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| Level Your Life - [The Level of Yin and Yang] [4.37] |
Yin Yang
In our Western world we are trained to be dualistic, comfortable with distinction: either in shapre or not; either a winner or a loser; too fast or too slow; soft or strong; flexible or inflexible. But actually there is no split between yin and yang, as they are balanced opposited and integrated into one undivided whole. All dualistic opposites are one. Night and day are actually one whole twenty-four-hour cycle; less is actually more; soft is also strong; going slower could propel you faster; not doing is doing; opponents are partners.
Neutralizing dualities helps you develop strength and allow higher levels of performance to be possible.
If you are too yang, you are unnecessarily aggresive and too outcome oriiented and as a result will become tight, nervous and tense. This leads to mistakes and setbacks. If you are too yin, you are too passive and self-conscious, causing you to be timid and unassertive; you become too hesistant and tentative to achieve your potential.
Example: A cyclist can be too yang when she constantly azzacks the hills in a race rather than assessing the right moment to challenge here opponent.A basketball team can be too yin if they play it safe.
By balancing yin and yang, the warrior stays in harmony with the flow, with the natural way of life. Developing the right timing is also crucial. You can be both passive and aggressive as you lull your opponents to sleep - you can be easygoing, then attack with the ferocity of a tiger. Soft is strong as you relax and become more powerful.
We encourage you to blend with this paradoxical mystery of yin-yang opposites and mix both for extraordinary performance.
Declaration: I look for ways to neutralize opposites by seeing how each extreme is,indeed an important part of the whole. Less is often more.
Reflection:When is less more, when is soft strong ? When does the mind dance? When does the body think ?How does understanding these paradoxes help my performance ?
[paraphrased and inspired by Spirit of the Dancing Warrior]
