What Is Yin Yang?

The Yin and Yang: symbol represents the harmony of the Universe. All duality, no matter how dark or light, masculine or feminine, provides needed balance. It’s said that balance between these two opposing forces brings the most harmony to an individual’s life. As a starting definition, Yin and Yang are two halves that together complete wholeness. Yin and yang are also the starting point for change. When something is whole, by definition, it’s unchanging and complete. So when you split something into two halves – yin/yang, it upsets the equilibrium of wholeness. Both halves are chasing after each other as they seek a new balance with each other. The word Yin comes out to mean “shady side” and Yang “sunny side”. Yin Yang is the concept of duality forming a whole. We encounter examples of Yin and Yang every day. As examples: night (Yin) and day (Yang), female (Yin) and male (Yang). Over thousands of years, quite a bit has been sorted and grouped under various Yin Yang classification systems.

Taijitu

The symbol for Yin Yang is called the Taijitu. Most people just call it the yin yang symbol in the west. The Taijitu symbol has been found in more than one culture and over the years has come to represent Taoism. Neither Yin nor Yang is absolute. Nothing is completely Yin or completely Yang. Each aspect contains the beginning point for the other aspect. For example, day becomes night and then night becomes day. Yin and Yang are interdependent upon each other so that the definition of one requires the definition for the other to be complete. Yin Yang is not static. The nature of Yin and Yang flows and changes with time. A simple example is thinking about how the day gradually flows into the night. However, the length of day and night are changing. As the earth ages, its spin is slowing causing the length of day and night to get longer. Day and night are not static entities.

Sometimes changes in the relationship between Yin and Yang can be dramatic where one aspect can just transform into the other. As an example: some species of fish have females that transform quickly into males when the population of males isn’t enough. The summation of Yin and Yang form a whole. One effect of this is: as one aspect increases the other decreases to maintain the overall balance of the whole.

Imbalances

The balance of Yin Yang can be skewed due to outside influences. Four possible imbalances exist: Deficiency Yang Deficiency Yin Excess Yang Excess Yin These imbalances can be paired: so an excess of Yin can also simulate a Yang deficiency and vice versa. As an example, this concept is especially important for Chinese healing practises. So an excess of Yang results in a fever. An excess of Yin could mean the accumulation of fluids in the body. Chinese healing examines a person’s health by using the eight principles: Internal and External stimuli, Deficiency and Excesses, Cold and Heat and Yin and Yang.

How Yin Yang Flows

Study the following passage from the Tao Te Ching: "The Way begot one, And the one, two; Then the two begot three And three, all else." A clearer understanding of Yin Yang requires looking back into the Tao. The Tao can be considered as the fundamental absolute. Upon examination: the nature of the Tao expands out. This process of expansion defines a pattern, splitting apart into finer and finer patterns. Yin and Yang is the point where perception demarks the Tao’s expansion into one and then one into two.

Taoism

Taoism as a practise examines patterns. Over the years countless sects of Taoism have formed and quite a bit of literature written over the delineation and description of these patterns. Often Taoists use the concept of Yin Yang as a familiar starting template to work with patterns.

Qigong

Qigong is based on the patterns of breath and physical movement. Knowledge of bodily patterns forms the basis of this Taoist practise to keep a body healthy. The human body and its movements are divided according to Yin and Yang categories. So the upper body corresponds to the Yang, while the lower body roots into the Yin. The body’s centre is where the Yin and Yang meet. Qi Gong exercises are grouped and explained in terms of Yin and Yang to help classify the body’s harmonies into a working practise. Knowledge of Yin or Yang isn’t required to perform Qi Gong. Instead, it’s an additional filter which helps people connect to the practise.

Book Of Changes - I Ching

Yin Yang is a system of recognising how to separate out patterns in our life while also relaxing to accept the overall whole and complete nature of the Tao. Within the Book of Changes (I Ching). Divination in Taoism is a practise of examining human interactions based on well known psychological patterns. To generate a result either coins or yarrow stalks are tossed down to form a pattern. The patterns generated correspond to Yin and Yang defined qualities. The nature of the Yin and Yang pattern is applied to the psychology of the moment to return advice for the person asking the question. Yin Yang is a fundamental aspect of Taoist thought. We always naturally apply human-based values over naturally occurring patterns. However, remember it’s also important not to chase finer and finer descriptions of these patterns, to do so would be to chase down infinity. "When people see things as beautiful, ugliness is created. When people see things as good, evil is created. Being and non-being produce each other. Difficult and easy complement each other. Long and short define each other. High and low oppose each other. Fore and aft follow each other." Quote from Toa Te Ching