Yin And Yang: The Balance Of Life

‘Yin’ and ‘Yang’ are words that imply balance. The essence of balance, however critical to the mental and physical wellbeing in life, still remains underestimated – we need to give a serious thought to it. You will realise that everything in life consists of Yin and Yang. Initially used to understand and interpret natural phenomena, it comprises two inter-connected opposites – Yin signifies the feminine, flowing, night (dark), satiety, relaxation, rest, the Moon and more. Yang is the opposite, signifying the masculine, rigid, morning, (light), hunger, agile, strength, activity, the Sun and more.

Let’s understand this concept from the context of wellness, starting with the balance within our body. The right side of our body is considered Yang and the left, Yin. The front of the body is Yang and the back is Yin. Hollow organs like small intestine, large intestine, stomach, gall bladder, urinary bladder, are Yang organs. Solid organs like lungs, heart, spleen, liver and kidneys are Yin organs. Amazing isn’t it? Even foods are categorised into Yin and Yang, each impacting the body differently. But let’s keep that topic for another day and focus on this one….

Daily we strive to achieve balance in all we do, so we can live in harmony and balance. We balance our relationships with parents, friends, partners and spouses in the personal domain. At work, we try to maintain balance with our colleagues, co-workers and bosses. We strive for a healthy work-life balance. We are constantly trying to balance our energy and time, within and without, and depending on where the scales tip, we too dip in that direction.

Illness signifies a Yin-Yang imbalance in our body. With remedial measures, the balance can be eventually brought back, leading to good health once again. Excess Yin could make you weak… to the point of being timid, over compassionate or letting people walk over you, treating you like a doormat. Excess Yang on the other hand will make you very aggressive, dominating, forceful and ruthless, inconsiderate of others’ pain. A balance of both will make you rational, empathic and someone with your head on your shoulders, with temper in check.

When we fight, have an argument it, becomes difficult to deal with or feel wronged, we lose balance in our life. People live for years in this state of imbalance. We become habituated to this state of discomfort. This invites emotional, psychological and physical problems into our life. How can we improve the balance in our life? Here’s a start…

  • Understand that everything, every issue, every aspect has two sides. Try to be in a position where you choose to see both sides before making choices, rather than going on blindly.
  • Decide how you wish to live. If a sense of balance is important to you, then consciously work towards it.
  • Do not get taken up or swayed by one range of emotions. It is essential to be strong sometimes, but it is also necessary to give in.
  • Accept what is going right in your life at this point in time, and what needs working on. Don’t make excuses and focus on where your life-scale is tipping, and then work on the change that will improve in your life. Sometimes you may have to be firm to make positive changes in your life. So be it.

Here are a few physical techniques that can bring in a more balanced life for you:

  1. If you are right-handed, then consciously employ your left hand to do a few things.
  2. If your job involves sitting for hours, consciously stand and do things too.
  3. If you’re used to hot and spicy food, a conscious changeover to bland food for a bit will help greatly.
  4. If you are talkative in general, consciously practice silence.

The more sensitive we are to how our bodies function, the more balance we can achieve in our lives, and also extend this sensitivity to people around us and be in harmonious situations, inside and out.

A Strong Affirmation to further complement your efforts towards balancing your Yin and Yang:“I am balanced in all aspects of my life and continue to remain in universal harmony.”

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