Yin and Yang Aspects of Self-Energy

An embodied exploration of the 8 Cs

Carolyn Baynes — August 2026

After my Level One training, I found myself exploring how to experience a more embodied sense of Self-energy, so that I could bring it more fully into my sessions. This led me to doing a Qi-Gong exercise before each client. I would lift my arms, palms facing upwards, either side of my body and, when my hands reached the space above my head, turn my palms down and imagine a “Qi Shower” of Self-energy or Life Force drenching every cell of my body. I would do this eight times, naming one of the C Qualities as I did so.

At the end of the practice, I would invite the Guides and Ancestors in my life and my clients’ lives to bless the session ahead and support the healing.

Over time, I began to wonder whether the 8 Cs could also be experienced through a yin/yang lens. In my own body, four seemed to have a more yin quality and four a more yang quality.

In mindfulness meditation, I have often come across the idea of “Soft Front, Strong Back” as a guide for keeping our systems balanced: neither too loose nor caught up in striving. I became curious to notice whether some of the C Qualities were experienced more in the soft, open front of my body — perhaps under the “yin” label — while others seemed to arise more strongly in the strong back body, and so perhaps under the “yang” label.

It may be different for you, but this is what I found:

Yin — Soft Front Body	Yang — Strong Back Body
Compassion	Confidence
Connection	Courage
Creativity	Clarity
Calm	Curiosity

It isn’t that Self fits neatly into the categories of yin or yang; rather, Self-energy can move between, and encompass, both.

As this practice deepened and widened to include breath and other movements, I began to notice certain parts of my body resonating more strongly with particular energies. For example, my soft, open belly seemed to be a place where I experienced creativity, while the strong mid-back, just behind the heart, seemed to be a place where I experienced courage.

Perhaps this is different for different people, and I would love to know what you discover.

Bringing this into the therapy room

So how does this impact my work in the therapy room?

I have begun to wonder whether some bodily sensations that arrive as pain during a session might sometimes be understood as signals from my system that a particular quality of Self-energy is needed. Rather than seeing these sensations simply as something to get rid of or move away from, I am becoming curious about what they might be telling me.

For example, in a session yesterday, I noticed a sudden and intense pain in my mid-back. The client had been experiencing a part that was trying to take her away from a vulnerable feeling by distracting her.

I brought my attention and breath to my back and noticed the sense of space and courage that came from staying present with the part, rather than being pulled away from it. From that place, I felt I could breathe something of that Self-energy towards my client — offering a little more space and courage for her to stay with what was vulnerable.

I find it fascinating that Self-energy can be experienced through both yin and yang qualities: soft and strong, receptive and active, open and courageous.

It fills me with delight that Self-energy has both yin and yang qualities — and I hope it does for you too!