When people perceive something as beautiful, ugliness is created. When people perceive things as good, evil is created. Being and non-being give rise to each other. Hard and easy complement each other. Long and short define each other. High and low oppose each other. Front and back follow each other.
One definition: Yin / Yang: Two halves that together complete the whole. Yin and Yang are the starting point of change. When something is whole, by definition, it is unchanging and complete. Therefore, when you divide something into two halves—Yin / Yang—you disrupt the balance of the whole. Both halves then follow each other in search of a new balance.
The word Yin means “shaded side” and Yang means “sunny side.” Yin Yang is the concept of duality that forms a whole. Every day we encounter examples of Yin and Yang. For example: night (Yin) and day (Yang), woman (Yin) and man (Yang). Over thousands of years, various Yin Yang classification systems have been used to categorize and group things.
The symbol of Yin Yang is called Taijitu. Most people refer to it as the Yin Yang symbol in the West. The Taijitu symbol is found in multiple cultures and, over time, has come to represent Taoism.
Basic Concepts Defining the Nature of Yin and Yang: Neither Yin nor Yang is absolute. Nothing is completely Yin or completely Yang. Each side contains the starting point for the other. For instance, day becomes night, then night becomes day. Yin and Yang are interdependent, so the definition of one must complement the definition of the other. Yin and Yang are not static. Their nature flows and changes over time. A simple example is thinking about how the day gradually turns into night. However, the length of day and night changes. As the Earth ages, its rotation slows down, causing the length of day and night to increase. Day and night are not static entities. Sometimes, the changes in the relationship between Yin and Yang can be dramatic, such as when some fish species turn female into male when the male population is insufficient.
The sum of Yin and Yang is a whole. This means that as you increase one side, the other decreases to maintain the overall balance of the whole. The balance of Yin and Yang can be tilted by external influences. There are four possible imbalances:
- Yang Deficiency
- Yin Deficiency
- Excess Yang
- Excess Yin
These imbalances can be paired: for example, a surplus of Yin can mimic a Yang deficiency, and vice versa.
Now, let’s explore Yin and Yang with life examples: In life, we often face challenges. For instance, a person may be going through a midlife crisis (Yang). However, the difficulties of the crisis can push the person to seek wholeness (embracing the answers is Yin). In the pursuit of wholeness in the face of the crisis, the person may undergo a transformation to become a better and new individual. Rejecting the crisis, staying in a weak state, and not growing would be unbalanced. Accepting the crisis, learning from it, and being open-minded transforms the experience into something meaningful for the person. In this example, while we find an imbalance in our lives, we can use Yin / Yang to inspire us to find balancing activities or options that expand our nature. A person could examine the symptoms of their midlife crisis and then seek responses to balance it. For instance, if someone doesn’t recognize themselves in the mirror, they might take acting classes to learn how to see themselves from a new perspective and through the eyes of others.
Let’s look at the connection with yoga: Yin Yoga is a slower practice where the poses are held passively for longer periods, working on the deep, dense (Yin) connective tissues and joints. In contrast, Yang Yoga is a more active practice focusing on muscles and blood flow, strength, endurance, and flexibility.
For example, Child’s Pose is a Yin pose. Headstand is a Yang pose.
In yoga, we need both Yin and Yang. Balance can only be found this way.
I wish you a life in balance with Yin & Yang.
