Shiatsu Massage Overview: Yin & Yang

So in Oriental traditional health theory, we are not separate from the outside world, the environment. It’s all about harmony and disharmony. To maintain health we must constantly adapt, as change is always happening as in the Western concept of homeostasis. But in the traditional Asian theory-we are much more interdependent on the environment and it’s subtle changes. The concepts of Yin and Yang are vital to understanding traditional medicine in China and Japan. The theory of Yin & Yang was elaborated in the I Ching (Book of Changes) around the 2nd millenium BC.
According to my shiatsu teacher “A little good in all bad, a little bad in all good,” see famous yin yang symbol for a succinct visual representation of these concepts. Notice the flowing shapes, like waves implying movement-not rectilinear; the circle as the “container” which implies wholeness. The dot of opposite in each one, and yet how the shapes fit exactly and support each other.
Everything has yin and yang aspects. And both qualities are relative- always in comparision. And they are always changing and shifting in relation to one another. Here is a basic list of yin and yang classifications.

YIN/YANG

Yin&Yang – Zora&Lilith
Originally uploaded by adambeads

Earth/Heaven
Feminine/Masculine
Dark/Light
Night/Day
Hot/Cold
Space/Time
Wetness/Dryness
Stillness/Activity
Contraction/Expansion
Interior/Exterior
Falling/Rising
Solid organs/Hollow organs

Photo: Yin&Yang-Zora&LIlith
Originally uploaded by adambeads @Flickr. (Click on photo to go to his page)