Checking in is all part of creating a self-healing yin yoga practice. We feel that a yin yoga practice has a uniquely restorative effect for the “thick” fluids of the body and can create a sense of calm for people who are more on the deficient side of the Wood element.Įither way, take the time to check in on the condition of your physical, mental and emotional landscapes this time of year and in your practice. If this is you, you may feel like you can just melt into the floor or stay in a Wood element pose for way longer than 3-5 minutes. Meanwhile, for those with deficient Liver blood or yin (or deficient Qi, in general), these poses can feel “relaxing” and nourishing. For some, adding in a bit of acupressure to points along the primary channels can be helpful to encourage stagnant energy to move more freely (more on this in another article).
That can be your breath, an intention for the future, or even the sounds that rise and fall around you. Since there is always yang within yin (and vice versa) perhaps look for the movement within the stillness. One of our faves is doing windshield wiper movements with the legs in between poses to encourage energy to move along the inner ankles, shins, and thighs.įeelings can be big this time of year too, so don’t be surprised if you start to feel a bit agitated or spun up while in Wood element poses.įor folks who experience more stagnant Liver energy, staying still can be tough. Since there’s always a bit of yang within yin, and because the very nature of the Wood element adores movement, we recommend adding a little more variety and flow into Liver sinew channel sequences. Depending on your hip structure or tension, consider adding a block or pillow underneath the outer thighs to find some ease in this pose. Either way, we’re still looking to feel this along the inner thigh/groin to exaggerate the Wood element here so adjust and adapt accordingly.Ĭooling down some of the heat that stagnant Liver qi can create, reclined butterfly pose (or reclined bound angle) can feel like a quieter and more vulnerable expression of Wood element energy.
#Spring yin yoga sequence free#
If forward folds are not your jam, feel free to bend the knees slightly by placing a small pillow underneath the knee joints, or maybe elevate your hips by sitting on a rolled up blanket to aid with pelvic tilting in this pose. Adding a bit more pressure to the inner ankles would emphasize that part of the Liver sinew channel a bit more.įor the less than hamstring flexible folks in the room, Dragonfly Pose can be challenging. If it’s more suitable, you might want to explore changing the ankle or foot position here to morph this posture into a wide-kneed child’s pose instead. We find it helpful to add ample cushioning underneath both knees (like a blanket) and rest the weight of the torso on a bolster.
One of Sean’s personal favorites, Frog Pose can be intense with passing time. Below, we offer a few of our favorite Wood element-inspired poses and how we approach them. Looking simply at yin yoga as a practice, we’ll overlay the Liver sinew channel pathway on top of a few yin yoga poses to highlight some postures that are a bit more “woody” in nature. Since the Wood element can be explored through, and correlated with, the channel system of the body ( head’s up we wrote a whole article on that HERE), we’ll use the Liver sinew channel as our guide today.
Balancing out overactive or undernourished Wood energetics can be tricky this time of year, but a five element-focused yin yoga practice can be just the thing to roll into your rhythm and ease some tension.
#Spring yin yoga sequence full#
It’s springtime here in the Pacific Northwest and the Wood element is in full swing.
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