Yin / Yang Theory and Its Relevance in Tai Chi Practice

Yin / Yang Theory and its relevance in Tai Chi practice

The ancient Chinese philosophy of Yin and Yang is perhaps the oldest and most profound model of understanding the universe which we inhabit and all its manifestations. Its very simplicity acknowledges ancient teachings from multiple cultures that true “understanding” of the nature of life, lies in viewing with a “child’s mind” – to see clearly at a very simple level. Yet, for all its simplicity, the model can accommodate anything of which we can conceive or experience, however, complex that might be.

Had they considered the concept of Yin/Yang, western astronomers would not have been surprised to find a black hole at the centre of every galaxy; quantum physicists might have easily anticipated the wave/particle dichotomy; research biologists might understand that cloning would not have a long term future.

It is thought that Yin/Yang theory developed during the Yin and Chou dynasties, i.e. between 1500 and 221 BC. The earliest known reference to Yin/Yang is in the I Ching, the Book of Changes, around 800 BC.

Chapter 42 of Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching (6th century BC) states:

“The Tao begot one; One begot two; Two begot three; And three begot the ten thousand things.

The ten thousand things carry yin and embrace yang. They achieve harmony by combining these forces.”

An interpretation of these words might be that the one (Wu Ji) gave rise to the two polarities of Yin and Yang, the third could be understood as Qi (the movement between Yin and Yang), the combination of which ultimately gives rise to everything (ten thousand in ancient China was the biggest number of which one could or needed to conceive…!). [The interpretations could be many and varied as the concept of three is a significant number in many philosophies, e.g.: Heaven, Earth and mankind; Father, Son and Holy Ghost; mind, body and spirit; Jing, Qi and Shen – although all ultimately embracing similar ideas.]

Life, the universe and everything, according to this model, is the result of the interplay between the two polarities of Yin and Yang. These two polarities are not absolutes and cannot exist independently of each other. They are relative states and are in a constant dynamic interchange, never stopping, never reaching an end point, like the stuff of life itself, always moving, always changing, always transforming.

The empty circle (Fig. 1a) represents emptiness, the Void, the Tao, Wu Ji. This potential can then be divided into the familiar Tai Chi symbol, which epitomises the interplay and encapsulates the multiple dynamics of the Yin/Yang relationship. (Figure 1b)

“Tai Chi evolves from Wu Chi, the mother of Yin and Yang.”

© Liz Welch 2006 Yin Yang theory and Tai Chi practice As published in TCAH magazine Within the circle, the darkened areas represent Yin and the white areas represent Yang. They are of equal size and, within each area is the seed of the other. As one increases in volume, so the other decreases in a proportionate amount. Nowhere is there a state of absolute Yin or absolute Yang. As a critical point is reached, one turns into the other.

“These complementary opposites are neither forces nor material entities. Nor are they mythical concepts that transcend rationality. Rather they are convenient labels used to describe how things function in relation to each other and to the universe. They are used to explain the continuous process of natural change. But Yin and Yang are not only a set of correspondences; they also represent a way of thinking. In this system of thought, all things are seen as parts of a whole. No entity can ever be isolated from its relationship to other entities; no thing can exist in and of itself. There are no absolutes. Yin and Yang must necessarily, contain within themselves the possibility of opposition and change.” Ted Kaptchuk

Yin /Yang Characters and Symbols

The character for Yin originally meant the shady side of a mountain. It is associated with coolness, moisture, darkness, rest and lack of activity. The original meaning of Yang was the sunny side of the mountain, implying warmth, dryness, brightness, activity and movement. (See fig. 2)

How might we interpret these polarities within everyday experience? The table below gives some examples of ways these manifest.

__ __ YIN ____ YANG

Examples in the environment Dark Light Night Day Earth Heaven Moon Sun Cold Hot Water Fire Damp Dry Stillness Activity Substance Function Centripetal force Centrifugal force

Examples in the body Female Male Interior (organs) Exterior (surface) Front Back Medial (nearer to the centre line) Lateral (towards the sides)

Lower body (below the waist) Upper body (above the waist) Nourishment (Nutritive Qi) Protection (Defensive Qi) Blood Qi Storage (of nutrients) Excretion or transformation Structure Function Zang organs: Lung, Spleen, Heart, Kidney, Fu organs: Large Intestine, Stomach, Liver, Pericardium Small Intestine, Bladder, Gall Bladder, Triple Burner Left Right

Examples in Tai Chi practice Stillness Movement Contracting Expanding Backwards Forwards Down Up Substantial Insubstantial Lower Upper Negative Positive Softness Hardness External (physical) Internal (energetic) Calmness Agitation Coiling Uncoiling Receiving Giving Decrease Increase Adhering Fleeing

Coming together Yin (ovum) and Yang (sperm) create life. At the moment of conception, when Yin and Yang fuse, the fertilised ovum immediately starts to spin – the continuous movement of life has begun. At the stillness of death they separate, when the Spirit leaves and goes towards the Heavens (Yang) and the body returns to the Earth (Yin).

Yin / Yang Theory

There is a set of rules or theory defining the Yin Yang relationship. These are:

They are infinitely divisible. See figure 3. One can continuously sub-divide creating Yin within Yang or Yang within Yin. For example, one may think of water as being more Yin (than what?). But in itself water may be sub- divided, so that when it’s ice, it’s more Yin than when it’s fluid, which is more Yin that when it’s steam.

“Thirty spokes share the wheel’s hub; it is the centre hole that makes it useful. Shape clay into a vessel; It is the space within that makes it useful. Cut doors and windows for a room; It is the holes which make it useful. Therefore profit comes from what is there’ Usefulness from what is not there.” Lao Tzu

The substance and the space have to work together to create and define each other.

There is mutual creation and mutual consumption. For example, in order to create a fire (Yang), there must be something to burn, such as wood (Yin) and as the fire continues to burn, it consumes the wood.

If we rest, we have sufficient resources (Yin) to be active (Yang). Too much activity (Yang) burns us out and ultimately depletes our Essence (Yin).

They control each other. Examples of this are that Cold cools down Heat or Water controls Fire. In hot weather, it is important to drink plenty of water. They keep each other in check and thereby create homeostasis.

They transform into each other. There is no point at which something is totally Yin or Yang. When a critical point is reached and conditions are ripe for change, one turns into the other, e.g. day into night, heat into cold; the seasonal changes of new life and expansive activity of the spring and summer into the drawing in and stillness of the autumn and winter.

It is also important to note that one has to be clear about the nature of their relative states, e.g. which is more Yin or Yang – the snow at the top of a mountain or the warm sand on the beach below? Answers on a postcard to……..

If you think the snow is more Yin than the sand, you’re right (if you’re defining it in terms of temperature, softness or moisture). If you think the snow is more Yang than the sand, you are also right….! (if you’re defining it in terms of height, being nearer to the Heavens, or insubstantiality).

As we’ve seen above, a state of health and harmony is achieved when the Yin/Yang balance is available to us. There is, of course, no perfect state where that balance is held without change, but we need to have both options and directions available depending on which activities we are engaged in, time of day, season, temperature control, etc. We all have particular predispositions to err more towards one polarity than another and it’s helpful to develop one’s awareness of this in order to bring about rebalancing and adjustments.

As a broad generalisation, males tend more towards the Yang and females towards the Yin (although, of course, we are all a continuing blend and exchange of both). Biologically this can be accounted for in the location of the reproductive organs: male externally (Yang) and female internally (Yin). These tendencies can affect Tai Chi practice; see the section on Interior/Exterior later in the article.

Exercise

This can be done at any time, but is useful to do before starting Qi Gong or Tai Chi training as one can then assess changes, as a result of the practice.

Stand in normal Wu Chi posture, i.e. a neutral state of relaxation, standing with feet hip width apart, joints softened, weight on Yong Quan (Bubbling Spring point, see Issue 41).

1. Assess your mind/body balance by noticing of which of the two you are most aware. When you become self-aware, is it the body awareness (Yin) which dominates or the activity of your mind (Yang)? 2. Check out whether you have greater awareness of the top half or the lower half of the body? Do you feel a stronger connection to the Earth through your feet (Yin)or a stronger connection to the Heavens through the crown of the head (Yang)? 3. Now compare your awareness between the front (Yin) and the back (Yang). Which one is most dominant? How much can you feel of each? 4. Compare the 2 sides. Do they both feel the same? 5. Observe whether you have greater awareness of the inside of your body (the bones and internal organs – Yin)) or the surface (skin, muscles, body hair, space around you - Yang).

The act of spending a few moments making these assessments, will in itself already start to rebalance the system. We know that Qi goes where the Mind goes. So, just by making the observations, you will have already put your mind to a part, which may have been overlooked for a while. In so doing, you will have started to energise it.

Make a mental note of your Qi distribution, after doing the observations and then repeat the exercise again after doing your Tai Chi or Qigong. You may well find that corrections have happened automatically during your practice. However, longer, deep-seated imbalances may take more sustained practice to change.

As we have seen with the Tai Chi symbol above (figure 1b), the art of the practice is in finding balance and harmony between the polarities of Yin and Yang. Not only does this have a deeply beneficial effect on the state of our mind and body but also makes Tai Chi, what is sometimes described as “the most powerful and effective of the martial arts”.

As with the symbol, the Tai Chi practitioner is never in a state of having committed his/her energy into one single direction. All movements are multi-directional, maintaining the constant dynamic between Yin and Yang. There is no static place of balance. Movement is continuous but always harmonising the two polarities.

“Where there is upward movement there is downward movement, similarly with forward movement there is also a backward movement and lastly, with a left movement there is also a right movement.”

All this can easily do the head in! The mind can only focus on one thing (direction) at a time. Indeed, those of us who try to use our intellect to do Tai Chi, are already going to be in difficulty. The only way to really achieve these seemingly contradictory, but actually complementary, states is by constant practice and training the feeling of expansion into the body/mind.

Let us look in more detail at a few examples of how that balance manifests in Tai Chi and Qigong. I have attempted below to differentiate concepts within the framework of Yin / Yang, but none of them should be viewed in isolation. The reality is that they are all happening simultaneously and are all overlapping – in effect all manifestations of the same thing.

Up and down

Finding the balance between Heaven and Earth is one of the first things one learns in a Tai Chi class – raising the head to lift the Spirit, whilst at the same time relaxing the bodyweight down into the Earth.

Having found out which direction is easier for you to access from the exercise above, you can then train your practice to develop the one that is more elusive. Often we have to visit both extremes before finding easy access to both. People using their heads all day; those prone to strong emotional responses or those who easily connect with more spiritual experiences may find their balance tipped in favour of the upward direction and will need to spend more time practising rooting into the Earth. Whilst other students who for example feel a heaviness in the body or those who are depressed, will need to focus more on raising the Spirit through the crown of the head.

“If one’s intention is in the upward direction, one has to store the intention of going down.”

In terms of applications, one must take care on upward movements, not to lose the connection with the centre and the Earth or one will be lifted out of the Tan Tien and

© Liz Welch Yin Yang theory and Tai Chi practice As published in TCAH magazine unbalanced. Equally in pressing down, it will not be effective if all the intent is downwards. The downward power comes when one raises the head and lifts the Spirit.

“Co-ordination of both the upper and lower body.”

Even if one is well rooted and connected to the Tan Tien in the lower body (Yin), and if the upper body is light and flexible (Yang), it will not be effective unless they are interconnected, so that the Yin and Yang are working together. A typical example of this separation might be when a student breaks the connection at the waist or the shoulders, so that one sees the body weight shift or the hips turn, but the upper body gets left behind, resulting in no force connecting into the arms and hands.

Forwards and backwards (See figures 4a and 4b.)

Initially, when learning Tai Chi, students are encouraged to focus the weight clearly from the back leg to the front leg and vice versa. The nature of the alternating backward and forward movement (e.g. from Lui (pull down) to Aun (push)) in itself with help to bring about balance in the system. This clarity is an essential building block to the practice but as the student advances, s/he should realise that not only is there an alternating movement between the two but there is also simultaneous movement in the opposite direction in order to maintain the Yin Yang balance and keep the centre.

So, as we move the weight and intention forwards in the Aun movement ( figure 4a), there is an internal expansion between the hands and the Tan Tien which has the effect of relatively moving the Tan Tien backwards. Similarly, in a movement such as Lui, although the bodyweight is drawing backwards, there is a relative movement forwards of the Tan Tien.

Substantial and Insubstantial

“Xu (or insubstantial) and Shi (or substantial) must be clearly distinguished. Every point has its own substantial and insubstantial state. Together the Xu and Shi co-exist.

This can be seen most simply when one moves the weight from one leg to another. As one leg fills, so the other empties in an equal amount. Remaining in a double-weighted position will not activate the movement between Yin and Yang in this respect.

We also see very clear examples of substantial and insubstantial working together in postures where one hand/kua is drawing the opponent in and emptying, whilst its opposite number is expanding out and attacking, e.g. Back Stepping Monkey, Brush Knee and Push, Fan through Back.

Interior and Exterior / Internal and External

“Internal and external in togetherness.”

This pairing can be interpreted in many ways and also depends on the semantics of how one distinguishes “interior” from “internal”. Within the physical body we could see interior as Tan Tien and the exterior as the body. Whereas within the context of energy practice, external is used to describe the use of the physical body and internal is associated with the use of the the Shen (spirit and mind). An additional interpretation could also be the difference between

© Liz Welch 2006 Yin Yang theory and Tai Chi practice As published in TCAH magazine us as individuals and the environment/society in which we live. However it’s understood, the essential is that they have to work together simultaneously.

In application practice, combining the Shen (spirit) and the body gives rise to open and closing movements, which in turn have either an internalising/contracting or externalising/ expanding effect on the opponent. A common mistake in training practice can be to take the mind too much into one’s own body, e.g. constantly assessing one’s posture and musculature, trying to find one’s own Tan Tien. This has the effect of directing the Qi internally and consequently there is no external connection to the opponent and no expansion of the mind.

As a broad generalisation, one commonly sees in Tai Chi practice that men find it easier to engage with the external, active, expansive aspects, whilst women tend to hold their energy more deeply and find it harder to bring it out. In these cases, it is important for men to develop the still, listening, internal qualities and for women to practise engaging with the external and expansive properties.

Stillness and Movement

“Seeking stillness within movement.”

All these differentiations of Yin and Yang are overlapping and present simultaneously. An example of this is bringing together the concepts of stillness and movement with interior and exterior. In standing Qigong practice there is the internal movement of Qi within the external stillness of the posture. In Tai Chi there is the deep, internal stillness within the continuous, flowing movement of the form.

When there appears to be outward, physical stillness in the Tai Chi, there is internal movement of Qi and Yi (intention). In the external physical movement of the form, there must be the deep inner core or stillness and focus – action and non-action simultaneously.

Calmness and Agitation

“Tai Chi Chuan uses calmness to subdue agitation.”

Not only are we using Yin and Yang simultaneously within ourselves to maintain balance but we can use them to balance out or neutralise the effects of things we are dealing with externally. For example, as an opponent delivers one type of force, Tai Chi can counteract with its opposite.

We exert powerful influences on each other at subtle levels. Think what it’s like to walk into a room where there has just been an argument or where someone is very sad. We can feel the atmosphere and it can affect us.

It takes two to make a fight, meeting force with force. When someone is agitated, their Qi rises out of the centre. If we feel that agitation and allow it to affect us, we are fuelling the situation further (double whammy Yang!). If, on the other hand, we remain calm and drop into the centre, we are effectively pouring Water on the Fire. The agitator will have no additional fuel for the fire and hopefully will be influenced by the calmness. I say “hopefully” because ultimately it will depend on who is sending out the stronger message. In order to be

© Liz Welch Yin Yang theory and Tai Chi practice As published in TCAH magazine effective the Tai Chi practitioner must be stronger in his/her resolve to be calm than the influence exerted by the “Agitator”. This will be affected by how practised one is and how much power one has at the Centre. The way to ensure you have the stronger influence? In the words of Sifu Ding: “More Qigong!”

The reverse can also be the case, where one can use Tai Chi principles to agitate or disorientate the opponent, causing them to lose their centre.

Softness and Rigidity

“Tai Chi Chuan uses softness to overcome rigidity.”

Similarly, when the opponent is rigid, we can use softness to counteract their force. There is a strong overlap here between insubstantial and substantial. When we feel the tension of our training partner, we can create an empty space and allow their force to dissipate into it. When we are soft and flexible, we can redirect the inflexible rigidity of another’s attacking move.

As we have seen above, it is impossible to be intellectually applying these ideas during practice. There will be multiple combinations of these different aspects of Yin and Yang happening simultaneously whilst one is practising Tai Chi. Whether you are a practitioner for health benefits or for martial applications, the essential is not to think about trying to make things happen but to practise to the point of letting go sufficiently to allow the Tai Chi to do it for you.

“To adhere is to “flee”. To “flee” is to adhere. Yin cannot be separated from Yang. And Yang cannot be separated from Yin. Yin and Yang both complement each other. This is the understanding of Chi power.”

The wonders of Yin Yang theory never cease to amaze and stimulate me. It is a boundless yet obvious framework in which to interpret the whole dynamic of life. The difficulties I have encountered in writing this article are due to the very nature of the theory itself. Every time, I have made a statement, I have immediately realised that the opposite is also true. There cannot be light without dark nor up without down. So, I will leave you back at the place where we started - before Yin and Yang - in Wu Chi…….where everything is possible……

Liz Welch is an Instructor for the JDIATCC and a Senior Teacher and Branch Director for the European Shiatsu School. She teaches Tai Chi, Shiatsu, Qi Gong, Traditional Chinese Medicine theory and meditation.

For other information on courses and workshops, please contact her on 01992 550405 or [email protected] or at www.lizwelch.co.uk.

Quotes from: “Tao Te Ching” by Lao Tzu – translation by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English. “Chinese Medicine: The Web that has no Weaver” by Ted Kaptchuk

© Liz Welch 2006 Yin Yang theory and Tai Chi practice As published in TCAH magazine All other unaccredited quotations are from: “Tai Chi Chuan Revelations - principles and concepts” by Grandmaster Ip Tai Tak, 5th Generation Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan