Yin Yang Energy
We have heard the saying before yin & yang.. but what exactly does yin & yang mean? How can we identify with these terms and apply them to our everyday life. Regardless of your gender, we all have the characteristics of both feminine and masculine, yin & yang.
Yin; feminine, left side of our body, cooler, hidden, less mobile, related to circulation, lower body parts, bones, connective tissue, organs. Yang; masculine, right side of our body, warmer, more pliant, superficial, upper body, skin, tissue, muscles, fasica.
How does this apply to your style of movement? You may be familiar with the term yin restorative yoga and power yoga… below explains the difference of the two styles of movement.
Yin Movement: stationary movement which allows the muscle groups to soften, while exposing the joints to pressure as the skeleton is pulled apart. The longer the body is still the more energy becomes concentrated in the deeper tissue. Yin tissues are naturally less elastic with much less fluid content than yang tissues, do not have the ability to stretch and elongate. Yin tissues need to be pulled and compressed gently in order to maintain their pliancy within their natural ranges of motion, as well as nourish the meridians coursing through them. That practice of yin yoga which is mainly stationary allows many of the muscle groups to soften, while exposing the joints to pressure as the skeleton is pulled apart. Yin tissue need to be pulled and compressed gently in order to maintain their pliancy within their natural ranges of motion. When we stress the tissue in a non aggressive way they grow back stronger and more pliant after each session. Yin yoga enriches the quality of chi by slowing down and surrendering to our experience. This unhurried and unambitious attitude is combined with the ability to feel deeply attentive to our bodies diminishes our stress levels and allows our system to discharge excess tensions that have built up though un aware living as well as trauma frozen in the body locked in our tissues.
As we settle down and drop into mindfulness this discharge from our energy body is naturally calming and balancing, enhancing the overall quality of chi. Developing the mind to become our ally rather than a battle zone is one of the most challenging yet rewarding dimensions of our practice.
Yang-rhythmic movement engaging the muscles (yang), strengthening and lengthening the muscles, improving the health of our organs, bones and circulatory system. In yang practice the focus on muscle engagement movement and the shorter duration of the poses predominately attracts the distribution of energy, circulation and heat.
When we speak about the body itself, the organs and bones nearer the core and therefore could be considered more yin, while the muscles and skin are nearer the surface, making them more yang. Yin organs are those concerned with the pure energy of fundamental substances such as chi, blood, essence and spirit. They transform, regulate and store these primary energies. The yin organs are the kidneys, liver, spleen, heart and lungs. Yang organs are involved with the impure substances such as undigested food, urine and waste. Their job is to receive and digest food, absorbing useful components, while transmitting or excreting waste. The yang organs are the urinary bladder, gallbladder, stomach and small and large intestines.
The five element theory: taoists tradition.
Fire, Water, Wood, Metal, Earth.
Fire: heart and small intestine, energy rising
Water: Kidneys and urinary bladder, energy sinking
Wood: Liver and gallbladder, energy expanding
Metal lungs and large intestine
Earth: spleen and stomach
Written by: Mackenzie P.