Everything in the world can be described as either yin or yang. Cool/Heat, Night/Day, Earth/Sky, Feminine/Masculine
You could say that yin and yang are principles. Yang, whose Chinese character means “the sunny side of the hill, “is the principle of activity, and yin means “the shady side” and represents the principle of reflection.
Yin is Feminine, passive and the moon. Yang is Masculine, positive and activity. Yin is the left side of our body which represents our feminine and Yang is the right side of our body which represents our Masculine.
To stay in balance we need to understand what balance means to our body. Everyone is different, everyone is built uniquely. If I see someone who has broken their right leg, it can indicate that they are not balanced on their Masculine side. For a long time I always had problems with my left side. If I had any ailments or health issues, it was always on my left side which is my feminine, which can indicate I was not nurturing myself enough and connecting to my feminine energy; when I balanced this in my life, I had less issues on my left side.
Practising Reiki and Counselling, I have learnt that when our Yin/Yang energy is out of balance it is reflected in health issues either on the left or right side of our body and once we diagnose what we a lacking in, we can often re-balance our energy and heal.
Disease is prevented by living a balanced lifestyle, like the examples below.
- Excessive work Yang/Masculine without rest leads to deficiency of Yin/Female energy.
- Excessive consumption of cold food (Yin/Female) leads to deficiency of body’s Yang/Male energy.
- Smoking (adding heat ‘Yang’ into Lungs) leads to deficiency of Yin of Lungs (and eventually Kidneys).
So how do we balance Yin and Yang energy? By practising balance in every area of our life. Knowing when to slow down or increase our energy, knowing when to stop and listen. In order to listen to our body and know it’s needs, we need to practice stillness and connect to our inner voice and become aware of how our body feels.
There is so much to learn about our body and how it can work effectively and yet, the simple balance of nurturing and activity alone, can help us understand to take care and respect the precious gift of health.
LIVING IN THIS MOMENT 
Karen, this is really helpful! … I’m no expert, but I wonder if the first sentence should read “everything in this world comprises of yin and yang elements.” Rather than either or. My understanding is that within the whole are both elements.
Val x
Yes I agree Val thankyou, within the whole, it can be “described” as ying and yang rather than these being separate to one another and when one is out of balance the whole is.
Karen
Very interesting Karen. I just thought about it and most of my ailments have been on the right side…
Diana xo
Thanks Diana, I find it really interesting and so that could indicate you need to step more into your masculine side in life, making decisions and approaching life more balanced in your masculine. Are you predominately more feminine in your approach?
Karen (no pressure to answer ha) x
It is quite possible, more recently, that I’m not making decisions Karen – interesting!
Diana xo
Well just becoming aware of how we are working in life is good and allows us to connect again and become conscious of perhaps doing things differently. Thankyou for sharing Diana.
Karen I think it all begins in the mind and ripples out to the body. If we do not have a strong will, then we will not do what is necessary to stay healthy. That is part of being human and playing this challenging balancing act all our lives is hard sometimes.
It is, when we ignore the signs and pretend we do not need to address our emotional or physical issues they will manifest somewhere else. I agree, It is all a balancing act.
Thankyou.
I do agree that we need to balance all of these opposites in our life for correct balance and good health. I am not sure I agree that when out-of-balance it comes out on a particular side for me, but it does come out, one way or another, until I find my balance again.
Yes Elizabeth it is different for everyone, its just over the years I have seen a pattern in myself and clients and so I find it really interesting understanding this theory! Thankyou.
Karen