physical and mental life stressors cause the body to get out of balance. You've probably heard people talk about yin and yang. Well, yin and yang are actually opposing forces that work together to keep the body balanced. Did you catch that? I said, yin and yang are opposing and they work together. This is really important. Even though yin is the opposite of yang, it contains the seed to allow yang to grow and transform; yang is opposite yin and contains the seed to engender yin. They are inter-dependent, one cannot exist without the other.  Yin and yang have a pretty incredible relationship. Not only are they opposing and inter-dependent, they are also mutually consuming (meaning as one increases the other decreases) and they are inter-transforming (they transform into the other at certain stages of development). Okay...is your head spinning yet? I know this is complicated, but look at how incredible this relationship really is. Together yin and yang are two phases of a cycle that can be observed in all aspects of life.

Consider the cycle of day (yang) and night (yin). Midnight is considered the darkest point of night. And then at 12:01 we move into the morning. We are gradually approaching the light of day and each moment is getting the slightest bit brighter. Then at noon we reach the peak of day. From 12:01 p.m. on to midnight, the day is getting gradually darker. This is the yin within yang and the yang within yin relationship.

Think about it...it is safe to say that light and dark are opposing, yes? And each moment that it gets lighter the darkness is decreasing, so the light is consuming the dark and vice versa. So, they are mutually consuming, but they are also inter-transforming because at just the right time and stage of development (noon and midnight) they transform into the other. This dynamic dance can be witnessed in the change from summer to winter, the life cycle...you name it. Look at the yin/yang symbol again...does it make more sense now?

From a Chinese medical perspective, all physiology, pathology, diagnosis and treatment can be reduced to yin and yang. All signs and symptoms are due to their imbalance. Chinese Medical practitioners use acupuncture, prescribe herbs and recommend nutritional and lifestyle changes to return the body to its natural balance and promote the body's ability to heal itself. Treatment principles can be reduced to one of four strategies: supplement yin, supplement yang, eliminate excess yin or eliminate excess yang.

So there you have it...an introduction to yin and yang and its relevance to Chinese Medicine...and life!

Source: The Foundations of Chinese Medicine by Giovanni Maciocia

This week have some fun observing the yin/yang dance happening all around you and, if you can, pay attention to the dynamic inside your own body. With some practice you will be able to see it everywhere, in personal relationships, your own emotions, the actions of others, etc. This practice is a great way to remember the fluidity of life. Watch things shifting and changing and have fun observing. Play the witness and see what you learn.

Here's a little more info about yin and yang to apply to your observations:

Yang                                      Yin

light                                        darkness

sun                                         moon

bright                                      shade

activity                                    rest

male                                        female

Heaven                                    Earth

round                                      flat

time                                        space

east                                        west

south                                      north

left                                         right

summer                                  winter

function                                  form

expansion                               contraction

aggressive                              responsive

fire                                         water

intermittent                            continuous

hot                                        cold

birth                                      death

dry                                        moist

floating                                  sinking

hallow                                    solid

qi (life force)                          blood

acute                                     chronic

fast                                       slow

excess                                  deficiency

light                                     heavy