Yin and Yang

There is always yin within yang and yang within yin. 

This is a common saying in Chinese medicine. These two forces are opposite in nature but work together. When we describe things that are yin, we are referring to the dark, quiet, feminine, and cooling aspects of nature or the body. Likewise, when describing things that are yang in nature, we think of sunny, loud, masculine, and warming aspects. A classic analogy is that yin is represented by the shady side of the mountain while yang is represented by the sunny side. But even within their respective sides, we see slivers of sun and shade. 

Much of the theory behind Chinese medicine is based around the idea of following the seasons. Our bodies are a reflection of what is occurring in the natural world around us. When we think about yin and yang, perhaps, there is no more obvious example than looking at the seasons. winter is the coldest, darkest, and most yin time of the year while summer is the hottest, brightest, and most active time of year. Spring and fall are both transitional seasons where the forces of yin and yang are waxing and waning. As we approach the cooling yin season of winter, it is appropriate to add more yang into our bodies to help balance what is occurring in nature. Fall and winter are the times to be adding more warm spices, teas, and foods to our diet. It’s the time to trade in the cooling salads and smoothies of summer for the warm soups and stews of winter. In these simple ways, having an awareness of yin and yang can be a transformational force in our lives.

If you’ve been a patient at Balanced Thistle, chances are good that you may have heard us mention strange phrases such as “tonifying the yin” or “warming the yang”, etc. So, how do these forces show up in treatment?

You know we love women’s health around here. We have a deep understanding of the menstrual cycle, the fluctuation of hormones throughout the month, and how those relate to the theories of yin and yang. The first phase of the menstrual cycle, the follicular phase, is dominated by estrogen. Estrogen possesses more “yin-like” qualities. The second phase of the cycle, the luteal phase, is dominated by progesterone which is a “yang-like” hormone. These hormones and their respective properties are most obvious when we analyze a basal body temperature chart. We see that the temperatures are lower in the follicular phase with a sharp rise at ovulation and sustained higher temperatures during the luteal phase until the menses begins. If a woman were to continue charting during early pregnancy, we would see her chart temperatures continue to rise as progesterone levels go up. Warming temps = yang, lower temps = yin. Of course, analyzing these charts is more complex than this, but at a very basic level, we are able to see whether your body needs more nourishment to the yin or yang aspect of the body. When we see a chart where the temperatures begin to fall a week before the menses begins, we know that patient will need more warming in the second half of her cycle. We may choose to use herbs or burn moxa on the patient during this phase. 

Similarly, when a woman is entering menopause, we see a drop in estrogen (along with other hormone levels). As estrogen is the more cooling (yin) force in the body, we often see symptoms of warming: hot flashes, night sweats, etc. When the cooling aspect of the body is lacking, we present with more heat. Luckily, Chinese medicine has some great tools for helping the body to reestablish balance in this major transition in women’s lives. 

Quite often, you’ll hear us talk about warming the digestive fire during our treatments. We’re big on the idea that we need to put warm, often cooked, and nourishing foods into the body to keep the digestive organs fired up and able to transform our food. If we think of our digestive organs as a big cauldron that our food goes into, then we can imagine that we need a big digestive fire to warm that pot, break down and transform the foods. When we eat an abundance of cold or raw foods, it dampens the digestive fire. This makes digesting our food more difficult and can lead to bloating, nausea, gas, phlegm, and more. One of the most simple recommendations that we make to patients is to warm up their diet and even add a cup of ginger tea before a meal, essentially warming the yang! 

Every so often, we see a patient who has too much fire in the digestive organs which may lead us to recommend more cooling (yin) foods to the patient. Most of us do best with a diet predominantly composed of warming cooked foods and the occasional cold/raw food or beverage.

A basic understanding of how yin and yang are represented in our daily lives can provide us with a lot of clarity on how to best care for ourselves. We love diving into this topic during treatments and are happy to give you more ideas for how to best help balance yin and yang as your body changes throughout the seasons - the seasons of life, of the month, and of the year! 

This blog post was written Sara Bates.