Chinese Culture >> Chinese Society Traditions >> Secrets of Yin Yang

Yin Yang-Ancient Chinese Secrets

As I sat down to write about Yin Yang, I found myself distracted and in the same instant realized a brilliant way to demonstrate the powerful impact Yin Yang can make on your life. Quickly, I turned my insight into an experiment and began with an observation of my workspace.

Physical Desktop:

1. Bills check book and credit cards.

2. Current novel "Eat pray, love" which unfortunately I've been carrying rather than reading.

3. Motorola headset; charged lying next to the instruction booklet which I've also carried from Del Mar to San Francisco back to Del Mar and now to Maui.

4. Complete airport that my four year old insisted on setting up on my desk; an improvement over him slamming my laptop shut and yelling, "No more work Mommy!"

5. Cup of very strong coffee.

6. My blackberry and my journal.

Computer Desktop:

1. Two open browsers; Safari because I like its book marking system and Firefox because it magically makes all the websites work and remembers my usernames and passwords (Halleluiah!)

2. Shopbop.com shopping cart with carefully selected Havaiana flip flops (did you know they come in a thinner and sexier strap for $7.00 more?)

3. Email, always open defying every rule of time management.

4. Google results for Yin Yang; the only thing that should be on my desk!

5. A newsletter announcing a class for Mommies who want to start their own business - is there no end to what Mommies can do?

After careful review and analysis I chose to classify my findings as "clutter" (A.D.D. was a close second). Next, I applied the principle of Yin Yang and discovered that in clutter lies organization. Aha! I'd been telling my husband this for years now I was one step away from having scientific proof.

The Yin Yang principle is "the" preeminent ancient Chinese secret offering explanation to everything that exists, changes or moves. Its origin comes from observing the very essence of the Universe - from darkness there is light. Yin Yang embodies duality or an opposite nature with Yin tending toward passive, dark, feminine, downward seeking and Yang tending toward active, light, masculine, upward seeking.

Because we can see dark and we can see light they appear separate yet they are connected. Everything in life has this same connective quality. However, notice your tendency to identify Yin and Yang as separate and to judge which one you relate to or prefer over the other. This same human tendency prevents us from accessing the power of the principle. So to access the power of Yin Yang we must embrace both Yin and Yang and observe without judgment.

So getting back to my experiment, I noticed that my Yin Yang relationship with clutter and organization did indeed include judgment. I saw clutter as bad and organization as good causing a separation and resistance of clutter. But guess what? When you apply Yin Yang and know that clutter and organization are one; resisting clutter is resisting organization. I know at this point you probably want to yell "JUST CLEAN UP YOUR DESK! But trust me there's a valuable nugget here for you if you're willing to read on.

There is also a cyclical nature to Yin Yang. Everything changes into it's opposite in an ongoing cycle of reversal. Health changes to sickness and sickness changes into health. The more you embrace Yin Yang and see your life as one continuous flow, your experiences in life will naturally reverse or begin to flow more easily.

And finally, there is an inclusive nature. Yin exists within Yang and Yang exists within Yin. Poverty contains the seeds of wealth and wealth contains the seeds for poverty and so on. If we can see wealth in poverty than we are more likely to experience wealth.

So in conclusion, if I see organization in clutter, I will naturally begin to experience organization. Sort of like when Mary Poppins snaps and all the toys put themselves away (Did I mention I have a four year old?) Seriously, as I see clutter and organization as one, I physically feel any resistance or judgment that I had leave opening up a great sense of freedom and inspiration to simply clean up my desk (see you were right all along too).

Applying Yin Yang to Your Life

What's your Yin Yang issue? Do you have a reoccurring event or vicious cycle like finding yourself in the same type of relationship, reoccurring debt, not quite getting your body into shape or just never quite being satisfied with life?

1. Pick an issue and write it down - this is the Yin. Now write down the opposite - this is the Yang.

2. See the Yin and Yang as separate. Now visualize the Yin and Yang coming together and actually overlaying one another becoming one.

3. Feel yourself embodying the Yin and Yang with total love, acceptance and compassion.

4. Release any attachment, pain or confusion associated with the struggle you've had up until now and see it and feel it leave your body, yourself and your life.

5. Now write down what you want and know that it is because you've embraced both the Yin and Yang that you can now fulfill your desire.

Play with this and I guarantee you'll open up a whole new experience of life. Email me for support with your Yin Yang issue cindy@bringutolife.com.

About the Author

Cindy Silbert specializes in transformational life coaching dramatically impacting the lives of the people she works with and who access her work at www.bringutolife.com. She has a unique gift for intuitive listening and techniques for getting beyond what's limiting and breaking through to your unlimited potential. Bring U to Life, Inc. For more information on how to create the life you desire, visit our website at www.bringUtolife.com.