For example, swelling is a Yin condition, while pain is a Yang condition. When a patient comes to us, we are looking and listening closely to find out how the imbalance is revealing itself. Some organs relate the to Yin meridian (including the kidney, liver, lungs, spleen and heart), while others relate to the Yang meridian (stomach, large intestine, small intestine, gall bladder).Ĭonsidering the functions of the human body, Yang refers to active energy and heat, while Yin is passive energy, and cold. Imbalances will show up as problems in the organ systems. Illness occurs in the body when there is an imbalance of energies. This is where the concept of Yin-Yang comes into play in Traditional Chinese Medicine. If there is too much of one energy, there will be too little of the other, and something will have to change in order to restore the balance. The dual energies of Yin and Yang must work in harmony at all times. Yin-Yang is about transformation–the biggest, most meaningful transformations that occur in our lives and in the world all around us.
Yin-Yang is not just about opposites, though, and to reduce it to ideas like male-female, or dark-light, is too simplistic. The Yang character – 阳 – means “masculine,” “sun,” and “bright.” In Mandarin Chinese, the character for Yin – 阴 – can have several meanings, including: “feminine,” “moon,” and “cloudy.” This visual representation of Yin-Yang serves as a reminder that within each type of energy, some of the other is also lurking, and vice versa. Inside each teardrop is a small circle of the opposite color. You have seen the Yin-Yang symbol many times: two teardrop shapes, one black, one white, chase each other around in a circle. Without Yang, there is no Yin, and without Yin there can be no Yang. One type of energy will lead to the other, and back again, over and over: day into night, darkness into light, birth into death, and so on. It is a concept of dualism, meaning that everything in the Universe is made up of two opposing, yet interdependent, forces. The symbol represents the belief that everything in the universe consists of these two symbiotic forces.The concept of Yin and Yang is central not only to the ancient Chinese phil osophy called Taoism, but also to the philosophy and practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine. In all Yang, there is Yin, and in all Yin, exists Yang. As an example, Darth Vader has the seed of goodness, and Luke has the potential to follow his father to the dark side. There is a black dot in the white spiral and a white dot in the black spiral – these small circles remind us that everything contains the seed of its opposite, and that nothing is absolute. The white swirl, the Yang, represents the sun, growth, and passion. The black swirl, the Yin, is associated with femininity, receptivity, and the moon. The Yin Yang symbol is a circle with two teardrop-shape swirls. In yoga, the combination of active (Yang) and receptive (Yin) practices is essential in order to create overall balance. The movement of these energies is described as the perpetual cycle of Chi.Īlthough they are described as polar opposites, they are completely dependent on one another, with one dissolving into the other in a pattern of constant transformation. Yang is depicted by the white teardrop shape, and has an upward energy like the inhale breath.
The color black symbolizes the inner, intuitive sense of understanding the intricacies of life.Īs Yin energy also moves inward, it transforms into Yang energy, ruled by the sun, which then rises and moves outward. Yin energy moves downward, like exhaling breath, and is depicted by a black upside-down teardrop shape in the Yin Yang symbol. Governed by the moon, Yin energy is restorative and receptive. Everything is both cyclical and constant, revolving in an infinite cycle of energy, or Chi (Qi). The basic philosophy of Yin and Yang is that everything in the universe exists in opposition. Let’s take a closer look at the Yin Yang symbol, its meaning, the philosophy behind it, and how we can apply its lessons to our yoga practice. Attributed to Taoism, the Yin Yang symbol and its meaning dates back to ancient China.
These opposites form the foundation of yoga, and are most often referred to as Yin and Yang. Darkness and light, inhales and exhales, expansion and contraction – these are all vital components of life.
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