This month I’m explaining how to apply the ancient concept of Yin and Yang to your modern lifestyle as a way of helping you find balance, offsetting periods of stress and consequently protecting your health.
This is a bit embarrassing but for most of my life I thought the Yin and Yang symbol was something to do with being a hippy. I’d mostly see the contrasting nestled tears atop tiny silver trinket boxes in shops selling buddhas or on the backs of ageing Hawkwind fans. When I started studying Chinese Medicine, Yin and Yang theory was one of the first things I was taught; it’s a fundamental concept underpinning the acupuncture treatments you’ll receive from a TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) practitioner. Very simply – good health depends on a balance between Yin and Yang.
You can apply the concept of Yin and Yang to anything; they are opposites, like the black and white symbol that depicts them, yet never 100% black or 100% white. Yin and Yang are interrelated with a bit of one in the other hence the spots of black and white in the famous representation. The balance is constantly changing because just like life, nothing stays the same and too much of one can deplete the other and vice versa.
Confused?
Read on or click here for a more detailed explanation.
In the context of modern living, Yang activities exert more mental or physical energy compared to Yin ones that are nourishing and help build your energy. Vigorous exercise, running, spinning and HiiT classes are super-Yang compared to tai chi or slow, stretchy yoga classes – it’s no surprise these are often advertised as Yin Yoga classes.
Working a stressful job that leaches into your free time is a depleting force and over time it will leave you spent. Conversely rest, sleep and acupuncture are restorative, as are many ways you prefer to feed your soul, still your busy mind and rehabilitate your physical body – meditating, walking in nature, reading, creating, playing an instrument, listening to music, prayer, preparing beautiful food with love … you get the drift.
It's all about finding a balance between that which depletes you and that which nourishes you. Choosing everything from the depleting menu will do exactly what it says on the tin if you do it repeatedly. Choosing everything from the restorative menu is rarely the solution either. Not enough movement, sleeping too long, sitting on the couch watching TV all day, no social contact and poor mental stimulation can be damaging too – you need to move your Qi to stay healthy!
Just like your acupuncture point prescription, what works for you in terms of finding the right mix of Yin and Yang activities might not work for someone else; walking six miles might energise you but could wipe someone else out for days. Considering the constantly shifting forces of life, this combination might not even work for you at a different point in time; if a family member becomes unwell and needs your help, what gives? This makes balance an elusive and challenging state to find and maintain but one worth persevering with.
How to take action
Start thinking about how spend your time in a typical week, write a list and ask yourself, does this nourish me or drain me? If one list is way longer than the other then it might be time for a rejig, especially if you are starting to feel out of sorts. If you don’t know where to begin, feel stuck or don’t have the energy to change, book in for a treatment and we’ll work together to get you there.