In this mini serie I would like to give you more details about elements of Yin Yoga.
Each element is most dominant in the particular season. The winter, which is also the most dominant of yin energy, is home of water element. Taosim teaches us:
"Life a life like flowing water."
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE NATURE
Looking into the winter nature, all is now getting ready to rest, to reconnect with The Earth. All life cycles are completed. Animals were mating in the spring, gave birth to their young and had enough time to teach them and ensure they will survive the winter. Trees, which were green in summer, then blossom to give their beautiful treasures in forms of fruits in harvest, went over the process of letting go of their leaves to be able to rest. To nourish and heal their roots. They let go to be ready for a new cycle to come. Just as bears hibernates, getting ready for long winter sleep, the yin energy of the season naturally leads us to slow down as other being and engage in nourishing activities. Long winter nights are ideal for process of healing and self-reconnection. Reminding us that there is potentiality in the darkness, where life begin, and dreams come true. Just think about the seeds which, thanks to natural intelligence became plants and trees.
WHAT DOES THE WATER ELEMENT TEACH US
We must develop the trust in life and surrounding to its flow.
Water energy helps us to step out to see the situation from a place of stable clarity. So should take a time to review the past year. It is important to cultivate the spirit of water we learn this process, the process of letting go. Close the old cycles to create space for new potentiality. The water shapes entire Earth, rocks and coasts, without force. Leads us to flexibility and fluid for the moment. Same as water is changing its form, shall we develop adaptations for changes and challenges.
MERIDIANS OF WATER ELEMENT
Winter and water are associated with Kidneys and Urinary Bladder. The kidneys filter all toxins from the blood while creating bone marrow, which is linked to bones, joints and ligaments, teeth’s, and nourishing the brain. Kidneys store our life essence, which has been gifted us by our parent in the moment of conception.
WHEN BALANCE
We have clear thoughts, good memory, great intuition and natural wisdom. The one experience the abundance of vitality, creativity, youngfullnes and sexuality.
WHEN INBALANCED
The one can experience fear, loneliness and insecurity. Long terms can lead into depression, low vitality and sexual appetite. The memory, especially short-term memory is affected.
WATER ELEMENT YIN YOGA
Below I share with you my 90 minutes Yoga Sequence whiI teach in Yoga By Ohm in Alcudia. Remember, we are taking it slow....
Danging 2-3min
Gentle stretch for your lower spine, loosens the hamstrings and warms up the quadricep.
Stand up, feet hib distance apart. Bend the knees and slowly lean forward. If your hands are not touching a grounds to rest, use any support like block or bolster. Relax your shoulders and neck. Hold the pose somewhere between 2 to 3 minutes. Avoid this pose if you have a high blood presure. If you have low blood presure, bad knees or back, use a wall to support your bottom, or even sit on the chair.
Squat 2 min
Slowly began to bring your bum down, bring your arms infront of you, hands in prayer and elbows pulling lightly against the knees or shin. Be careful and listen to your body if you have some knee’s problems.
Child pose 5 min
Coming to this restful pose you can open your knees wide and also support your pelvis with block or bolster. Pad your knees when you feel you need to. Slowly fold forwar, bringing your chest to your tights and resting the forehead on the ground. Pose is reliving back and neck problems, improving digestion and complet relaxing the nerve system, avoid while pregnant.
Heart melting 3 min
Walking your hands forward until your hibs are above your knees. Allowing your chest to drop down, or relaxing down your forehead. Arm straight, but f you feel tingling on the neck of shoulders, move arms more wide apart. Beautiful pose to open the shoulders.
Lie down 2 min
Just bring your belly down to the ground, hands in any comfortable position and allow your spine to come to its natural position.
Swing 3 min
Lift you heead from the ground and support the body with the elbows. Keep the shoulders and elbows in one level and dont worry to explore your shape by using the props underneath your belly, chest or even supporting your head. If pregnant, aslo use bolster to support your pelvis.
Child pose 2 min
Same as above, you can experiment with knees distance and aslo hands position.
Cat
To realise tention on the spine, we do couple of cat & cows movements. Be gentle and slow, following your breath. Starting eith tucking up the toes, arching the back and looking up when you inhale.
Cow
Untucking the toes, arhing the back, nevel pusing close to the spine while exhale. Try press the palms against the yoga mat and focus your gaze on the belly. Come back to cat and repeat few times.
Caterpillar 4 min
This deep forward fold stresses the ligaments along the back of the spine, compress the internal organs which helps with digestion, aslo deeply stimulates urinary bladder and kidney medirian. Elevating the pelvis if you have a tight hibs, padding the knees if you have a tight hamstrings. The only target here is a lower back. If you feel a lots of tention behinnd the neck like me, also support your head with any props or just making the fist with your hands. Melt down deep into your shape and bring it back to your breath.
Counter back bend 1 min
To naturalize the spice we strenghten the feet, toes pointing away. Plant your palms behind your hibs, fingers pointing toward your feet. Lean backward, lifting up your chest witht he inhalation. If it feels good to you, drop the head down.
Half butterfly 2 minutes each side - with windshield wiper in between
Shape stretching the lower back and deeply stimulation our target meridians. From a seated position, draw one foot infront your pelvis, the other one stretches out to the side. Move the torso along the straight leg, inhale and as you exhale start to walk your hands towards your straight leg. We have a curved spine and targeting mainly the lower back, aslo the groins. It is not important how far you get with your head. I like to support my head or chest with bolster. Once again, if you have a tights hibs sitting on the any prop is optional as well as padding the knees whe you feel a lot of tention undernearh at the hamstrings as this is not our target.
Windshield wiper
Just bend your knees and bring your feets together hib distance apart. Planting thee palms behind the hibs, fingers pointing front. Lift up your chest to apply little backband.
Droping knees left and right
In the same pose, dropping the knees to left and right, slowly and gently, enjoying the process of rebouding.
Butterfly 3 min
From the sitting bringing the soles of our feet together and slide them bit away from you. As we exhale walking the hands forward the feet, allowing the back to round as we fold. Lightly resting your hands on your feet or the floor infront of you. Your head should hand down, maybe with support if you feel tention behind the neck. Once again, you can elevate your hibs by sitting on bolster, blanket or block, supporting knees from site when needed.
Supported bridge 2 min
Lie down to the floor, bend your knees with feet on the floor. Lift up your pelvis and supprt the lower back or if it feels better the sacrum with bolster. Lower your pelvic and relax. If you want to deepen the stretch, rise your hands and stretch them above your head and then reax all the muscles.
Saddle / or hald saddle 2 minutes each leg
Sit on your heels and spread one leg infront of you. The other knee sllides on side and your sitting bones are touching the ground. We use the bolster along shole spine and built a support for our neck and head. Then slowly we can start to lowering the spine down to rest in the saddle pose, which stumilates urinary blader, kidney but also stomach and spleen meridian. If for any reason you dont feel comfortable in this position, feel free to strenghten both feet and lie in supported pose.
Lie down
Before moving to counter pose, we stay here in savasana for minute or two, just allowing our spine to come to its natural position and rest deeply. Relaxing your shoulders and hibs, palms facing up.
Happy baby 3 min
Laying on our back, bring the knees towards the chest. Draw the knees on site and grab the soles of your feet, the ankles or even back of your legs and pull down the knees towads the floor alongside your chest. Relax your head and shoulders down to the floor. Avoid the pose if you have very high blood presure, stay with knee to chest.
Knees to chest
Bbringing thhe knees towards your chest for hug. Then drop the feet down to the floor, hib distance apart knees bended. Open your arms to side like wings.
Reclining twists
Dropping the knees on one side. Dont lift your shoulders off the floor. Perpars if needed, rather support the knees to rest heavily. Before coming to centre to change the side, engale your abdominal muscles to protect the spine.
Savasana
Finally, we are geting into our final Savasana. Spread your feet about mat distance apart, relax throught the hibs. Arms naturally placed along the torse, palms facing up. relaxing the shoulders and neck. Finishing with beatiful meditation or listening the sounds of water to profound deeper connection to the water, our winter element.
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