One principle of Tai Chi Chi Kung we’ll discuss here is to clearly distinguish between Yin and Yang. In tai chi, this refers to expanding fully, opening all of our joints and extending our tendons and muscles as we perform a two hand push, a press, or a ward-off movement. The full extensions then lead to a full contraction as we sink our body back into the earth during the Yin phase which follows the movement.
In life, this can be as simple as working fully when we’re at work and resting when we’ve chosen to rest. Many times, we don’t fully do either, as we daydream at work about an upcoming vacation or planning the next break. Similarly, our free-time may be filled by thoughts of projects ‘hanging over our head’ or ‘what we could have/would have/should have done.’
Furthermore, during the cycle of the seasons, we want to remember that it isn’t likely that we will accomplish as much during winter as we will during the long days of summer. Therefore, let’s remember to let our Yang be Yang and Yin be Yin. By clearly distinguishing between Yin and Yang, we will more naturally relax, move in the flow during our activities, and take it easy on ourselves.
The Alchemist’s Tao Te Ching: Transforming Your Lead Into Gold https://www.amazon.com/dp/1718636970/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_81o1CbAYWGESC