Balance of Yin and Yang are essential for experiencing lifetime health, according to Classical Chinese Medicine. But what does this really mean? We are all familiar with the basic symbol of Yin and Yang and that it represents opposites, but this is only a summary and tip-of-the-iceberg explanation for a deep and all-encompassing concept. Yin and Yang balance is a timeless idea, still relevant today as it was a thousand years ago. Yin is like the moon. It represents coolness, nurturing, slowness, and physicality or mass. Yang is like the sun. It represents heat, transformation, quickness, and energy or chi. There are many more suitable representations, but this is a quick overview. They both exist in the human body, from every cell to every organ. Comparing yin and yang with the traditional five elements, it is easy to see that Yin is the most like water, and Yang is the most like fire. 

The organ groupings clearly illustrate Yin and Yang. Yin organs are called Zang. They are relatively solid, and food does not pass through them. They are the: Kidneys, Liver, Heart, Spleen, and Lungs. The Yang organs are called Fu. They are relatively hollow and food and liquids actively pass through them or they directly influence the digestive process. These are the Bladder, Gallbladder, Small Intestine, Stomach, and Large Intestine. An imbalance at the organ level often impacts function at the meridian level. This means, if you have even a small imbalance INSIDE the body, it shows based on what is going on, on the OUTSIDE of the body. For example, Excess Heat of the Liver can show as tenderness and redness of the big toe, the beginning of the liver meridian. 

A person with balanced Yin and Yang has these qualities: They are usually energetic and have enough energy to complete the things they want to do. They find it easy to fall asleep, they mostly sleep all night, and wake up easily in the morning. They feel hungry only when meal times are approaching and no not feel overly warm or cold in an average-temperature environment (around 75 degrees F) throughout the day. They have a glow to their skin and a spark in their eyes. May we all strive for such wellness!

A person with an imbalance of Yin and Yang could have an excess of yang, a deficiency of yang, an excess of yin (though this one only occurs in very specific and usually long-term conditions), or a deficiency of yin. It is necessary to see a professional Acupuncturist to receive identification of the imbalance pattern. A Classical Chinese Medicine evaluation has three parts: Interview where symptoms are discussed, Tonge-diagnosis where the appearance of the tongue is looked at, and Pulse-diagnosis where the different pulses on each arm are analyzed. It is important to remember, in complex cases where multiple conditions are happening at the same time, that person would have a combination of patterns revealed in their evaluation. It is common for a person to have more than one “imbalance”, but thankfully, the path to addressing it is often simple. 

Classical Medicine is ancient medicine. To understand a path of healing such as they had, we have to think “anciently”. Tradition approaches very complex ideas with simple terms. Let’s try it! What would be a most “Yin” landscape? I picture a huge, snowy mountain in Winter. It has mass, therefore massive, it’s cold representing coolness, it is covered in snow which is made of water, and it is Winter when life hibernates or seems to move slowly. What would be a more “Yang” landscape to compare it to? Imagine the desert in Spring or Summer, it is hot, dry, and sparse. The wind traverses the flat land quickly. A temperate landscape in a temperate season, would have a combination of Yin and Yang factors. When you see it, it can be noticed everywhere. 

Qi Gong and Tai Chi are two traditional arts that involve exercise and focus on achieving Yin-Yang balance. Balancing yin and yang is one of the most basic and all-pervasive concepts in Acupuncture. The balance can be achieved through many means including acupuncture treatment, exercise, proper sleeping habits, nutrition, and herbal therapies. The balance naturally exists in the universe, and also within us. May we all find it and keep it, in our hearts and in our physical wellness.