The CONCEPT OF YIN AND YANG
The Yin and Yang principle is rooted in Taoism/Daoism, and is a fundamental concept both in Chinese philosophy, and Chinese medicine. Yin and Yang was first referred to in the I Ching (Book of Changes) which was written around 700BC.
This principle embraces the idea of equilibrium and balance, and describes how everything in the universe is connected and coexists within the same environment. In the yin yang model, yin is represented by the feminine forces such as the moon, water, darkness, softness, and rest whereas yang is seen as a masculine force, and represented by the sun, fire, light, activity, expansion and assertiveness.
Yin and Yang are opposites and interdependent with their own individual qualities yet they also complement and cannot exist without each other. An example of this can be seen daily, as daytime (yang) is the total opposite to the night (yin) and within a 24 hour timeframe it is impossible to have one without the other.
Balance and Harmony is represented by the fact that both yin and yang have an inseparable and interconnected relationship. This concept is reflected in the Taiji pictorially (yin yang symbol - opposite). The dark swirl, represents yin energy, and the white swirl yang energy. Each swirl contains a dot of the other within, meaning that nothing can ever be purely just yin or yang, and is in continuous flux, this illustrates the need for a constant dynamic flow to balance these energies naturally. In nature this can be seen in the changing seasons, the cold of winter (yin), gradually changes to the warmth of spring (yang is growing) to the height of summer heat (yang), that then gradually begins to cool down in Autumn (yin is growing) to become winter again.
How to apply this to your health and wellbeing
TCM is a healing system that understands and applies this yin and yang theory as a foundation for understanding health, and also as a way to harmonise the body, mind and emotions. When there is disharmony of yin and yang there will be illness, and pain.
The following yin-yang pairings relate to the body-
Yang Yin
Exterior Interior
Back of body Front of body
Head Body
Above waist Below waist
Heat Cold
Qi (energy) Blood and fluids
This yin and yang relationship is fundamentally why in Chinese Medicine disease or illness is not seen as being separate from the whole body. In contrast it is viewed as being a varying state of a yin yang imbalance. So for example when Qi (yang) is in excess and manifests in headaches(yang), by influencing and needling acupuncture points to target yin energy will help to harmonise and rebalance this relationship.