Most people can recognize the Yin and Yang symbol and have some awareness that it relates to opposites. However, there are lots of misconceptions about the meaning of Yin and Yang energy.
As it turns out, you can use the energy associated with this cosmic duality can help you manifest your goals and boost your well-being.
However, before that, it helps to know the basics behind the concept of Yin and Yang.
In this beginner’s guide to Yin and Yang, we’ll help you to see their relevance for your own life. We’ll start by looking at the significance and meaning of the symbol, before considering the attraction between opposites more broadly.
Next, we’ll turn to the balance between Yin and Yang, and how to maintain it. And finally, we’ll introduce you to a new way to approach meditation practice focusing on what you’ve learned about Yin and Yang.
Let’s start by asking this basic question: what do yin and yang mean?
In the simplest terms, these interrelated concepts signify the duality in our universe.
In other words, they represent the complementary nature of two opposing principles or forms of energy.
For example, think of the complementary forces of masculinity and femininity, or of dark and light.
The idea of yin and yang comes from ancient Chinese culture – especially the I Ching text, which serves as the basis for Taoism and Confucianism.
Yin is described as inward-looking, feminine energy. It is aligned with darkness and negativity. In contrast, yang is described as an outward-looking, masculine energy that is aligned with brightness and positivity.
Although they are opposing forces, they also depend on one another to service. Think of this idea as similar to our concepts of day and night – it doesn’t make sense to talk about the light returning if there is no darkness in the universe.
The yin and yang symbol is one of the most easily identifiable black and white symbols. Sometimes called the Tai Chi symbol, it is a circle cut in half by a curving line in the middle.
On one side of the line, we have the white side, representing yang energy.
On the other side of the line, you’ll find the black side for yin energy.
Each side features a single dot of the other side’s color, symbolizing the fact that both yin and yang need the other to survive.
Meanwhile, the curved line is significant in that it shows the sides cannot be cleanly separated. All aspects of the symbol taken together, the yin and yang sign stands for duality and harmony.
Now that we’ve looked at the yin yang symbol’s meaning, it’s worth considering where it originally came from. As noted above, the concept of yin and yang goes all the way back to ancient China.
More specifically, it used to be used for surprisingly everyday purposes. For example, archeologists tell us that the symbol was added onto animal bones to help with divination rituals – in other words, to help predict and understand the future.
At this point in history, yin and yang meant very simple things – dark and light. Later, the use of the yin and yang symbol extended.
For example, yin was eventually linked to rest because the disappearance of the sun signals time for sleep. Meanwhile, the hotness of the sun meant that yang came to mean fire.
However, the sense of yin and yang that is most relevant for your manifestation work only arose in the Zhou Dynasty – this is when spiritual experts began to link yin and yang to the idea of vital energy (or ‘qi’).
At this point, the symbol was mostly used to refer to the two complementary and contradictory forms of vital energy in the world – life and death, dark and light, and so on.
You would also see the yin and yang symbol appear in texts relating to compromise and moderation, exploring how opposing energies can be brought into a healthy balance.
As suggested above, understanding yin and yang are also about embracing cosmic duality. Yin and yang is ultimately a cosmic balance symbol, which can stand for many different and varied forms of complementary energy.
You may be able to think of cases when such balance was significant in your own life. For example, when we strive for healthy self-confidence without becoming arrogant or excessively humble, we seek to balance two counteracting forces.
Similarly, the effort to find a work-life balance can be partly explicated in terms of yin and yang energy. However, by far the most common experience of the pull exerted by contrasting yin and yang energy is in the complementary relationships we have with people who are fundamentally different from ourselves.
When it comes to romantic relationships, do opposites attract? It’s clear that they do. But why do opposites attract, exactly?
At first, meeting, what attracts us to others is almost entirely subconscious. We get a “feeling” about someone, or a sense of chemistry, pulling us toward them.
Thus initial attraction has a lot to do with subtextual cues that tell us we will find the person exciting and appealing. But what determines this, and why do we often end up being so deeply attracted to our opposite?
To put it simply, we tend to be excited by things that are different from us. We find our opposites attractive in part because there is a mysteriousness and unpredictability to them.
Further, we may be drawn to those who achieve things that aren’t as well suited to our personalities. A hard-working, disciplined person may be turned on by someone who takes adventurous trips, which someone who does extreme sports may find themselves drawn to a person who lives a quiet life and spends much of their energy maintaining their home.
A key thought here is that we all have a sense of certain things being “missing” in us – and being with someone who brings those things to our lives can make us feel more fulfilled (as well as more excited).
In addition, if we partner up with someone who has a significantly different energy from us, we’re more likely to sustain mutual interest for longer.
There’s more to learn about each other, and more to learn about ourselves from being with a person different from ourselves.
Of course, if there’s too much difference or too much mystery, there is no harmony or security. We must aim for something between similarity and otherness – a mix of novelty and familiarity.
This is why we can describe partnerships as a yin and yang balance of similar and opposing energies.
Yin energy and yang energy are both forms of Qi energy – a healing life force that flows through all of us.
Qi energy is the basis for traditional Chinese medicine, and understanding it can help you improve your manifestation potential.
Here’s why it matters, and how to tell whether your own Qi energy is out of balance.
Qi energy is crucial for both physical and mental well-being. The Chinese symbol for balance, the yin yang symbol illustrates the fact that we need a balance in two contrasting forms of Qi energy.
This is part of what therapies like acupuncture, acupressure, and Chinese herbal teas aim to maintain or restore. According to expert practitioners, if your Qi energy or yin yang balance falls out of alignment, you are likely to feel unwell or uncomfortable in some way.
In such cases, your ability to manifest using the Law of Attraction will suffer, as you will be vibrating on a lower frequency.
Imbalanced Qi energy makes it difficult to concentrate and maintain a positive mindset.
This means that your usual Law of Attraction exercises like creative visualizations and affirmations will no longer send out the right signals to the universe, drawing the things you desire towards you.
So, noticing and treating that imbalance is necessary for your future success. But how can you tell whether your Qi energy is out of balance?
If your energy flows too much toward the yin side, you will likely feel slower, more tired, and more emotionally removed from your life.
In contrast, if you suffer from a Qi imbalance that becomes yang dominant, you’re more likely to become restless, sleepless, and irritable.
You can think of yin dominance as turning down your intensity and your emotion until you’re flat, and yang dominance as turning up that intensity until you’re antagonistic.
In contrast, a person whose Qi energy is well balanced has a rich emotional life but also patience and self-restraint.
Thankfully, it’s possible to boost yang energy or boost yin energy, depending on what you need. Getting a good night’s sleep can help you to rebalance, as can sticking to daily mindfulness practice.
In addition, preventing further imbalances means addressing underlying sources of emotional distress – such as past trauma, loss, or chronic anxiety.
Finally, Chinese medicine experts advise the following foods:
Remember, what you’re looking to restore is a balance in your body’s vital energy.
This means attempting to be moderate in all things. Try to split your day evenly between productive activities and relaxation, and keep your food intake as varied as possible.
At this stage, you now know more about Qi energy and how a life rich in both yin and yang can help to maintain good levels of that energy.
Now, how can you take these lessons and use them to improve your Law of Attraction work?
The key thing to remember is that successful manifesting requires balance in Qi energy.
You need to occupy the middle ground between yin and yang, engaging with the world around you with both excitement and acceptance.
The best way to support this balance in energy is by deliberately living a balanced life.
This means that if you have a particular goal you’re trying to manifest, it’s healthy for you to set out specific times to focus on that.
However, it’s equally healthy for you to take time away from your manifestation work, concentrating solely on taking care of your body and mind.