Understanding Yin and Yang Energy
Yin and yang are concepts of energy that come from Daoism. Daoism is a Chinese philosophy and religion based on Dao, which is translated as the Way and the Middle Path. It is the belief of living in balance with the universe through effortless action.
Daoism originated in China over 2000 years ago. By 300 BC, its doctrines are codified in the Tao Te Ching, a primary text of Daoism.
The Guodian Chu Slips. In 1993, an astonishing discovery was made at a tomb in Guodian in Hubei province The earliest version of the "Daode jing" ever unearthed. There were three bundles of bamboo strips (71 strips total).
The Mawangdui Silk Texts. Discovered at an early Han burial site in 1973, in Mawangdui, China. Two versions of the Daode jing by Laozi, dated to around 200 BCE .
I grew up with Chinese Folk Religion, a term that basically means I grew up with a little bit of everything. There was ancestral veneration, praying to celestial Buddhas like Amitofu during important festive days or when I need help, Confucianism concepts of respecting elders, and how my space is organized, the luck that I have, what I eat through Daoism.
In China, there was no doctrine, revelation or mode of conduct that was credited with a monopoly of truth (John Keay, China: A History). Daoism coexisted with other schools of philosophy and world views. In ancient China, Confucians dabbled in Daoist practices. Daoists subscribed to Confucian values. Daoist communities were indebted to Buddhism for how they organized their clergy and institutionalized monasteries. Everyone combined elements of all “three religions” (Daoist, Confucianism, Buddhism).
Yin and Yang: Decolonizing Energy
Chapter 25 of the Tao Te Ching says “there is something that contains everything. Before heaven and earth it is. Oh, it is still, unbodied, all on its own, unchanging, all-pervading, ever-moving. So it can act as the mother of all things. Not knowing its real name, we only call it the Way.”
In the Daoist world view, the Way is the original state of the universe. It is the source and origin of life of all things but it is not a deity of spirit. It is nameless, invisible, boundless, cannot be exhausted, although all things depend on it for existence, a benevolent force.
The one bears two.
The two bear three.
The two and the three is the duality that is born from the one.
They are the yin and yang - the polar energies that exist in everything.
When they come together, it creates ten thousand things, which symbolically means an infinite amount of things. It is how everything is possible. Everything and all things can be divided into aspects of yin and yang.
Yin and yang are the polar energies that exist in everything.
Yin energy is characterized by coldness, rest, responsiveness, shadow, interiority, downwards, inwards, decrease.
Yang energy is characterized by stimulation, heat, movement, activity, vigor, illumination, upward, outward, exterior, increase.
Winter is a yin time because the world is hibernating, slowing down, staying indoors, contracting. This can be a hard time because our capitalist society is a yang-dominant culture so we are pushing at a time, living out of season with nature.
Yin and yang are complementary opposites and the Daoist worldview is that we need both energies. It is not bad or good but a balance of these energies we are looking for.
Yin and yang are labels to describe how things function in relation to each other and to the universe. They explain the process of natural change.
Yin and yang are in a relationship that are based on five principles:
All things have two facets, a yin and yang aspect. In yin, there is yang and in yang, there is yin.
Time is divided into day and night, temperature is hot and cold. The upper half of the body is yang compared to the lower half.
Any yin or yang aspect can be divided into yin and yang.
Cold can be divided into icy cold (yin) or moderately cold (yang)
Yin and yang mutually create each other.
They depend on each other for definition so they cannot be separated from each other.
Yin and yang control each other.
If yin is excessive, yang will be too weak, so if it is too cold, then there is not enough heat. They can control and balance each other out.
Yin and yang transform into each other. This change can be harmonious or disharmonious.
Yin and yang is energy on a spectrum where things are relative to each other, always based on the situation. The focus is on balance rather than constant production and positivity.
Alchemical Daoism: Chi and Traditional Chinese Medicine
There are 5 systems of Daoism. Magic (one of the oldest forms), Divination (the I Ching and this is where divination fits in), Ceremonial (involves significant and daily rituals like marriage or death), Action and Karma (influenced by Buddhism and Confucius thought on how we accumulate merit through proper action), and Internal Alchemy (focused on immortality).
Alchemical Daoism is concerned with cultivating health, longevity, and immortality. Internal Alchemy is the system of Daoism that introduced the idea of chi or internal energy and was responsible for giving Daoism its reputation as an art of health and longevity. Chinese Medicine is also influenced by Alchemical Daoism.
If Dao is like the ocean, chi is like a current.
Chi is the vital life force of the universe. It is the pulse of the universe. It is our energy of becoming and being. Chi includes yin and yang. Animate and inanimate things have chi.
If you are aware of yogic philosophy, you can see the parallel to prana in chi. These are two separate systems of energy with a long lineage of teachers, sages, and masters. The parallel can be helpful but do not think of them as synonyms or consider them part for part.
Did you know that I have a special series on Yin Yoga? You can learn more about Yin Yoga here.
Resources
Eva Wong, Taoism: An Essential Guide
Ted J. Kaptchuk, The Web That Has No Weaver