Darkness and Light

Take a good look at the above symbol of yin-yang.  This symbol is rooted in Taoism/Daoism, a Chinese religion and philosophy. Although its roots are in China, its meaning and symbolism resonate within the practices of yoga as well. The yin, the dark swirl, is associated with shadows, femininity, and the trough of a wave; the yang, the light swirl, represents brightness, passion and growth. In yoga, we look at seemingly opposites such as Shiva and Shakti (masculine and feminine energies) as well as two of the three main meridians known as the ida and pingala nadis. These channels of energy represent the sun and moon as well as hot and cold; action and passivity; introversion and extroversion.

Some might initially perceive the yin-yang symbol as representing two separate and opposing entities, perhaps even as far as the often sinister interpretation of darkness as holding evil and the ethereal white lights as having purity.  However, the two coming together are representing connection and wholeness, rather than opposing forces.

Within the dark yin is also a circle of light which can be interpreted as that even in the most challenging, difficult and darkest of times, light always can be found to be present.  And within the brilliant white is a reminder of the dark circle to hint that lying within radiance darkness is also present.  It's an accepting of the whole.

Yoga and meditation teaches us to look at what is present in each and every moment.  It teaches us to be with what is without trying to alter, ignore or push it away.  Just because we may not like what we see, we can't deny it's existence.  It doesn't mean that we need to embrace or condone what lies in the shadows, but to not be ignorant of its presence.

Along the path of our own evolution, we slowly peel away layers of our own lives.  It's not that we need to bring peace into our hearts but we need to remember that peace is already within. Throughout our lives, we collect layers of armor, like dust building up on a mirror, that stop us from seeing the light within.  We can go for years with an underlying sense that life is difficult, that we need to be fixed, to redeem ourselves to feel worthy and become "better". But yoga teaches us to slowly take a duster to the mirror and look through the darkness.  It teaches us to observe our thoughts and recognize that most of what we think might not even be true.  It teaches us to trust an inner, deeper sensibility that inherently knows our own light.

From the other side, it also teaches us not to be all love and light all the time.  We need discernment, we need a filter, sometimes we need to find fierce courage and we need to honor those dark moments that we face.  In those times when we feel agitated and less than connected, we honor where we are without feeling that we are less than pure or less of a yogi/yogini to hold darkness.  

In recognizing both the darkness and the light we connect to the whole.  We realize that these states are not separate from each other, but rather completely embracing of each other.  Our yoga and meditation practices teach us that as individuals we too are not disconnected but an integral part of the whole.  When we look into our own darkness and realize the light we begin to not only see it and accept it within ourselves but to do the same in others.

Allow yourself to embrace the whole of you and the whole of all beings...in darkness and in light.