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One of the beautiful things about Chinese medicine is the simplicity of its theories. Take the theory of yin-yang, for example.
The basic of yin/yang principle is that of opposites. Day and night, male and female, light and dark, above and below, activity and rest. Fairly simple, right? Keep in mind that the yin/yang principle is also relative. The dawn is yin compared to noon, but yang compared to midnight. The top of a tree is yang compared to grass, but yin compared to the top of a skyscraper.
Ideally, yin and yang are in balance. In medicinal terms, the imbalance of yin and yang can cause illness and disease, and the way to treat that is to bring it back into balance. If someone is working 16 hours a day and gets very little sleep, then there is a deficiency of yin, and an excess of yang. Too much activity, not enough rest. Because the body strives for balance, you will feel tired, lethargic because your body wants to recover its yin.
For some of us in this position, it might be very difficult to get that sleep. Instead, maybe focus on other ways of being "yin" - taking five minutes out to just sit, relax, eyes closed with all distractions at bay (turn off the phone, close the door). During meal times, try not to work or read or add any more stimulation (yang) to your mind. Focus on the food, allow your taste buds to enjoy the flavor and texture, receiving (yin) the nourishment.
If you find yourself doing too much yin activity - like watching television for two or three hours at a time in the evening - notice your body is getting too much yin and your mind, while receiving (yin) maybe getting too much unnecessary yang, like empty calories. Yin time is for letting go, disengaging from the world. Switch off that evening news and maybe read - still activity but at a slower pace than the 5 second sound bites of television and advertisement. Leave the news for the morning, when yang is still rising.
If you find your job leaves your body in a static (yin) state for several long hours, take some time to counterbalance that sitting with standing, stretching, walking (yang).
(August 2008)
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To bring the topic to what I'm doing today, is the relation of the yin/yang to Bikram yoga.
What rocks about Bikram yoga is the incorporation of both yin and yang elements, namely the savasanas the bookend each set of poses.
We know of the obvious savasanas before and after the class, and the savasanas in between each pose in the latter half of the class. One of my teachers stressed the importance of the standing "savasanas" between each of the poses in the standing series. That, too, is a time to stop, be in stillness, and let go of the effort and pose you just performed, letting go of how you did, letting go of whether you staying in the pose or fell out six times. It is not a time to wipe the sweat from your eye, move the strands of hair from your cheek or tug at your sweaty, clingy shorts. You give your all in each pose, and after each pose you stand or lie in complete stillness, relaxing completely, saving all your energy for the next.
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