Yin foods, yang foods
There are four factors that determine whether a food is yin or yang:- How the food grows (including speed and direction).
- Where the food was grown (in northern or southern climates).
- The sodium-potassium content.
- And the effect the food has on the body (hot or cold effects).
In general, yin foods are considered "cool," larger, have less salt, have potassium, and/or grow above soil. Yang foods are "warm" or "hot," smaller, have more sodium, and/or grow below the soil. In addition to eating yin or yang foods, to maintain balance followers of the philosophy believe you must also eat "cool" foods when it is hot, and "hot" foods when it is cold.
In addition to yin and yang, there are five elements, which must also be balanced. Each element is associated with a particular food quality and the ideal meal includes all five.
"Yang is the tendency to gather. Yin is the tendency to disperse."
To embrace the meaning of the symbol is to understand that it represents the vibratory nature of all manifest phenomena, created by the interaction of opposing yet complementary forces the positive and negative, the aggressive and receptive, the masculine and feminine-all existing to encourage balance in the unfolding of life.
The circle, enclosing what appears to be two dolphins playing, represents the cosmic oneness within which these forces operate-the unity of life. What is interesting and significant is that the white dolphin has a black eye and the black dolphin has a white eye; the symbology being that if white is soft and black is hard, there is neither a total softness nor a total hardness - each has within itself a perception or an inlet to its opposite.
This presence of opposite aspects also suggests the constant movement of yin and yang, one into the other, stimulated by the physical laws of attraction and repulsion. This movement is what guarantees that change, growth, and evolution will occur as part of the life process.
Human beings are inextricably part of the whole of nature and as such are themselves an expression of the interplay of forces, of Yin and Yang. Our bodies, our breath, the way we work, play, and think all originate from and manifest the interaction of these two forces. Accepting this, the principles of Yin/Yang theory encourage a wholistic view of life and suggest it can be lived as a work of art.
By understanding the applications of Yin / Yang theory to all aspects of life, a person can achieve the balance so essential to a sense of wellbeing. Life's activities are never isolated from each other; by contemplating the interaction of Yin/Yang forces within us, we can learn to express ourselves, take care of our bodies, and nourish ourselves in a balanced way.
To guide us in applying Yin/Yang theory to the dynamics of our lives, the "Seven Universal Principles" evolved:
- There is infinite variety in the world, but there is only one Source. God, as the Source, is energy whose nature is a balanced read more
