The Five Elements and Yin Yang Theory

Let's tie this in a bit with the previous blog....

This part of the theory says that each of the 5 elements has an energy of both yin or yang- paired with and physically indicating the nature of that organ.

The five elements in this system are: wood, fire, earth, metal, water. They are representations of the elements outside of us AND are also considered to directly influence what is going on INside of us.

Ie: Yang organs tend to be physically hollow and more movable; focused on letting go and excretion (think stomach, intestines...)

Yin organs tend to be physically solid and have a steady function (think heart beating and liver constantly working...)

So each organ system works together as a whole AND in pairs of yin/yang- wow!

You can use the five elements to understand yourself and what needs more attention if you want to achieve more balance in life.

For example:

In the wood element, the liver is the Yin organ and the gall bladder is the Yang organ and they work together to support the nourishment and breakdown of fats and toxins to prepare for elimination of the bad and storage of the good.

Emotionally, the feeling associated with wood element is anger. If you are feeling angry all the time, it might be because there is too much heat or toxicity in your body and it is affecting the breakdown and elimination of the bad stuff. This starts irritating the liver organ, affecting your mood even more.

This can further impact things like blood pressure, menstrual pain, tension in the neck and shoulders and much more.

We can then again apply diet such as cooling foods-lemon, cucumber, more water etc... more relaxation exercises and time to rest. This will be an easy and gentle way to feel better (versus adding more heat by consuming spicy foods, alcohol or placing some other stressor that could "heat" up the system. This also applies to activity and thoughts!)

.....Or maybe you are feeling depressed, and there might be more of an earth imbalance, making you notice a stuck, muggy or foggy feeling. I often heard patients over the years share of craving more sweets, dairy and the same kind of foods that "match" this feeling of heaviness in the body/mind.

Can you think of how this has shown up in your own body? Have you ever eaten something and felt more phlegm suddenly or fatigue or even an emotion?

The best way to keep your body in balance is to eat a balanced diet. This can vary widely, but here are 5 simple guidelines:

1) Eat until you are 2/3 full; Leave 1/3 for food, 1/3 for air and 1/3 for liquid.

2) Enjoy last meal at least 2 hours before sleep to allow time for digestion.

3) Incorporate foods that represent all the five elements, or all the five flavors-

Bitter, Sweet, Salty, Savory, Sour (add healthy Fats for the ultimate balance)

4) Favor local and seasonal produce

5) Walk 100 steps after each meal

Doing one's best to live in harmony with the natural world is also necessary to our holistic experience, meaning the outer environment as well as diet/nutrition are both important to health.

These habits can shift seasonally as well as other helpful practices and schedules appropriate for that time of year where you live.

As you can see there are quite a few layers to this! I hope you enjoy noticing and exploring....

Does this bring up any thoughts, questions or aha moments for you?

Is there a particular Organ or Emotion that you feel is easiest/hardest for you to embrace working with and listening to?

We would love to hear your thoughts below!