Yin Yoga, the Element Water & New Beginnings
Yin Yoga is the combination of aspects from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and the philosophy of Taoism with the poses and philosophy from Yoga. In Yoga the subtle energy in the body is called Prana, and in TCM it’s called Qi, or life energy. Qi is manifested in Yin and Yang, literally meaning respectively ‘the shadow side of the mountain’ and ‘the sunny side of the mountain’. These energies are opposite, Yin represents the dark, cool, calm and feminine qualities and Yang the active, hot, light, warm and masculine qualities. They are present in everybody and as Qi it flows through 12 primary and 8 secondary meridians in the body. The 12 primary channels each have a connection to an organ and to an element.
One of those elements is water. This element fits perfectly with our theme of the month ‘New Beginnings’. The water element represents the energy that is present at the end and the beginning of a new cycle. It is compared to the potential of a seed where a beautiful tree can grow from. Which describes the energy I feel with opening our yoga studio very well! According to TCM, this element is -among a lot of other functions- connected to wisdom, assertiveness and commitment to a life path. When this energy is not balanced, it can show as fear of the future, indecisiveness and worrying thoughts.
The element water has literal physiological functions in the body and is located within two meridians. One is connected to the kidneys, and one is connected to the bladder. The kidneys regulate the fluids in the body, and the meridian is not only responsible for the kidneys, but also for the adrenal glands located on the kidneys. The function of this meridian relates to all other functions and organs. Kidneys store and govern the energy of reproduction, growth and development, but they also regulate life energy, govern the motion of water, growth of bones and bone marrow.
In my Yin Yoga classes in January (every Sunday morning from 8:30-9:30 am) I will use certain poses to feel the meridians of the kidney and the bladder and connect it to the water element. In the video I explain three poses that I find very useful to balance or activate this meridian: the Seiza pose (Vajrasana), the Supported Bridge (for opening of the heart) and the Caterpillar (Paschimottanasana).
Sources
J.R. Worsley - Classical Five-Element Acupuncture - Vol. 1 - Meridians & Points 2004 ISBN 0-9545939-2-8
Mu J, Furlan AD, Lam WY, Hsu MY, Ning Z, Lao L. Acupuncture for chronic nonspecific low back pain. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2020, Issue 12. Art. No.: CD013814. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD013814.
Acupuncture Points Guide. https://www.smarterhealing.com/kidney-meridian/
Kidney Meridian
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