Introduction to Chinese Medicine, Three

Introduction to Chinese Medicine, Three

Yin and Yang

The Dynamism of Yin and Yang is a fundamental principle of Chinese medicine. It applies to the manifested yet ever-changing world we live in. When we attend only to what is only manifested, we experience things such as cold and hot, moving or still, inside and outside, day and night, hard or soft, left and right. We know this thing in reference to that thing. I know my left because I know where my right is.

This type of perspective is known as duality. We contrast two things such as day and night. Could you know what day is if you did not know night?

It is simpler to know these contrasting pairs than it is to know or sense the undifferentiated single source from which they emerged. If we can’t or won’t extend our knowing beyond the manifestations that we can easily sense, we simply get lost in manifestations. We may get attached to manifestations and suffer greatly when they change or end.

Imagine it is the middle of a sunny day in summer. What is it like? What is going on? What are people, birds and animals doing? What does the sky look like? These are the qualities of Yang.

Imagine the middle of the night on that same day. What is it like, what is going on, what are people birds animals doing, what does the sky look like? These are the qualities of Yin.

The philosophy of Yin and Yang was created by people who lived thousands of years ago. They lived outside, in the elements. They observed nature in order to understand life. You and I have the same opportunity to observe nature in order to embody an understanding of Yin and Yang. It is as simple as noticing what is different in everything you can observe during the day and during the night.

Each thing, person, or event can be understood as a blend of Yin and Yang. The nature or qualities of the thing, person, or event are revealed by the relative amounts of Yin and Yang.

For example, some people have loud voices, are always moving even when seated, and look forward to their fast-paced daily group aerobic class with loud music. Other people have quiet voices, tend toward stillness, and look forward to their daily practice of meditation, silence, by themselves.

These descriptions are stereotypical to highlight differences. If we put these two people together, we would say that the louder one is Yang in relation to the quieter one. But – and there is always a but – if we put the meditating person next to a sleeping cat, the cat would be Yin in relation to the Yang meditator. If this cat wakes up and starts playing with papers while the person continues to meditate, the roles switch. This is the dance of Yin and Yang. Everything changes. Yin becomes Yang, Yang becomes Yin. Day becomes night, night becomes day. Everything is relative to something else.

In Chinese medicine, health is reflected in the flowing, cooperative balance of Yin and Yang.

Meridian Massage,
Cindy Black