Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine

Yin and Yang

Yin and Yang are terms used to describe or identify our surroundings and environment. For example, the night is Yin. The day is Yang. At sunrise, Yang is within Yin. This means that as daylight emerges, darkness recedes. At sunset, Yin is within Yang. Daylight fades as dusk transitions into night. Yin and Yang similarly interpret seasons of the year.

Oftentimes, seeing examples of Yin and Yang can help us understand what they actually mean to provide our own interpretations.

If we look further out into space, what we see are planets orbiting in a darkness. This darkness is Yang while the planets are Yin. We can say anything that has a formed material and visible is summarized as Yin. While on earth, we breathe oxygen, air. This air is Yang while everything visible is Yin.

The dark side of a mountain, being Yin, is often compared to the bright side of a mountain, being Yang, has traditionally been used as an example to explain these two terms. Then we have land (Yang) and water (Yin). Why would land be more Yang? One way to explain this is because it is located in a more Yang location on earth.

These are just a few examples of how earth and all things on earth can be analyzed for further interpretations. But from here, East Asian Medicine (EAM) further uses Yin and Yang nomenclature to name the body similar to how anatomical terminologies are used to describe body planes. The breakdown of the system through these terms continues from there. This practical way of seeing our world could have been a norm around the world.

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