Yin and Yang
In a world that is divided by comparisons …. we have the dance of Yin and Yang. At the heart of Traditional Chinese Medicine is founded on the idea of yin and yang. Two complementary and opposing forces which sustain the natural rhythm of life. Yin and Yang move together to shape everything from seasons to the human body.
Yin Yang Principles
The human body is no exception to the Yin–Yang rule. According to TCM, health and wellness arise when Yin and Yang are in balance, while illness or disease occur when one becomes excessive or deficient.
When we live in harmony with this balance, energy flows freely. When the balance is disturbed, stagnation or depletion occurs — the roots of imbalance and disease.
Yang Characteristics: Birth, light, daytime, warmth, exterior, superior, posterior, movement, heaven, energy, and excess
Yin Characteristics: Death, darkness, night, coolness, interior, inferior, anterior, stillness, death, blood/fluid, and deficiency
Together, yin and yang make a whole. One cannot exist without the other.
The Five Yin and Yang Relationships
There are five major relationships between these two energies. 1. Opposition 2. Inter-Dependence 3. Mutual Consuming 4. Intertransformation 5. Infinite Divisibility. Let’s break these down.
Opposition: Yin and Yang oppose one another to create balance
Example : Night (yin) is in opposition to Day (yang)
Inter-Dependendence: Yin and Yang cannot exist without the other.
Example: Without the Structure of the human body (yin) the function of the human body (yang) is meaningless.
Mutual Consuming: Yin and Yang Consume and Support One Another
Example: Fire (yang) consumes fluid (yin).
Intertransformation: Yin and Yang transform into one another.
Example: Day becomes night.
Infinite Divisibility: Within any entity, further layers of yin and yang can be found
Example: Take earth compared to the sun. Earth is yin in comparison to the sun but the oceans are yin compared to the yang of the land. This can continue indefinitely
Yin and Yang in Daily Life and Health
Working out at the gym requires yang energy - Movement, exertion, and activation. Yang type work outs include running or sprinting, HIIT, lifting weights, and competitive sports. These work outs are stimulating, they both build and burn yang in the body.
However, if we engage in too much Yang activity without adequate rest, we begin to fatigue both Yin and Yang. The body becomes depleted — a classic example of imbalance.
Yin- type work outs include yoga, gentle walking, tai chi or qi gong, and breathwork. These restorative practices allow for stillness and recovery, rebuilding the Yin and Yang energies that have been used up through more intense activity.
Exercise Science and Yin and Yang
Modern exercise science reflects this ancient principle of balance. Weightlifting is a perfect example — both during and after a workout.
Let’s look at a typical day of weight lifting for muscle hypertrophy. A gym-goer competes 8 squats (a yang movement). How much time should they take before their next set of squats?
Research shows that 3-5 minutes of rest between sets helps to build muscle mass quicker than a shorter rest time. Why is this? The rest time (Yin) allows the body to
Restore ATP supply to the muscles
Improve overall training volume, and
Improve neural recovery - Restoring both Yin and Yang
This recovery enables the lifter to perform the next set with full strength and continue building muscle efficiently.
But recovery doesn’t end in the gym. After training, the body still needs time to rest, rebuild, and nourish itself through proper sleep and nutrition — the essence of Yin. Some individuals find that they recover best when they include a balance of Yin and Yang workouts throughout their week.
Finding Dynamic Balance
Yin and Yang remind us of the importance of dynamic balance. Health, strength, and longevity come from honoring both activity and rest, light and dark, effort and surrender.
In both Traditional Chinese Medicine and modern fitness, one truth remains: health is found in balance and moderation.
PMID: 19691365
