Yin and Yang – The Beautiful Depths of Life

Yin and yang - I’m sure you have heard of them or at least seen the symbol before. The theory of yin and yang is the most fundamental concept of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

However, did you know that nothing is ever all yin or all yang? But rather a balance between the two forces. For example, when day changes into night, we can see an example of yang (light of day) turning into yin (dark of night). The same goes for when Winter turns into Spring – it is considering changing from yin to yang. These forces are opposite and yet they are also complementary, sharing an interdependent relationship. Without yin, there would be no yang. And without yang, no yin.

Yang is generally associated with items or concepts that are bright, warm, and in motion. Yin is generally associated with those that are dark, still and cold. In life, any given frame of reference can be divided into opposite factors, like a yin side and a yang side.

As a person, do you feel you are on the yin side or the yang side?

I used to wish I could only live in the yang side of life. In my youth, I was afraid of darkness – often seeing ghost-like shadows in the dark that frightened me. But then I learned that we can choose not to see the shadows. Even now, I still sometimes get scared walking in the woods during the day. Unfriendly shades are everywhere, and some of them could be entities.

The other day, I had a similar experience in the daytime woods, but this time I managed to quickly attune myself (balancing my energy) and looked out again at the same scenery. Guess what happened? Through attuning, I suddenly realized that the shadows were there to give the light depth. Like the yin and yang theory, light and shade were coexisting together in the woods. And together they create the beautiful scenery we get to enjoy in nature.

If you look at the negative side of self with shame or as a defect, your life will become scary to live. You will feel fear all the time just like I was when I was walking in the woods. But when you learn to accept your negative side and those yin aspects in life which are part of being human, life becomes beautiful.

This yin gives depth to our life, just like adding shade to a painting makes it more realistic and alive. So now I will ask you,

How will you paint your life?