What is Yang?

Yang is a key principle of Traditional Chinese medicine associated with the more energetic parts of our being and nature. Yang is masculine, bright, warming, dry, expansive, rising, extroverted, protective, and fast. Yang is excited. Yang is active.

Yang controls all transformation happening in the body. It also controls motion—regulating bodily functions and physical locomotion. Yang warms the body. It also holds the blood, body fluids, and organs in place. Yang provides protection and is the body’s line of defense.

When Yang is deficient in the body, we can feel cold and be unable to warm up, have a pale face, feel lethargic and fatigued, lack initiative or feel like our spark is missing, and have weak breathing or a weak voice.

If you experience the symptoms above, try adding more of these foods into your diet: quinoa, leeks, mustard greens, onions, squash, turnips, watercress, cherries, peaches, raspberries, strawberries, chestnuts, walnuts, pistachios, anchovies, lobster, mussels, shrimp, lamb, chicken, cayenne, cinnamon, garlic, ginger, clove, turmeric, fennel, rosemary, jasmine tea and blue-green algae.