Yin & Yang

Yin Yang In This Day & Age

The influence of Chinese Culture especially in the western world in these modern times is quite strong, whether it be anything from western movies, to various courses in TCM, Chinese language or even the martial arts, you cannot deny the impact that China has made on the world.

One part of Chinese culture which is reflected in much of its culture from philosophy to even preparing food is that of Yin & Yang or just Yin Yang as the Chinese prefer to say.

Most people will recognise a certain symbol which they associate with Chinese culture and that symbol is a circle and within that circle there are two major forces/energies (one black and one white) and within in the black force/energy there is a small white circle and vice versa. It is this symbol which aims to show the meaning of Yin and Yang.

For example Yin means negative, dark, cold & weak, where as Yang means positive, bright, hot and strong etc. These forces represent balance and it is believed there must be this balance in order for their to be any harmony, although saying this, each force should contain a little of the opposing force and you will recognise this from the description I gave in the previous paragraph.

When you are unwell, TCM doctors will tell you usually tell you after diagnosis that there is some imbalance with these forces which has led to you being unwell and will usually prescribe the best medicines in order to achieve a good balance of yin and yang.

Taoism which is sometimes referred to as a religion, is seen by the Chinese as a way of life and in Taoism they talk a lot about the interplay of yin & yang.

In Taoism they do not believe in God, but they believe that there is a spirit (a force or energy) which is in every thing and which is all around us. This force cannot always be seen, but it is there. For instance, you cannot see the air that you breathe, but it