musings

• Elodie
• Nov. 17, 2023

“It is all about balance”. A saying that most of us have come across, but which is difficult to grasp or put into action when not questioned. The concept of yin & yang is a fantastic illustration for the principle of balance or equilibrium. The 3,000-year-old notion stems originally from the Chinese philosophy and embodies two interconnected yet opposite, or rather complimentary, life forces that are in a constant, dynamic state of flow where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Dichotomy is seen in some form in all things. Examples are the ebb and flow of the ocean, good and bad days, energetic and tired moods, day and night, health and disease. In detail, the characteristics of yin and yang respectively are described as the following:

-Yin: feminine, negative, moon, earth, cold/cool, passive, dark, wetness, disintegration, receptive, soft, still, contemplative, tiger

-Yang: masculine, positive, sun, warm, active, light, dryness, energetic, expansive, dragon

Whenever a quality reaches its peak, it will naturally begin to transform into the opposite quality, in the same way as rises are followed by falls. For example, trees that are full of lush leaves in summer (fully yang) will be completely naked and leafless in winter (fully yin) in an endless cycle. Humanity would not exist without the biological distinction between, and coexistence of, men and women. The human race would become extinct if men and women could not mutually create and interact. Yin and yang are based on three interrelated principles: change, contradiction and holism. All is connected in harmony, ever evolving and nothing exists in isolation.

The Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is also founded on and guided by the principle of yin and yang, where one’s health is directly connected to the (im)balance of those two life forces. Practically, the organs are divided into active and passive functions. The heart, the liver and the lung are examples of Yin, whereas the stomach, the colon and the bladder are examples of Yang. In this way, the efforts in TCM lie within attempt to balance the functions of the organs in the best way. Balance leads to a state of harmony and health, while imbalance indicates illness. Acupuncture for instance is believed to cure diseases by re-establishing the energy balance in organs when it goes awry.

Mental health is also a process of balancing yin and yang, positive and negative forces in life. The Eastern philosophy teaches us to embrace both the good and bad in life, which can be seen as an excellent coping mechanism. One cannot exist without the other. In the West, we tend to erase or avoid the bad, to remain only with the positive. However, this attitude creates an imbalance, which results in ill-health. The harmony of acceptance (yin) and action (yang) is therefore crucial in mental health. It involves recognizing that there are things that cannot be changed. Railing against the things we cannot change can contribute to feelings of anger, anxiety, fear, or sadness.

Tools to reach this state of balance in mental health are for instance weighing ones wants and needs, being able to compromise, trust and forgive. The feeling of interconnectedness and empathy, which parallels the individual with others (“give and take”) needs to be apparent. In this way, balance may be the key to sustainable wellbeing.

Photo by Jacob Vizek on Unsplash