Yin and Yang: The Cooling Cycle

Yin and Yang are always relating to each other

During extremes it can be challenging to stay aware that this moment is part of a larger cycle of balance.  Yin and Yang arise as cold (Yin) and hot(Yang).  As the cold, dry winds of winter push into us, it is hard to remember the humid heat of summer that sent us searching for air conditioning.

Click to enlarge

Yin and Yang change into each other

Everything changes.
Everything is changing all of the time. The more sensitive we become, the more able we are to feel small changes as they occur. By sensing at this level, we can be fully aware of going with the flow of Yin and Yang within us and around us. We learn this the same way the ancients did – through careful observation.

What is changing?

Become an observer of big changes and tiny changes:

• Feel for the changes in temperature on your skin
• Feel the flow of breath in and out of your lungs
• Notice how your attention shifts from morning to night.

Simple exercises like these, practiced with patience and curiosity, yield a kind of experiential, embodied knowledge that is yours forever.