The Philosophy of Yin & Yang
The Chinese people have long held the belief that the universe is composed of two opposite forces called yin and yang. Ancient Chinese philosophers proposed that before the universe was formed there was wu chi. Wu chi means the void or complete emptiness. An empty circle represents wu chi then at some point there was movement, a beginning. This was the beginning of tai chi.
As movement accelerated within wu chi, two polar forces known as yin and yang emerged. These two forces then merged to form one, the tai chi, which means the grand ultimate. Although opposite in nature, yin and yang are complimentary forces. Coming from the same source they are interdependent; like night and day, up and down, cause and effect, and all other opposites. Neither one can exist without the other.
The tai chi symbol represents the balance of yin and yang. This symbol also demonstrates that within yin is a small amount of yang, and within yang is a small amount of yin. In other words, neither yin nor yang can stand alone- they are interdependent. One could not exist without the other.
Tai chi practice is about becoming sensitive to life’s excesses with the idea of working toward balance. These excesses can be understood in terms of yin and yang. For example, if your body temperature becomes too hot (excessive yang, deficient yin; you know you must cool down in order to feel more comfortable. The same can be said of being too cold (excessive yin, deficient yang; you know that you must warm up, but not too much or else you’ll move into the opposite extreme need to cool down again. As we practice the tai chi sequence or “the form” as it is called, we become progressively aware of how yin and yang manifest within the form. For example, when rising upward (yin) we simultaneously sink downward (yang). As we move forward (yang), we push backward (yin). As we expand outward (yang), we condense inward (yin). As we continue to practice we not only become aware of this duality, we also notice when we’re approaching any extreme, for example if we move too far forward, we become too heavy in the front, and too light in the back. Same thing if we move too far backward, we’re too heavy in the back and too light in the front. So as one becomes excessive the other becomes deficient. Whether excessive or deficient, both are considered extreme and we’ve lost our balance.
In our physical bodies we have an interactive process called homeostasis. Homeostasis allows our bodies to maintain physiological balance, such as our pH levels, salt concentration, body temperature, and blood sugar levels to name just a few. Each one of these metabolic processes is intimately linked to the others, in other words, they are interdependent. If any one of these processes becomes either excessive or deficient, it’ll begin to have a negative influence on the others, which will then alter the entire system and force it to find ways to rebalance itself. The process of homeostasis isn’t confined to just our physiology, it also affects our mental and emotional makeup, which rules our thinking and feeling. These processes must also maintain a relative balance; otherwise we can experience mental and emotional conflict, which will affect the chemical processes in our bodies, and can cause an even greater imbalance in our biochemistry.
These examples demonstrate that if either yin or yang becomes excessive, the other automatically becomes deficient. We can also say that if either yin or yang becomes deficient, the other automatically becomes excessive. These forces are always interacting and being affected by each other.