Stay Calm and Balanced with a Simple 20-Minute Practice
Do these four Yin poses before or after bed.
My newest yoga obsession is with Sarah Powers, the brilliant yoga teacher and author of Insight Yoga. In the book, she overlays traditional Chinese meridian lines with Yin yoga poses, which are similar to regular poses only they're held for minutes at a time and targeted at the body's connective tissue and joints.
The basis of traditional Chinese medicine (and acupuncture too) is a network of organ-specific meridian lines that run through the body. The Kidney meridian line for example, runs from the bottom of the baby toe up the inner legs, along the spine to the tongue. Unlike Western medical models, the Chinese model holds that your physical body and your emotional states are inseparable. So when the "kidney chi" is deficient because the organ is working too hard to process stress hormones or unhealthy food, you'll feel less able to cope with life in a healthy, open way. In fact, the main emotion associated with unbalanced kidney chi is fear, which we could also call anxiety.
That's where Yin yoga comes in - Sarah Power's Yin sequence for the kidney/urinary bladder meridians beneficially stresses the tissues along the kidney line, thereby improving circulation, stimulating and toning the organ and helping to bring energy back into balance.
I've been practicing the sequence below most days - either before bed or after I wake up. Sometimes both. I really notice a difference in the quality of my sleep and my mood during the day. Maybe you're reading about kidney lines and being like, "Ok, whatever. That's crazy." And that's fine if you are. Even if it doesn't speak to your world view, stretching quietly for 20 minutes absolutely will reduce your stress, optimize your body functions, and reduce over stimulation.
Hold each of these poses for 3 to 5 minutes. Download the Insight Time app on your phone if you haven't already and use the timer tool for an easy way to time yourself.
1. Dragonfly Pose - Sit with legs out as wide as comfortable. Relax feet and ankles and fold torso forward. You can rest your head on a pillow, a bolster, a block, or just rest hands and forearms on the ground.
2. Saddle Pose - Sit on your shins with your knees bent. Take you ankles outside of your thighs. Your knees can be as wide as you like. Lay on your back. Some people might be able to lie all the way on the ground, others will need cushion behind as shown.
3. Butterfly Pose - Bring the bottoms of your feet together about 1 -2 feet away from your pelvis. Fold. Relax your jaw, chest, hands and feet.
4. Seal or Sphinx Pose - Lie on your belly. Bend your elbows and place your forearms on the ground, with your elbow a little forward of your shoulders. You can stay here - we want to feel a little compression in the low spine, but nothing jarring or sharp. If your shoulders feel heavy, walk your elbows a little closer to the top of your mat. If you feel like you want more, straighten your arms, and press your palms into the ground for Seal pose.
The basis of traditional Chinese medicine (and acupuncture too) is a network of organ-specific meridian lines that run through the body. The Kidney meridian line for example, runs from the bottom of the baby toe up the inner legs, along the spine to the tongue. Unlike Western medical models, the Chinese model holds that your physical body and your emotional states are inseparable. So when the "kidney chi" is deficient because the organ is working too hard to process stress hormones or unhealthy food, you'll feel less able to cope with life in a healthy, open way. In fact, the main emotion associated with unbalanced kidney chi is fear, which we could also call anxiety.
That's where Yin yoga comes in - Sarah Power's Yin sequence for the kidney/urinary bladder meridians beneficially stresses the tissues along the kidney line, thereby improving circulation, stimulating and toning the organ and helping to bring energy back into balance.
I've been practicing the sequence below most days - either before bed or after I wake up. Sometimes both. I really notice a difference in the quality of my sleep and my mood during the day. Maybe you're reading about kidney lines and being like, "Ok, whatever. That's crazy." And that's fine if you are. Even if it doesn't speak to your world view, stretching quietly for 20 minutes absolutely will reduce your stress, optimize your body functions, and reduce over stimulation.
Hold each of these poses for 3 to 5 minutes. Download the Insight Time app on your phone if you haven't already and use the timer tool for an easy way to time yourself.
1. Dragonfly Pose - Sit with legs out as wide as comfortable. Relax feet and ankles and fold torso forward. You can rest your head on a pillow, a bolster, a block, or just rest hands and forearms on the ground.
2. Saddle Pose - Sit on your shins with your knees bent. Take you ankles outside of your thighs. Your knees can be as wide as you like. Lay on your back. Some people might be able to lie all the way on the ground, others will need cushion behind as shown.
3. Butterfly Pose - Bring the bottoms of your feet together about 1 -2 feet away from your pelvis. Fold. Relax your jaw, chest, hands and feet.
4. Seal or Sphinx Pose - Lie on your belly. Bend your elbows and place your forearms on the ground, with your elbow a little forward of your shoulders. You can stay here - we want to feel a little compression in the low spine, but nothing jarring or sharp. If your shoulders feel heavy, walk your elbows a little closer to the top of your mat. If you feel like you want more, straighten your arms, and press your palms into the ground for Seal pose.
