How to Make the Most of Yin/Yang Energy in Your Life

>and well-being.
You may be asking what does Yin/Yang have toAre You Predominantly Yin or Yang? Yin Personal
do with my life and well-being?Characteristics Yang Personal Characteristics
Everything in your life consists of both Yin/YangCooler body
energy. When these two energies are in harmony,More reserved personality
health and well-being results. An imbalance causesMoist skin
dis-ease.Introverted
In essence, Yin/Yang are relative terms used toPassive
describe everything in your life. Everything aroundFeminine
you and in you, has these energies. Nothing isNegative
purely Yin or Yang but contains both energies inSerene
varying amounts. You cannot have one withoutUnclear, dreamy
the other. Neither one is better, with both beingTimid
needed for balance and well-being.Fearful, insecure
The basic idea of Yin/Yang is that the onlySoft voice
constant in your world is continual change. In otherTardy
words, nothing remains the same; no disease, noIntuitive
condition, no emotion, absolutely everything isSlow
continually changing. In the same way, Yin/YangComplacent
are in a constant state of change, complementingWeak body
and opposing each other.Pale complexion Warmer body
Yin literally means the ‘dark side of theOutgoing personality
mountain’ representing: darkness, night,Dry skin
coldness, stillness, winter, autumn, earth, moisture,Extravert
passivity, femaleness, black, blue, silver, moon,Active
water etc. Yin energy maintains and endures, it isMasculine
nourishing and supports growth and development.Positive
Reflection and stillness create Yin energy.Focused
Yang on the other-hand is translated as theHyperactive mentality
‘bright side of the mountain’Aggressive
representing light, maleness, day, warmth, heaven,Angry, impatient
activity, sun, dominance, spring, red, orange,Loud voice
yellow, summer etc. Yang energy is creative andUrgent
generating, it develops and expands; it isLogical
aggressive, dynamic and full of movement. TheQuick
power of Yang energy is what drives creativity.Desire filled
Passion and fire fuel Yang energy.Tense body
The Yin/Yang energies within your body andRed complexion
within each organ need to be in balance for yourYin & Yang Actvities Yin Activities Yang Activities
body to function in harmony. If there is anRelaxing
imbalance with your body’s systems, withCalming
either too much Yin or too much Yang, you willIntellectual
experience disharmony or dis-ease. To achievePassive
wellness, you need to balance work (yang) andSocial
play (yin) and indulgence (yin) and discipline (yang).Trivial
Chinese Medicine, ChiYo, shiatsu, feng shui,Gentle
acupressure and acupuncture all apply theseSelf-indulgent Generate heat
principles of Yin/Yang in restoring well-being.Competitive
Now that you under the concept of Yin/Yang, weMake you sweat
will look at how this affects you everyday.Are physical
Everything in your life, whether it be the food youAggressive
eat, your personality, your job, your activities, theFast
music you listen to, your moods, your emotions,Involve accuracy
the colours around you, the climate where youIntense
live etc can all be defined as either having eitherYin & Yang Careers Yin Jobs Yang Jobs
mainly Yin or Yang energy. So it’s aboutCreativity
balancing these two energies. In a state of goodConcepts
health, Yin/Yang harmoniously support and dependIdeas
on each.Little or no responsibility
You can apply the principles of Yin/Yang to yourSedentary Responsibility
everyday life. For example, if you are constantlyLeadership
on the go, have a fast-paced career, participate inAttention to detail
competitive sports, have a tendency to wantDeadlines
everything yesterday and love to push yourself,Physically demanding
all Yang qualities, to achieve internal balance andYin & Yang Foods
well-being, you need to include Yin energy egIn summer (Yang) increase your intake of Yin
meditation, yoga, ChiYo etc in your life.foods and vice versa. Yin Foods Yang Foods Cold
If this balance is not achieved, then anotherfoods
factor comes into play and that is that ifSweet or spicy taste
something is extremely Yin or Yang, then it willSoft creamy texture
become its opposite. For example, excess YangVery short cooking time
as the example given above, will eventuallyVegetable quality Hot or warm foods
become a Yin condition leading to fatigue andSalty or savoury taste
exhaustion, forcing your body to achieve stillnessDry texture
and rest through illness.Foods that take time to cook
Below are a few examples of Yin/Yang qualities inAnimal foods
your life. These are intended to give an idea ofBalance should be your goal if you want to
how Yin/Yang features in your life. You will beachieve well-being. So listen to your body as it will
able to determine which energy (Yin or Yang) isalways tell you what it needs to achieve this
the most prevalent and which energy (thebalance.
opposite) you need to include to achieve balance