One of the key concepts of traditional acupuncture theory is of the
balance of yin and yang in the body. Yin and yang seems like one of
those strange esoteric expressions not out of place in a 1970's
cheese-ball Chinese kung fu movie. But it is at its very heart a very
simple expression of the balance of energy in the universe and within
ourselves. An understanding of which can deepen the Chinese medicine
practitioner's understanding of disharmony in the body.
We are
probably familiar with the yin yang symbol. The classical yin yang
diagram is of a circle made up of black and white with two dots within
each part. The symbol is found on the South Korean flag and occasionally
turns up tattooed on someone's arm and sometimes their butt. The black
represents yin. The white represents yang. Within yin, there is an
element of yang and within yang there is an element of yin. Yin and yang
may be described as complementary opposites that comprise everything in
the universe and the human body.
Yang is attributed with the
qualities of expansion, light, heat, fire, growth, activity, the sun,
the outer, the male, the sky or heavens. Yin is attributed with
qualities of darkness, cold, water, rest, rejuvenation, the moon, the
inner, the female, the earth. Yin and yang are present in everything and
are relative to each other. Within yin, there are elements of yang and
within yang there is yin. For example, the daytime is considered yang
and yet different times of the day may be considered to be more yin then
yang. The afternoon when the sun is at its brightest is said to be most
yang, but the evening just before dusk as it starts to become darker
can be said to be the most yin within the yang.
Yin and yang are
not meant to be concrete qualities or polar opposites. They are simple
human expressions to describe a universe that is in constant fluidic
motion. A primitive yet elegant expression.
In relation to the
human body, the concept of yin and yang can be applied to the parts of
the human body. Generally, the normal functioning body is divided
between yin and yang area. For example, the skin is considered yang
compared to the deeper internal organs, which are yin. The upper body is
considered yang as it is close to the heavens and the lower body is yin
as it is closer to the earth. The blood and body fluids is considered
yin as it is thick and full of precious substances, whereas the oxygen
and breath is yang. The front is considered yin and the back is yang for
if you consider that man evolved to walk in an upright state, the back
would have been exposed to the sun in prehistoric man, who may have
walked hunched over in a manner closer to walking on all fours. The
internal organs are also divided into yin and yang. The organs which are
classed as holding vessels (the stomach, large and small intestines,
bladder and gallbladder) are considered yang. The organs which hold the
precious substances and bodily fluids like the kidney, heart and liver
are considered yin. The lungs are also classed as yin although they are
the most yang of the yin organs.
Along with this is the meridian
system. The meridians are often described as a network of energy
pathways which traverse the entire body from the tips of the fingers and
the toes through the torso and to the head. It is a diverse serious of
connecting channels like the motorway of a country. For the sake of
simplifying and learning the pathways, the meridians are
compartmentalised and divided into 12 main pathways. These pathways are
named after the particular internal organ they pass through and have a
strong influence over. There are also an 8 extra or 'special' meridians
pathways. Along these meridian pathways are the acupuncture points which
when needled or heated with herbs can affect the energy flow of that
meridian.
The meridians are also divided into yin and yang. The
meridians that pass through the 'yin' organs - the heart, kidney,
spleen, lungs and liver are classed as yin meridians. Meridians that
pass through the yang organs - stomach, intestines, gallbladder and
bladder are classed as yang organs. On observation, the yang meridians
tend to be on yang areas of the body such as the back and on the outer
part of the limbs, whereas the yin meridians are on yin areas of the
body such as the front and inner part of the limbs although there are a
few exceptions to the rule. All of the yang meridians meet in the head
which is the most yang area of the body.
When it comes to sickness
in the body, what the acupuncturist will often discover will be various
imbalances of yin and yang in the body. Distortions may well occur to a
lesser or major degree which are severe enough to manifest symptoms.
One way to understand the problem is to look at the balance of yin and
yang in the body.
Yin and yang can become imbalanced in various
ways. For example, yang energy has a tendency to rise in the body. In
some cases there may be too much yang in the upper part and not enough
below. This can manifest itself as recurrent headaches or chronically
stiff shoulders where the energy gets stuck above. At the same time, a
person may suffer from cold hands and feet or a weakness in the limbs.
Over
thinking and worry, pensiveness or anger causes energy to go upwards
and can also lead to disturbed sleep and nightmares. Insomnia is another
example of too much energy above. A person finds that they just cannot
fall asleep - their minds are too active and they think excessively. At
worst, a person starts to worry that if they can't sleep they won't be
productive the next day, which becomes almost a vicious circle because
as you think more and more, it becomes difficult to sleep. In this
situation, it is almost impossible to think yourself to sleep, because
what needs to be done is to bring the energy back into the body and away
from the head and there are various exercises you can try to do this.
In
some people, the lower energy centres are weak because all the yang
energy is directed away from them which can show itself up as dull low
back pain, poor digestive function or excessive urination. Painful
swollen joints as in rheumatoid arthritis or various inflammatory
conditions like colitis, hepatitis or ulcers also indicate an excess of
yang energy in the sick part of the body. Fire is yang. However, in
people with these conditions, there may well be another part of the body
or organ system which is too yin or deficient and which may need to be
addressed in order to rebalance the yin yang energy.
There is an
old expression in traditional oriental medicine. To be healthy we should
have fire below, water above and a cool head. The lower abdomen, at an
area two finger breaths below the bellybutton corresponds to our lower
energy field, which is called the dantian. This is the main power centre
of the body and in a healthy person, it should be warm. The water above
refers to the heart energy centre where the heart chakra is and means
that it should be calm and not agitated by fire (such as excessive
desires or worries). A cool head means we should have a calm head
without too much brain activity or thoughts. A traditional Chinese
exercise is to meditate on the lower dantian area. Because where the
mind goes, the energy flows. If our mind is focused heavily in our
brains, the energy flows upwards, but if our minds are focused in our
lower belly, the energy flows there and helps keep our energies centred.
Another
aspect is the yin and yang conditions of the meridians. Typically, if
energy is excessive in one meridian, there will be a weakness in another
meridian or another part of the same meridian. The trained
acupuncturist can assess if this is the case simply by palpating the
meridians. In the case of stiff shoulders, the meridians in the upper
part of the body will be excessively yang. They will be hard and painful
to the touch. However, if he feels the meridians on the lower part of
the body, they may feel quite weak and also painful but in a dull kind
of way. As the acupuncture points lay on these meridians, the
acupuncturist can correct the imbalance by needling the most reactive
points and realign the energy flow so it releases from the shoulders and
flows back to where it is weak. These are just simple examples, but the
concept holds true for many types of conditions. It is up to the
practitioner to assess and treat accordingly. In this way, no two cases
of people with the same condition will manifest the disease exactly the
same.
There are various ways we can help ourselves if we feel we
have an imbalance of yin and yang. Firstly, we need to be aware of our
lifestyle and its possible influence on our health. If we are office
workers and spend a huge amount of time sitting and using the eyes and
brain looking at a computer screen, it is obvious that the yang energy
is stuck in our head for 8 hours a day and our muscles are deprived of a
fresh flow of blood and yin energy because we hold them 'unnaturally'
in a sitting posture. The antidote to this is that when we finish work,
we should divert the energy back into the body by walking home or going
swimming or to a gym, yoga or tai chi class to counteract the energy
flow. Alternatively, if you are a manual worker - a bricklayer or
gardener, then the yang energy has been used a lot in the body and to
rebalance the yin yang flow, more relaxation exercises - such as seated
meditation or a nap or reading a book in the evening can be beneficial.
If we notice a part of the body seems excessively cold or weak - for
example the lower back or belly, then a hot water bottle held against it
can bring the energy back there. If our limbs or back muscles feel
stiff in a dull (deficient way) then going for a massage can help as
someone else passes on their yang energy to you. These are simple ways
to get more in touch with our bodies.
