Yin and Yang

The idea of harmony and balance are the basis of Yin and Yang. The belief that the opposing, but complementary forces of yin and yang govern each person is central to all Chinese thought because it is believed to affect everything in the universe, including us.

Traditionally, yin is dark, passive, feminine, cold and negative; yang is light, active, male, warm and positive. Modem therapists would simply say that there are two sides to everything - happy and sad, tired and energetic, cold and hot.

Yin and yang are the opposites that make the whole, they cannot exist without each other and nothing is ever completely one or the other; there are varying degrees of each within everything and everybody. The Tai chi symbol illustrates how they flow into each other with a little yin always within yang and a little yang always within yin. The same happens within the body after exercise (yang) the body wants to rest (yin), after a fever breaks (yang), you get chills (yin) and within the head (yang) the mind is yin.

The body, mind and emotions are all subjects to the influences of yin and yang. When the two opposing forces are in balance, we feel good, but if one force dominates the other, it brings about, an imbalance that can result in ill health.

Yin and yang are also part of the eight principles of traditional Chinese medicine. The other six are - cold and hot, internal and external, deficiency and excess. These principles allow the practitioner to use yin and yang more precisely in order to bring more detail into his diagnosis.

The Five Elements

The yin and yang philosophy was further refined into the system of the five elements to gain a deeper understanding of how the body, mind and spirit work. The five elements have numerous associations. Among other things, each one is related to a season, an organ, a taste, a color, a smell, an emotion, a body part and even a grain.

The system is a complex one, based on the belief that life is an ever-changing process. It is probably most simply explained in terms of seasonal change and the smooth cyclic process of nature. The five elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and water relate to the seasons in the following way: wood to spring, fire to summer, earth to late summer, metal to autumn, and water to winter.

Each element then flows into the next in the same way that one season, slowly gives way to another. In the same way a seed planted in spring, blooms in summer, seeds itself in late summer to autumn, dies in winter, and a new seed grows again in spring. It is part of a never-ending cycle and each phase has its role to play in maintaining the balance of nature.

The same process of change occurs within the body. Cells grow and die to make way for new cells, and body systems depend upon each other in a similar way to the seasons, working together to ensure the balanced functioning of the body, mind and spirit and the healthy flow of life through the whole person.

Within the person, the five phases relate to organs and the emotions associated with those organs. For example, summer is connected to the fire element, which contains the heart, the small intestines, the heart protector (pericardium) and the three heater (the body's physical and emotional thermostat). The heart protector is often associated with physical heart problems such as palpitation or angina, while the heart itself is related to a more spiritual, mental and emotional concerns.

Most importantly, the heart is the home of Shen. Shen is the spirit, the driving force of the mind and the personality, and ruler of all organs. It is forever changing and developing and is as vital to the mind and emotions as the heart is to the body.

Each one of us possesses all five elements. When we are functioning well, all elements are in balance. III health arises from a weakness or excess of one of the elements, which throws the rest of the body out of balance. The imbalance is demonstrated by a specific color, tone of voice, smell, taste, season, inappropriate emotional behaviour and ultimately physical illness.

The thrust of five-element diagnosis is to isolate and treat the imbalanced element, because an imbalanced element is like a weak link in your energetic chain that can undermine the strength of your body, mind and spirit.

The Qualities of the Five Elements

The 'Chi' Concept

Inner harmony relies on a healthy, balanced and unobstructed flow of Chi. Chi could be described as the vital energy or life force, which drives every cell of the body. It supports, nourishes and defends the whole person against mental, physical and emotional disease. It is an invisible, intangible flow of energy, which modem researchers have described in terms of electromagnetic energy. Chi flows around the body in invisible channels known as meridians. There are twelve main meridians, six of which are yin and six are yang and numerous minor ones, which form a network of energy channels throughout the body.

Each meridian is related to, and named after an organ or function, the main ones are - the lung, kidney, gall bladder, stomach, spleen, heart, small intestine, large intestine, urinary bladder, sanjiao (three heater) and pericardium (heart protector).

When Chi flows freely through the meridians, the body is balanced and healthy, but if the energy becomes blocked, stagnated or weakened, it can result in physical, mental or emotional ill health.

An imbalance in a person's body can result from inappropriate emotional responses such as excess anger, over-excitement, self pity, deep grief and fear.

Other factors, which are what the Chinese call the 'pernicious external influences', are cold, damp/humidity, wind, dryness, and heat. Anyone or more of the internal and external factors can upset the balance of Chi by making it too hot, too cold, excessive, deficient, too fast, stagnant or causing it to become blocked. Other causes are wrong diet, too much sex, overwork, and too much exercise.

It is this imbalance of Chi that has to be restored to bring health to a person. This restoration can be done through various methods like acupuncture, massage, acupressure etc. If the Chi is too cold, it needs to be warmed and if it is blocked it has to be unblocked, if it is too weak, it has to be strengthened. Once balanced, physical, mental and emotional good health is restored.