Yin Yoga was developed by focusing on the energy lines (so called Meridians) of Traditional Chinese Medicine. But it’s always nice to have another point of view.
The angle we are looking at has its base in yogic tradition. The Chakra System.
Chakra can be translated as wheel or circle which keeps the energy in your body flowing.
Or imagine a roundabout in a big city.
Energy has different names in different traditions. In Traditional Chinese Medicine it’s called Qi (Chi) . In Yoga Philosophy we call it Prana.
In the perfect world everything is balanced, Prana is flowing through your body to give life force and clarity. Prana would nourish every cell in your body and you would feel perfectly aligned and at ease. Perfect world.
Now imagine the big roundabout around the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. At rush hour. 12 Avenues coming together. Well, let’s say every now and then this gets out of control.
And this is something that happens all the time in your body. Influenced by the outside world which is not always sunshine and butterflies. Influenced by what we take in. On all levels of senses.
One day something unexpected happens which will bring you out of balance. Physically, mentally or emotionally all layers of your body can be affected. Energy stucks or runs too fast.
By practicing Yoga we want the energy to flow. At the right speed. We want the energy to run from the very root to the very crown in our body. It’s said that we have a main channel or energy line (Sushumna) and two lines wrapped around Sushmna.
The Energy lines are called Nadis in Yoga Philosophy. And the two around the main Nadi are called Ida and Pingala. There is a whole story about these two, but this is another chapter.
On this main channel – Sushumna – are the main chakras located.
Fun fact: there are these 3 famous Nadis and the 7 famous Chakras but there are thousands more…Imagine, like France with it’s 20.000 to 65.0000 roundabouts (no one is really sure about the amount)
The three Nadis reach from the Root Chakra (Muladhara) to the Crown Chakra (Sahasrara). They are passing the Sacral Chakra (Svadhisthana), the Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura), the Heart Chakra (Anahata), the Throat Chakra (Vishuddha) and the Third Eye Chakra (Ajna). Every one of them is passing the energy through. From one to the other. From bottom to top.
If you are on the highway wanting to go from one place to the other, knowing you have to pass seven roundabouts, what do you think will happen? Well, hopefully nothing and you reach your destination without complication. But probably you will find others on the way. A bike that slows you down. A truck which can’t pass the roundabout and causes a traffic jam. Or maybe no one on the streets, which makes you go faster than allowed and will send a picture of you driving home.
By practicing Yoga we are cutting these obstacles out. We create secured highways, where no bicycles are allowed, the roundabouts are big enough for trucks and the car you’re driving is not letting you go too fast.
Now that sounds easy. But going or growing from root to crown takes time. And in this time so many things can happen. You might get a good foundation but years later they don’t have enough asphalt to build what’s necessary. There begins the Chakra Healing.
Btw this insight is an insight and does not claim to be complete. As I write this text more and more appears in my mind and I want to explain more about the Chakras. Actually I already did more than my intention was. So I stop here, but feel free to contact me if you have any further questions or if you don’t understand my metaphors. 😉
Coming back to my intention and the beginning of the text. I want to focus the next online Yin Yoga classes on the Chakra System. In the seventh class we practiced Yoga Nidra. The Yogic Sleep. A Meditation practiced in Savasana.
Hope to see you on the mat.
Lots of love and light, Andrea
