July 13, 2016: Yin Yoga, and Summer Meridians

July 13, 2016:

Time to get back into doing my daily Yoga practice.  The past two weekends have been busy, with a house full of company both weekends.  Plus, I’ve been subbing for another Yoga teacher, which is cutting even more into my personal Yoga practice.  I’ve done my practice a few days during the week but now, I’ve got time to get back to a regular practice. 

I love Yin Yoga.  Yin is a slow, meditative practice consisting of very deep stretches (mostly floor poses) that are achieved by keeping the overlying muscles completely passive, thus allowing the tendons, ligaments, and fascia to be stretched, strengthened and lubricated.  This practice is also very good for the joints.  I usually do about an hour of Yin, followed by some sun salutations with variations and warrior flows, as my personal practice. 

I love Yin so much that I did a 30 hour teacher training focused on Yin.  I think it is time that I start bringing the energy meridians into my daily focus, along with my chakra balancing and Reiki application. 

Yin Yoga meridians correspond with several things, one of which is a season.  Since it is Summer, I will talk first about the two meridians corresponding with this season, the heart meridian (a Yin meridian) and the small intestine meridian (a Yang meridian). 

The heart meridian is connected to the heart of the physical body.  The heart is the first functional organ in a fetus (it begins to beat at around 3-4 weeks of development), and it is responsible for the circulation of blood throughout the body and the brain.  The heart helps to monitor and control our body temperature, allowing us to adapt to external environmental conditions.  The heart meridian is connected to the element of Fire, to the emotions of sadness and joy (opposites), to expansion and awareness, acceptance, and the wisdom that is present at the height or peak of development. 

The heart meridian begins in the heart and circles the entire area of the heart.  One internal path of the meridian goes to the eye, and the other part circles through the lungs, reaches out to the small intestine (its Yang partner), and then surfaces along the skin on the inside of the opposite arm, across the inside of the wrist (across the pulse point), along the palm, and ends at the tip of the pinky.  When the heart is balanced, so are our emotions, our thoughts and senses, and our access to spirit.  Our conscience is in place, our breath is even and fulfilling, we are optimistic, and we feel a loving connection to the world and its inhabitants.  Thirst of any kind, whether physical, emotional, mental or spiritual, is an indication of imbalance, as are shortness of breath, inability to speak, uneven pulse, and restless sleep.

My next post will describe the small intestine meridian.  Hopefully writing things out like this will encourage me to remember where the meridians are and what body processes and sensations they affect.

And I did throw a Wild Unknown Tarot card, too, the Six of Cups.  Here are my thoughts regarding this card: This card shows a perfect young evergreen above ground with soft horizontal lines in the background, and the huge support network (larger in mass than the tree itself) of roots belowground colored in green, yellow, blue and red, with the entire image surrounded by evenly-spaced cups, two in either upper corner, two at ground level, and two in either lower corner.  An evergreen never fades or experiences Winter, and our emotions are also eternal.  We aim toward emotional enlightenment as we live our lives.  When we look back at where we’ve come, our memories can be without imperfection.  Who we are right now, the person we are, is supported by everything that has come before this moment, and most of that support (while connected to the visible effects of every element in our world) that has been in existence since before the tree first pushed its evergreen leaves above ground, is not visible to the naked eye; we have to get a shovel and dig in order to see it.  But whether perceived or not, there is a balance created by that support, just as there is a balance created by the memories of who we were and where we are going, and that balance brings harmony and serenity.

With all the focus on roots the Six of Cups brings, it is only fitting that the first of my brugmansia seeds officially sprouted today.  Yay!  Looks like that supporting root system is in place, even if I can’t see it.  Thank you, Haftorang!

$>