Yin Yang is at the heart of Feng Shui and Chinese philosophy. It is the essence of nature, where everything is in a perpetual state of change, moving from one extreme to the other to create equilibrium or universal balance.

To illustrate yin and yang as universal balance, let's call yang daylight and yin darkness. Our planet is always half in sunlight and half in darkness as the illustrations show. Further, when the sun rises to its meridian, an almost yin yang shadow is cast upon the Earth as illustrated right.

In terms of life, yang denotes birth and rising to maturity and yin represents the declining phases thereafter. It is interesting to note, that the yang (clear spot) inside the yin dark hemisphere, falls in the area that was once known as Sumeria. This is believed to have been the birthplace of modern civilisation.

Yin and yang natural cycles

Yin and yang can be clearly seen with the changing of the seasons. The yang phase brings birth during spring and major growth during summer, whilst the yin phase of autumn / winter sees life declining in order to start over again.

Tai Ji also known as Tai Chi symbol

In this symbol yang forms the white half and yin is black. When yang reaches its peak, yin is born and vice versa. This illustrates that when something reaches its peak, decline sets in. Everything in our universe functions this way because atoms - the basic building blocks of life, act this way. This ever changing cycle leads to evolution.

Our personal environment is in this state and so traditional Chinese Feng Shui needs to take this perpetual interaction into account. Feng Shui teaches us that yang compliments yin and vice versa. This principle underpins every method or school of Feng Shui, from Form school, to Compass school and even Chinese Astrology. Here are just some examples of our everyday world of yin yang.

Yin and yang information is encoded into ancient symbols known as Trigrams and these form the basic Bagua used in elementary Feng Shui. Yin and yang can also be used in diets and here is a list of foods. For healthy eating there should be three parts yang and two parts yin. You can also use this for hyperactive children, using more yin foods than yang. But common sense must prevail and you should seek medical advice before changing a diet.

 Yin and Yang Foods

All foods fall into three categories; yin foods, yang foods and neutral foods. The term yin or yang relates to whether a food is a cooling or a warming food. Do not be fooled by simple assumptions, as these terms often have nothing to do with the taste, nor how it is cooked. They relate to deeper essences of the foods nature. You might assume that all drinks are cooling; beer is, but brandy is not. Here is a very basic food list:

Chinese astrology professional readings include Four Pillars of Destiny, Zi Wei Dou Shu, I Ching Divination or Nine Star Ki astrology

Alternatively, You can learn to do Chinese astrology or feng shui yourself from an accredited Feng Shui School or online with our Feng Shui mastery Series. These seven steps to become a professional consultant consist of:

Step ONE - Key Concepts feng shui course

Step TWO - Dowsing and Earth Acupuncture Course

Step THREE Feng Shui Business Course

Step FOUR I Ching and Wen Wang Gua

Step FIVE Nine Star Ki Astrology

Step SIX Flying Star Feng Shui

Step SEVEN Ba Zi - Four Pillars of Destiny Advanced Chinese Astrology

We also offer a Tai Chi Course with Master Stephen Hwa

Need a free feng shui test? To see how feng shui can help you?

Need a professional? See our Directory of professional feng shui consultants for a local specialist in your area

See our Chinese astrology hall of fame

All feng shui terms defined in our Glossary