Yin 陰 in Chinese Medicine is always juxtaposed with yang 陽. The two are contrasting and complimentary forces. Yin yang theory is the basis of Chinese medicine and was originally written in the I Ching (Book of Changes). The I Ching dates to the Wester Zhou period in China-- 1000 - 750 BC. I'd like to focus on yin, what is it? what defines it? and why is it important amidst the greater national global pandemic of COVID19?
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Yin 陰 is defined as the feminine, lunar, dark side of a mountain, fertile, nighttime, rest, earthly, winter, damp, cold, form less and a black hole in space. A primary principle of yin is that it is balanced by yang 陽. If there is an abundance of yin or yang there is dis-ease and imbalance. The traditional taiji symbol shows yin transforming into yang and vice versa because it is around a circle + a continuum. Change and movement are constant. Yin yang theory is about transformation. You cannot have one without the other.
Imbalance leads to stagnation and stickiness. A yin pathology is one characterized by dampness and deficiency. Patients with an excess of yin have chronic disease, dampness (excess moisture), cold limbs, loose stools, and cold limbs. The opposite is true of yang pathology (hot limbs, constipation, hyperactivity).
Our society, in the United States, is yang in nature. We are constantly told to do and achieve. If we are resting or inactive we are told (and we tell ourselves) we are lazy. COVID19 has been difficult for many due to financial reasons and inability to maintain a normal schedule. But, I'd also argue, that it is difficult because there is not much we can do. Giving donations to healthcare entities and nonprofits is admirable. Most people however have their identity tied to their occupation, exercise routine, and friends and family. So, it is difficult to not have any of these outlets or to have these interactions be entirely transformed over night.
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Yet, this is the very reason why yīn is important. We need to slow down. Similarly, we need to realize who we are in stillness. How do you feel as a human being? rather than a human doing? It is a change to be still and sit in the unknown. It is uncomfortable to remember what and who are essential in our lives.
Our lifestyles have sped up in the last 50 years (think: air-travel, cars, internet, technology) and so the thought of slowing down is uncomfortable and unfamiliar. I encourage people to befriend the stillness, to befriend the unknown because this is a gift too. This simple act of becoming comfortable in the unknown leads to transformation within ourselves, but also within the greater world. Our systems are not flawless. If anything they are too large and too powerful to recognize their ecological, social, and cultural destruction. Maybe, by slowing down, and sitting in the dark, a restructuring will occur. One in which nature and diversity are a priority.
Slowing down allows us to observe small but monumental changes. The emergence of spring is miraculous albeit slow to watch. I've gained small pleasures from planting a seed, letting it sit in two weeks of dark soil and then watching it emerge. There are constant metamorphosis in our world. Humans individually and collectively are slowly sprouting. I've been amazed to finally feel grounded and feel okay with it. It feels bizarre to be in the grocery store or driving.
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The New York Times published an article titled In Search of Darkness in February. In essence, this article pinpoints that darkness, both physical and metaphorical, is difficult to encounter in our modern world. Humans have literally lit up our world-- with lightbulbs, phones, and headlights. And to withdraw is unfathomable, but needed. It is the essence of being human. Maria Browning paints a picture of being in her deceased mother's house in the woods after she dies of dementia,
"I’ve been there as darkness falls, a darkness deeper than any I normally see anywhere now. It surrounds and draws me in, and I am taken back to that young self who knew how to surrender to it, to be liberated by it. I’m learning again how to be in nature, my true nature. Deliverance beckons. Slowly, inexorably, I’m following my mother into the dark."
Quietude is not a value in our world. Perhaps it will be more highly esteemed after COVID19. Will a designated self-quarantine become sought after? Imagine a valuing of a seasonal retreat incorporated. Imagine being able to discuss more dark and unknown concepts.
Indeed, this pandemic has brought light to the fact that humans are social beings. That is how we thrive and have thrived for centuries-- in tribes. Yet, let us not forget the Yīn and the yang, both are essential.
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