What are the meridian points for Yin YTT yoga?
meridian points for Yin YTT yoga
In Chinese Medicine life-energy (qi or chi) flows around the body through an invisible network of pathways called the meridians. When a meridian is blocked this can cause physical pain or imbalance in the emotions. Meridian points are acupuncture points where energy can be stimulated and flow restored. Yin yoga is a great way to stimulate these acupuncture points and promote the smooth flow of qi throughout the body.
Yin YTT for meridians is a slow, deep style of yoga in which poses are held for an extended time, typically three to five minutes or more. The long-held postures of yin yoga provide gentle pressure on the body’s meridians, which helps to increase their circulation and promotes the smooth flow of qi.
There are 12 major meridians that can be stimulated in yin yoga. Most of the meridians are named after the internal organs that they influence or are connected to. Each meridian also has an emotional quality that it is associated with.
What are the meridian points for Yin YTT yoga?
The heart meridian is the meridian of love and compassion. It begins at the pericardium sac in the chest and moves downward and across the neck to terminate in the pinky finger. When out of balance this meridian can manifest as insecurity and self-loathing, while balanced it is related to empathy and loving-kindness. Poses to target the heart meridian include melting heart pose and reclined butterfly.
Another meridian that is stimulated in yin yoga is the liver meridian which influences happiness and confidence. This meridian begins at the big toe and runs along the inside of the leg until it reaches up to the liver itself. It can be affected by anger and irritability, so it’s important to keep this meridian flowing freely. Poses that will support the liver meridian include dragonfly pose and frog pose.
Finally, the kidney meridian is the meridian that supports clarity of mind. This meridian starts at the bottom of the foot and runs up the back side of the body to the pinky toe. When out of balance this meridian is associated with fear, anxiety and urinary disorders. Poses that will help to balance this meridian include caterpillar and seal poses.
In this advanced yin yoga teacher training we will explore the meridians in more detail and how to incorporate them into your practice. You will learn to use trauma-sensitive language when discussing the meridians and how to incorporate longer yin poses that stimulate the meridians in particular parts of the body. You will also learn how to use the meridian pairing system to guide yin yoga classes. If you are already a yin yoga teacher this will give you a deeper understanding of how to incorporate the meridians into your own teaching and how to teach more specialized classes to your students. If you are not yet a yin yoga teacher, this will be a foundational course that will allow you to build your knowledge of meridians, anatomy and exercise theory.