You may be asking what does Yin/Yang have to do with my life and well-being?

Everything in your life consists of both Yin/Yang energy. When these two energies are in harmony, health and well-being results. An imbalance causes dis-ease.

In essence, Yin/Yang are relative terms used to describe everything in your life. Everything around you and in you, has these energies. Nothing is purely Yin or Yang but contains both energies in varying amounts. You cannot have one without the other. Neither one is better, with both being needed for balance and well-being.

The basic idea of Yin/Yang is that the only constant in your world is continual change. In other words, nothing remains the same; no disease, no condition, no emotion, absolutely everything is continually changing. In the same way, Yin/Yang are in a constant state of change, complementing and opposing each other.

Yin literally means the ‘dark side of the mountain’ representing: darkness, night, coldness, stillness, winter, autumn, earth, moisture, passivity, femaleness, black, blue, silver, moon, water etc. Yin energy maintains and endures, it is nourishing and supports growth and development. Reflection and stillness create Yin energy.

Yang on the other-hand is translated as the ‘bright side of the mountain’ representing light, maleness, day, warmth, heaven, activity, sun, dominance, spring, red, orange, yellow, summer etc. Yang energy is creative and generating, it develops and expands; it is aggressive, dynamic and full of movement. The power of Yang energy is what drives creativity. Passion and fire fuel Yang energy.

The Yin/Yang energies within your body and within each organ need to be in balance for your body to function in harmony. If there is an imbalance with your body’s systems, with either too much Yin or too much Yang, you will experience disharmony or dis-ease. To achieve wellness, you need to balance work (yang) and play (yin) and indulgence (yin) and discipline (yang).

Chinese Medicine, ChiYo, shiatsu, feng shui, acupressure and acupuncture all apply these principles of Yin/Yang in restoring well-being.

Now that you under the concept of Yin/Yang, we will look at how this affects you in your every day life.

Everything in your life, whether it be the food you eat, your personality, your job, your activities, the music you listen to, your moods, your emotions, the colors around you, the climate where you live etc can all be defined as either having either mainly Yin or Yang energy. So it’s about balancing these two energies. In a state of good health, Yin/Yang harmoniously support and depend on each.

You can apply the principles of Yin/Yang to your every day life. For example, if you are constantly on the go, have a fast-paced career, participate in competitive sports, have a tendency to want everything yesterday and love to push yourself, all Yang qualities, to achieve internal balance and well-being, you need to include Yin energy i.e. meditation, yoga, ChiYo etc in your life.

If this balance is not achieved, then another factor comes into play and that is that if something is extremely Yin or Yang, then it will become its opposite. For example, excess Yang as the example given above, will eventually become a Yin condition leading to fatigue and exhaustion, forcing your body to achieve stillness and rest through illness.

Below are a few examples of Yin/Yang qualities in your life. These are intended to give an idea of how Yin/Yang features in your life. You will be able to determine which energy (Yin or Yang) is the most prevalent and which energy (the opposite) you need to include to achieve balance and well-being.

Are You Predominantly Yin or Yang?

Yin Personal Characteristics:

Yang Personal Characteristics:

Yin & Yang Actvities

Yin & Yang Careers

Yin & Yang Foods

In summer (Yang) increase your intake of Yin foods and vice versa.

Balance should be your goal if you want to achieve well-being. So listen to your body as it will always tell you what it needs to achieve this balance.

Article by Rosanna Commisso
Rosanna Commisso is the Founder of ChiYo Life. ChiYo is feng shui for your body. It is a gentle holistic practice developed by Rosanna Commisso that combines the healing and regenerative techniques of specific yogic breathing, standing meditation, flowing Chi energy movements with acu-massage to increase internal Chi, balance the yin and yang energies in the body and activate the chakra systems, healing body, mind and spirit. www.chiyolife.com.au