Everthing in the universe is constantly changing.Each day we experience the result of this unceasing motion as night changes into day,activity changes into rest,youth into old age,life into death,and death into rebirth,An understanding of the changes that govern our lives and the natural environment,and recognition of the interrelationship between apposite yet complementary tendencies within these changes,helps us to achieve harmony in our bodies and minds.

The principle of yin and yang is the philosophical foundation of macrobiotics.The way to practice this universal principle in daily life was taught by Lau Tzu,Confucius,Budda,Moses,Jesus,Muhammad,and other great teachers throughtout history.To understand this simple principle and then to live its basic laws is the greatest way to perfect health and long life.

The principle of yin  and yang is also known as the “unifying principle” because it states that antagonistic forces complement and unify each other.A clear example of this is a man and a woman. Though men and women are opposites in many ways, they depend on each other for continued existence. Together,they form a unity each acquiring aspects of the other.

Many different interpretations have been given to yin and yang throughout history.Several thousand years ago in China,for example,the universal process of change was called the Tao.The Taoists and others based their teachings on the underlying principle of yin and yang.In the Hindu religion,Brahma,the absolute,becomes Shiva and Parvati,the god and goddess whose cosmic dance gives rise to all phenomena in the universe.Similarly,in the Shinto religion,Ame-no-Minakanushi,who stands for infinity,becomes Takami-musibi and Kami-musubi,the gods of centrifugality and centripetality,respectively,from whom the phenomenal universe arises.