What is Yin and Yang?

You’re probably familiar with the shapes of Yin and Yang: intertwined, representing the dark and light sides of nature. But these symbols carry a much deeper and more significant meaning, and they’re a significant part of finding balance through acupuncture.

Yin and Yang are the Taoist concepts of the opposites that make up transformations we see throughout nature. The traditional Yin and Yang symbol, the Monad, shows Yin as the dark side and Yang as the light side. Within each is a small circle, representing the small amount of Yin that is always present in Yang and vice versa. 

An example of Yin and Yang in nature can be found in a sunny hill, which is very Yang. Within that hill, there is always a little bit of shade, which is Yin. Cold, darkness and form are considered Yin, while heat, light and activity are Yang. 

As an acupuncturist, I work to balance the relative amounts of Yin and Yang in my patients. To do so, I look for certain diagnostic clues that point toward an excess of either. For example, a patient with a quiet voice who speaks little, has a pale face, feels cold, loves warmth and has a slow pulse has an overabundance of Yin. But a patient with a loud voice who talks a lot, has a red face, feels heat sensations, likes cold and has a rapid pulse has an excess of Yang. 

In the case of the patient with too much Yin, I boost that person’s Yang as a counterbalance. For the Yang patient, I clear excess heat and nourish the Yin. Because true health is achieved through balance.

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