Yin and Yang
Yin and yang is a traditional East Asian concept used to describe contrasting but interrelated qualities and patterns of change. It is not a rigid division of everything into two fixed types.
Interrelated qualities
Yin and yang can frame contrasts such as darkness and light or stillness and movement. Neither side is inherently good or bad, and the classification can change with context and relationship.
Philosophy and traditional medicine
Chinese philosophy has used yin and yang to discuss nature and change. Traditional medicine also uses the concept to classify body states and disease patterns. This is not the same as physiological balance in modern medicine.
Use in esthetic language
An esthetic program that uses balance language is not performing a yin-yang diagnosis. Hands-on care should not be described as identifying or restoring a yin-yang imbalance.
Related terms
- Meridians: A traditional medicine concept involving channels and networks.
- Blood stasis: A pattern concept in traditional medicine.
- Body Balance: Meccrom’s term for planning the scope and order of care across body areas.
