Balance of YIN & YANG through KAN & LI (water + fire)
In this article I will tell you which role Kan (water) and Li (fire) play in regards to the balance of Yin and Yang in the body.
First, let’s get on the same page with the theory of Yin and Yang.
Everything in the universe contains Yin and Yang. In ancient times, the Chinese people were greatly interested in the relationships and patterns that occurred in nature. The concept of Yin and Yang came from the observation of nature and the environment and is used to understand relationships between physical things and phenomena. Yin and Yang theory is deep and encompasses everything in the universe. To understand it in relation to our Qigong practice, we will refer to them as two opposing yet complementary energies. The Chinese viewed the world as one harmonious entity and believed that nothing could exist unless it was seen in relation to its environment. Working with this system of thought the people recognized that almost all things could have complementary and opposing characteristics, sky and earth, day and night, water and fire, and although they are different in their individual qualities and nature, they are interdependent from each other. Night is Yin and day is Yang. Night is very different than day, yet it is impossible to have one without the other. Both create a totality, a complete whole.
Yang is associated with more energetic qualities, for example, active, ascending, expanding, hot, heavy, excited and expand. Yin is associated with stillness, descending, contracting, cold, light, calm and condense. Yin and Yang describes two relative aspects of the same phenomena.
Looking at the Chinese Yin-Yang model (Taiji), Yin (black) contains a bit of Yang (white dot). This means that Yin is also Yang because it contains some Yang. This presence is an important hint. Yin is able to transform into Yang under certain conditions because it has some Yang in it. Yin and Yang is never absolute, the day has always a bit of night in it. (early morning/late evening) This theory applies to the outside and physical world as well as the internal world within your body. If there was only Yin or only Yang the world would end, the same as a body without both of the energies would mean death. The relationship between Yin and Yang is one of balance and harmony. The two energies are always trying to balance each other out, creating a dynamic and harmonious flow. A good example in the outside world is the change of the seasons or a thunderstorm on a humid summer day. In terms of the internal world of your body, when your Yin and Yang are balanced you are healthy and well. Qigong practitioners believe that the body is always too Yang. Only when you are sick or haven’t eaten for a long time, your body is more Yin. The excess Yang in the body leads to a quicker degeneration and aging. If you concern yourself with the harmony of Yin and Yang and “the natural way” (Dao) you are on the best path to a healthy body and mind. When there is balance of Yin and Yang, excess energy is minimized and health is maintained. Longevity is reached through a healthy lifestyle, and by keeping Yin and Yang in balance through Qigong training.
We can assist the natural process of balancing energies within our bodies which have a direct affect to our mental and physical state of health and well-being. We can adjust Kan & Li (Water & Fire) and cool down the fire (Yang) to slow the aging process and prolong our life. The practice of the small circulation meditation will help you to build the awareness of this inner balance and assist you in various other ways on your journey.
Kan and Li
You already heard that Kan and Li need to be adjusted in order to balance Yin and Yang. Since Kan and Li are often confused with Yin and Yang it’s best to call them the tool that you need to make the adjustment. Imagine your body is the engine of a car and you need to use a special tool to adjust it’s function and make it run smoothly. Therefore Kan and Li is the method to adjust Yin and Yang and Yin and Yang is the outcome. If your body is too Yang (hot) it will “burn out” quicker and cause aging. If you use Kan (water) to cool down Li (fire) you can slow down this aging process and at the same time cultivate a healthy balance within your body. Your breathing has Kan and Li and so does your mind and spirit. Your Qi is the main cause for the Yin and Yang of your body and mind. If your Qi is not pure (for example due to air pollution or poor quality food) it is considered “Fire Qi” and the pure, high quality Qi is considered “Water Qi”. That’s the reason why we aim to improve the quality of our Qi through Qigong practice. Water Qi further aids in cooling down our body which is always believed to be too Yang.
To explain the the adjustment of water and fire within the body we will take a look at our breathing.
In Qigong, breathing is the strategy to lead the Qi. By changing the way you breathe, you will be able to adjust the Kan and Li of your body. You might not yet be aware of it, but in moments in which you are particularly excited (emotionally or during an exercise), your exhales are longer than your inhales, your body is Yang. The Qi is led to your skin where all the excess energy will dissipate through your sweat. On the other hand, when you are sad, your body is Yin and you have long inhales and short exhales. This leads the Qi inward to be preserved. You can see how your breathing (the strategy) is adjusting Kan (inhale) and Li (exhale) to balance Yin and Yang of your body. You might have noticed that the key is once again, awareness. Once you are aware of your current state of your body you can act accordingly and adjust Kan and Li and aid the balance of Yin and Yang.
In the previous blog post I have described the concept of Yi and explained the terms “Yi” and “Xin” which roughly translate to wisdom mind and emotional mind. (Click here to read up on that) Your mind has also Kan and Li. When your emotional mind is disturbed or offended it becomes the “Fire Mind” and your breathing is more vigorous. This will make your body more Yang. Most of us can probably relate to that. Just think back to when you were very angry or frustrated. The heat literally rises up all the way into the head… On the other hand a calm, tired or sad mind is considered a “Water Mind” which results in longer inhalations, making your body more Yin. Since the mind determines the strategy (breathing) it is important to regulate it in order to adjust Kan and Li. Simple meditation techniques and breathing techniques can prove very successful.
Water Dragon Arts offers a membership site which gives you exclusive access to a large collection of Qigong courses, programs and other lessons. Visit the online academy for more information.
For tutorials on different meditation techniques and more Qigong sign up to my newsletter. I hope this article has helped you with your research. Unfortunately there is not a lot of information available online. It is worth looking into literature from Matak Chia and Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming to gain a deeper understandig.
Until then,
Marco
