Body lateralization

Published on Useful concepts.

Body lateralization is a synonym of body polarity

See Body Polarity

Body Polarity

Published on Useful concepts.

Yin/yang polarity of the body regarding its left and right sides is a long debate.

When we say yin/yang polarity, it means a masculine/feminine polarity in our body.

You can read a lot in many books about yin/yang polarity. And you always end up confused. I decided to summarize what I have studied and what I have understood of body polarity over my years of experience with this matter.

Many talk about physical constitution polarity of the body and others talk about physical condition polarity of the body. And it can become very confusing indeed.

Let’s start with the QUESTIONS OF PHYSICAL CONSTITUTION.

1. About incarnation (Physical constitution)

From the standpoint of physical constitution, we know that the human being is an animal. A particularity of animals is that they are born from the head to the feet, or from Heaven to Earth. We incarnate from head to toe. It means that we are bound for earth. Plants, on the contrary, grow from Earth to Heaven, “from toe to head”. We find a fit, a harmony, between animals and plants in the way animals are born from head to toe and plants grow in the exact opposite direction.

In the dual world of the matter we embody, everything is the sum of two opposites. If it is not so, there is no harmony. Light needs darkness, a male needs a female, and everything is a fit. Evolution can only happen when there are two opposites. This is how we get to the reality of yin and yang and to the male (Father) and female (Mother) models of human beings.

These two opposites create a polarity which leads to balance and harmony. Let us now talk about the polarity of the human body at physical constitution level only.

Human beings receive the strength of Heaven, yang, masculine, from the left side, and the strength of the Earth, yin, feminine, from the right side. This is the way the human body is built.

A person’s constitution is the result of many ingredients which are all related to the purpose of that person’s life when he incarnates. Constitution is tied to the message he brings to this world where he came to life i.e., to Karma.

2. About Left-handed and right-handed people (Physical constitution)

The different stages of animal life on Earth are imprinted on the human brain (collective unconscious) These stages include, obviously, the conflicts of sexual nature, as well as preservation and reproduction of species. In animal life, the highest priority was always the reproduction of species. The species comes first and only then the individual. Territory was always essential to life on earth. Thus, the family in its primitive and brutal stage is imprinted on the brain.

In this duality of earthly life we incarnate, this familiar duality is marked by the duality of man and woman. This duality represents a fit. When there is harmony, there is a fit, and there is a sense of mutual complement. That is the reason why it was necessary to create such duality in family, to differentiate the sexes and guarantee reproduction of species, so that one could take care of the child while the other could take care of protection. This is the reason for the differentiation of sexes in animal life.

In primitive society, men hunted and protected while women tended to children. When there were attackers, men stayed behind and fought while women fled with the children. But who could protect the species to assure their survival if the attackers were stronger than the men in the family? Good question! It was this question that led to yet another dual difference. Not all men went to combat. There was a need for two types of men and two types of women. There were right-handed and left-handed men, as well as right-handed and left-handed women. The same was true for animals, some were right-handed and others left-handed. This way some men went to combat while others fled. Women only went to combat when it was absolutely necessary.

Whenever nature was able to choose, it would always be the left-handed to go to combat. The order of departure for combat was as follows: First went the left-handed men, then the right-handed men, and only then went the women, left-handed women first and, on occasions of extreme need, the right-handed women.

Some humans are born left-handed and others are born right-handed. This characteristic is connected with the person’s physical constitution and his purpose in life, which is not important to discuss, judge, or contest. Simply understand and accept it as a fact. Some of us are born left-handed and others are born right-handed, period.

3. About brain polarity (Physical constitution)

The brain consists of a right hemisphere, which is yin, feminine, and a left hemisphere, which is yang, masculine.

The right brain is creative, soft, sensitive, flexible, submissive, and passive, yin; the left brain is powerful, wilful, hard-working, combative, confrontational, commanding, and active, yang.

The right side of the body seems to be directed by the left brain hemisphere, while the left side of the body seems to be directed by the right brain hemisphere.

Following this line of thought, and knowing that the right-handed person uses the left side of the body more, we could erroneously deduct that the right-handed person is more yang (functions with the left brain hemisphere, more yang, and more masculine) and that the left-handed person is more yin, or feminine. In fact, that is not what was stated above. It does not happen like that at all. The truth is there is a double crossing in the brain.

The two brain hemispheres of the cortex, right and left, each cross or affect the opposite side of the body, but, in a different area of the brain, at the brain marrow, they cross again. There is, therefore, a double crossing.

When it comes to protection, the fuse is at the level of the brain marrow, not that of the cortex. This fuse can be found where there is conflict and it is like a switch. Therefore, right-handed people function from the right hemisphere of the brain marrow (and left hemisphere of the cortex). Left-handed people function at the level of the left hemisphere of the brain marrow (and right side of the cortex).

We can then conclude, from the perspective of his constitution, that the left-handed human is more aggressive than the right-handed human.

In fact, during pregnancy, left-handed people experienced an increased permanency of Heaven’s energy, or yang energy from the Father. As we seen earlier, it is a matter of physical constitution and karma.

Let’s now talk about the QUESTIONS OF PHYSICAL CONDITION.

1. There is no general rule

From a condition standpoint, that is, the way of thinking, feeling, being, dealing with others, and dealing with life and the world, it is not possible to conclusively state that there is a side of the body that is yang, masculine, and a side of the body that is yin, feminine. Here, under condition, we speak of yan/masculine behaviours, and yin/feminine behaviours, independently from physical constitution issues. The yang behaviour is hence based on will, force, power, sense of direction, masculinity, determination, warlike attitude, and the possible connection to the masculine way of thinking and acting, the model of man and of biological Father. The yin behaviour is based on experiencing emotion, sensibility, intuition, femininity, greater passiveness, ability to let go, the feminine way of thinking and acting, the model of woman and of biological Mother. These definitions of yang and yin are universal, for men and women, left-handed or right- handed.

In this book, I distance myself from any theoretic or dogmatic attempt to define the yin/yang polarity of the body based solely on specific sides of the body, because it simply does not exist as such. I do not believe that there is an exclusively yin or yang side of the body.

2. About what one reads

In my fifteen years of experience dealing with the question of polarity of the human body based on the right and left sides, I have heard and read many things. Certain people claim that for right-handed people, the whole right side of the body is yang and the left is yin and that for left-handed people, the whole left side is yang and the right side is yin. Others say the exact opposite. They state that for right-handed people, the right side is yin and the left side is yang, and that it is opposite for left-handed people.

Others still like to draw a distinction between the earlier heaven and the later heaven. They believe that all the symptoms that occur during the life of a person (later heaven), if they occur on the right side, they are yin, and, if they occur on the left side, they are yang. But that, if the symptoms occur prior to the person’s birth or simply during a dream (earlier heaven), then the right side is yang and the left side is yin.

There are still others who defend that the right side and the left side are not necessarily always yang or always yin. They believe that some organs are simply more yang or more yin.

Others consider, for instance, that the head (above the shoulders) is more yang than the upper body (torso and arms), and that the upper body is more yang than the legs.

Others believe that the shape of an organ makes it more yang or more yin, but that its function makes it more yin or more yang, respectively.

Some of these people and a few others also claim that, with regard to polarity, the left-handed person and the right-handed person are opposites, while others claim that they are exactly the same.

What do we settle on? Do we choose a path and follow it? I have already attempted that. At first, I decided to follow the path that claims yang on the right side and yin on the left side for right-handed people and yin on the right side and yang on the left side for left-handed people. This worked for a short while. However, with the practical experience of working with people, I noticed that this theory only held true in some cases. So I decided to take the opposite path. For right-handed people, the right side would be yin and the left side would be yang, and vice-versa for left-handed people. This approach, too, worked for some time until, like before, the practical experience of working with people made me believe that, again, it was only true in some cases.

In any instance, whenever I had a left-handed patient, there was total confusion. And a question remained on my mind. What will I think when a patient with the organs on the opposite side shows up? Because, actually, there are people like that.

What seems clear is that all the theories that stand for a single polarity of the body tend to transform the reading of symptoms into a recipe. And many confuse matters of physical constitution with matters of condition. I believe they do it in order to simplify things or to sell pre-packaged solutions.

3. About my view on body polarity

The yin/yang polarity of physical and emotional symptoms of the body is associated with behaviours and, therefore, exclusively with physical condition.

These behaviours have many origins. Every symptom results from a mental process which does not work, whatever may be the person’s physical constitution. It is true that people with a stronger constitution are more resistant to certain physical imbalances than those with a weaker constitution. However, physical constitution is not in question when determining the causes for the development of a physical or emotional symptom, except when dealing with fetuses, new-born children, and infants.

The Breathing system

In the breathing system, the left side/right side yin/yang polarity exists for all, left-handed and right-handed people, in organs which are paired such as tonsils, lungs, and bronchi. It does not apply to the pleura or the upper respiratory tract. So, for left-handed and right-handed people, the right side is yang (masculine) and the left side is yin (feminine). In fact, lungs and bronchi deal with communication issues which are directly linked to the cerebral hemispheres of the cortex that control the opposite sides of the body. Both left-handed and right-handed people have similar cerebral hemispheres located in the same place.

The Circulatory system

The diagnosis of symptoms in the circulatory system is not constrained by the body duality of left side, yin, and right side, yang, or vice-versa; neither is it limited by the distinction between right-handed and left-handed people. The right side of the heart is the feminine side, yin, and the left side of the heart is the masculine side, yang. This is the case for all people, left-handed and right-handed!

On the left side we have one auricle and one ventricle, and the same is true for the right side. Oxygenated red blood comes out of the left ventricle through the aorta, vigorous blood (yang); a slower blood (yin), rich in knowledge of the body, is brought back to the heart by the veins and arrives through the right auricle to be purified.

The ventricles are dynamic while the auricles are more passive.

Therefore, the ventricles are more masculine (yang) and the auricles are more feminine, (yin). We are faced with a double duality. The left side is more yang, but the auricles’ side is more yin. Thus, the right auricle displays the yin of yin function. The left auricle displays the yin of yang. The right ventricle displays the yang of yin. The left ventricle displays the yang of yang.

The arteries

constitute the yang portion of the circulatory system. They extend from the left ventricle and transport oxygen and nutrients to the cells. Artery problems are typical of a more masculine behaviour, very yang, very regimented, very controlling, dominated by Cartesian thought, very radical. Artery problems are more common in the upper part of the body, the more masculine part, namely in the thorax, arms, and head.

The veins make up the yin portion of the circulatory system. They carry used blood to the liver and kidneys to be filtered, and to the lungs to release carbon dioxide and get oxygen. The veins lead to the right side of the heart, the more passive side.

Vein problems reflect a not so happy life, a passive life lacking contentment. They are problems which are more characteristic of excessively yin behaviours, of self-denial, of a “there is nothing we can do” attitude. These problems tend to occur in the lower parts of the body, namely in the pelvic area, genitals and legs.

The yin/yang polarity of the circulatory system is as follows: Symptoms in the arteries and symptoms in the torso, arms and head (upper part of the body) reflect excessively yang behaviours, very masculine, very combative. Symptoms in the veins, as well as symptoms in the pelvis and legs, reflect excessively yin behaviours, excessively passive, excessively feminine. It works the same way for left-handed and right-handed people. There is no distinction between left-handed and right-handed people.

The Digestive system

Problems in the digestive system are not tied to the body duality of left side, yin, and right side, yang, and vice-versa, either in right-handed or left-handed people. When it comes to yin/yang polarity, there is no single common denominator in the digestive system. Additionally, there is no distinction between left-handed and right-handed people. Each organ is considered as an individual case.

There are only two exceptions: dental caries (teeth enamel) and sinus mucus membranes of the nose (sinusitis) and mouth, which are regulated by cerebral hemispheres of the cortex. Thus, here, the right brain, yin, affects teeth cavities and mucus on the left side, while the left hemisphere, yang, affects teeth cavities and mucus membranes on the right side. In these two cases, a symptom on the right side is yang (masculine), and a symptom on the left side is yin (feminine), whether the person is left-handed or right-handed.

The Eyes

Here we talk about the sense of vision

Many people insist that there is yin/yang polarity depending on the side of the face where the eye is located. From the standpoint of the person’s physical constitution, it is true that the right eye is yin (Mother’ side) and the left eye is yang (Father’ side) for left-handed and right-handed people. However, considering its activity, functioning, and condition, there is not any common denominator to conclusively establish which eye is yin and which eye is yang based on the specific side. But we all have a leading eye which is the action eye, the yang eye. The other eye is the affective eye, of fear and danger, which is more passive, the yin eye. This is the receiving eye. So you should understand which of your eyes is the leading eye. That is your yang eye.

The Hearing

In the case of ears, it is impossible to determine the yin/yang polarity in function of their side.

Many people insist that there is a yin/yang polarity depending on the side of the head where the ear is located. From the standpoint of the person’s physical constitution, it is true that the right ear is yin (Mother’ side) and the left ear is yang (Father’ side) for left-handed and right-handed people. However, there is no common denominator to know which ear is yin and which ear is yang based on specific side from the physical condition point of view.

When a child suffers from otitis or loses hearing on the left side, it is not possible to conclude if the child has a problem with the Father or with the Mother. In fact, the child may have his feelings hurt because of something he heard from the Father. In this case it is likely that he will have a problem with the Father. However, he may feel hurt by what he hears about his Father (for example, by what the Mother says about the Father), in which case it is likely that the problem is with the Mother, not the Father.

The Locomotor system

In this supportive framework which includes bones, joints, tendons, ligaments and muscles, it is not always possible to find a common denominator when it comes to the yin/yang polarity based strictly on the side of the body where they are located.

The symptoms of the locomotor system are associated with mental inflexibility and undervaluation. Undervaluation and inflexibility are usually connected with communication issues, but they may also be related with the sensation of lack of self esteem, which leads to different yin/yang polarity based on individual cases.

In fact, communication issues are tied to the cerebral hemispheres in the cortex, which have a cross effect in the body, as the right hemisphere controls the left side of the body and the left hemisphere controls the right side. So, in this case, a symptom on the right side of the body reflects excessive yang (masculine) behaviour, and a symptom on the left side of the body reflects excessive yin (feminine) behaviour. This is the same for left-handed and right-handed people. It is so because the cerebral hemispheres are identical for both left-handed and right-handed people.

Issues related to lack of self esteem are not tied to communication. When the person has a feeling of self undervaluation, the tension trigger is connected with the brain marrow, which is another part of the brain. So, in the case of lack of self esteem, symptoms in bones, joints, tendons, ligaments, and muscles that happen on the right side show yin (feminine) behaviours, while those on the left side show yang (masculine) behaviours. This is the same for left-handed and right-handed people. In fact, the effect of the brain marrow on the body is not crossed: the right side of the brain marrow affects the right side of the body, and the left side of the brain marrow affects the left side of the body. For these reasons, the diagnostic yin and yang regarding symptoms in the locomotor system solely based on side polarity must be extremely careful. Nowadays, communication issues are much more common than any other issues. It is likely that the symptoms are almost all caused by relationship or communication issues. For this matter, in terms of diagnostic, we may assume that the right side of the locomotor system involves very yang behaviours, while the left side involves very yin behaviours, but we must allow some flexibility. This applies to left-handed and right-handed people, but evaluation must be careful anyway.

The Reproductive system

Problems in the reproductive system are only connected with yin and yang polarity based on the specific side of the body when dealing with organs that come in pairs (ovaries, breasts, fallopian tubes and testicles) but there is not a constant common denominator. They are treated on an individual case basis. Symptoms in the breasts are linked to right breast/left breast polarity, but without a common denominator. The fallopian tubes are linked to the reproductive system, primary system, which we inherited since the beginning of animal life on Earth. The sensation of aggression that a woman may feel today, and which may show up on a fallopian tube, is connected with the cerebral hemispheres. For that reason, we may assume that symptoms in the right tube are yang, and the ones on the left tube are yin, but this is not an all-inclusive statement. The gonads (ovaries in women and testicles in men) are linked to the reproductive system, primary system, which we inherited since the beginning of animal life on earth. The polarity of these organs is hard to determine and, actually, that is not necessary. In fact, problems in the gonads are related to the loss of a dear one, and, in most cases, the person is able to readily identify the loss. For the sake of diagnostic, in the rare instance when the person experiences some doubt, try to figure out if the right gonad is yang and the left gonad is yin. This applies to left-handed and right-handed people.

The Urinary system

There is a right side/left side polarity in this system but it only applies to the kidneys and ureters and does not work for all symptoms. This polarity is not always noticeable. For matters of diagnostic, we should start by assuming that for all people, left-handed and right-handed alike, the right kidney is yang, (masculine) and the left kidney is yin (feminine). However, in cases of renal insufficiency (kidney failure), this polarity is not applicable. Thus, one must be careful to assess polarity in this system.

© Copyright by Luís Martins Simões, developed by RUPEAL