Yin & Yang

In the West we often see opposites as a battle between good and evil. Taoism sees the world through Yin and Yang – two opposite but wholly interdependent forces, constantly dancing with each other to create balance.

Yin is the dark, cool, resting, soft and receptive: night, winter, the in-breath, silence, recovery. Yang is the bright, warm, active, hard and driving: day, summer, work, training, the out-breath.

Today's society is extremely Yang-dominated: we must always be connected, produce, perform and be seen. Taoism warns: if we refuse to integrate Yin – rest, emptiness, silence – the system collapses. That is called burnout.