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The Dance of Yin & Yang:
Cultivating Feminine Flow
and Masculine Presence
The
ancient path of Tantra is about wholeness, awakening, and embracing
all that life has to offer. Every situation, whether pleasant or unpleasant,
is an opportunity to become more aware of who we are, what we respond
to, and how we experience life. Everything we experience can be seen
as an opportunity to open and expand our consciousness, and to integrate
the seemingly opposing aspects of our self. In fact, Tantra embraces
opposites, seeing them not as contradictions but as the dynamic polarities
of our aliveness, our whole selves. Tantra recognizes that every person,
whether man or woman, has both masculine (Yang) and feminine (Yin)
qualities. These qualities arise from the lifeforce energy that manifests
uniquely in each of us.
Yang,
your masculine essence, is the active expression of your self –
from which you manifest presence, strength, direction, and purpose.
Yang energy is the quality you call upon to take initiative, establish
leadership, and achieve goals. Yang energy also creates structure
and a safe container for Yin to open and express its aliveness.
Yin,
your feminine essence, is the receptive, open, and flowing expression
of your self - that dreams and surrenders to the magic and wonder
of life and love. When you call upon your inner Yin, you become more
alive, expansive, and permeable to everything around you. Yin energy
is devotional love, playful joy, and spontaneous creativity. Yin sees
beauty everywhere and appreciates the details in everything. Yin energy
also follows or yields – especially to Yang's active energy.
Margot
Anand, world-renowned authority on Tantra, and author of The Art
of Everyday Ecstasy and The Art of Sexual Ecstasy, explores
what happens when our Yin and Yang energies are in a harmonious dance,
or out of balance. "Balanced and integrated, these energies guide
us through life as a dynamic whole. We move forward with clear vision,
yet we are willing to trust and flow with whatever life brings us.
As we become more whole, our need to look outside of ourselves for
love falls away. We experience the sweetness of the Tantric union
of our inner man and inner woman. From this place, we can create more
harmonious and ecstatic relationships and more joy in our lives."
We
invite you to play with your inner feminine and masculine, by yourself
and with a friend. First, take a personal assessment of where in your
life you are more Yin or Yang, including at work, at home, in intimacy,
and in relationship to others. Can you quantify how developed Yin
and Yang are in the different aspects of your life?
With
a friend, practice embodying and expressing Yin and Yang energies.
Taking turns, decide who first will be Yang as the leader, and who
will be Yin as the follower. During this experience, Yang leads Yin
in creatively inspired movement, or in a number of other activities,
and Yin simply follows, surrendering to whatever initiative or direction
Yang offers. After a while, switch roles. In this playful game, Yang
becomes inventive, challenging, generous, and risk-taking. Yin becomes
open, receptive, and responsive. This practice builds trust and intimacy
between partners, as well as spontaneity and sincerity, love, and
playfulness. It challenges your inhibitions about asking for what
you want, and cultivates the art of fully giving and receiving. The
changes and reversals in roles will enrich your experience of the
masculine and feminine qualities present within yourself and in others.
Enjoy.
Namaste. And be well!
