Earth Element Yin Yoga: Spleen Meridian

This practice focuses on postures that target the Spleen Meridian line. The spleen is connected to the Earth element and the season of late summer and runs from the big toes up the inner legs, over the groins, and the abdomen to the diaphragm. Working with the spleen can help to strengthen digestion and alleviate feelings of worry.

To target this energy pathway we practice reclining butterfly, reclining tree, reclining pigeon, child's pose, baby dragon, dragon flying low, winged dragon, butterfly, dragonfly, half-butterfly, twisting half butterfly, and savasana.

Intro Music by Nature Eye
Relaxation Music by Lightning Music
Photo by Elina Fairytale

Transcript

Welcome to your yin yoga practice.

Before we begin just take a moment to make sure that you have everything you need for your practice today.

You'll need a yoga mat and if you're in a cooler climate make sure you have a blanket to cover yourself with during the relaxation at the end.

You may also need to support your body with props in some of the postures.

If you have yoga blocks those are great but you can also use cushions or pillows or a folded blanket to support yourself and if you have a yoga bolster that may be useful too.

So make sure that you have some of those with you in case you need them.

Yin yoga is a passive practice where postures are held for several minutes to stretch into the connective tissues.

These tissues are delicate and can be injured if they're stretched too forcefully or intensely.

It's good to be able to feel that something is happening but you should never be forcing a stretch or pushing yourself into a position and you never want to be feeling any physical pain as you practice.

Pain is a signal from your body that the position that you're in isn't safe or beneficial for you so if you do feel any pain at any time come out of the pose.

You can come into a resting position until the next posture or you can move back into another posture from the class that you didn't experience any pain in.

If you have any injuries or health conditions make sure to consult with your doctor before starting a new practice.

Yin yoga can have many benefits for health and recovery but it is important that your body is suitably recovered,

That the stretches will benefit the tissues and won't potentially make the injury worse.

So do please check with your doctor first for your safety.

As this is an audio session I will talk you in and out of the postures verbally but if at any time you're unsure of a posture and don't know if you're in the right position you can always pause the recording and do a quick internet search to bring up a picture.

I've included names for all of the postures so that you can easily do this if you need to.

Today we're going to begin in reclining butterfly.

So make your way down to lying on your back and bring the soles of your feet together so that the knees open out to the sides.

You might like to support your legs here by bringing a block or a cushion under the thighs so that your legs can comfortably relax outwards.

You can bring your arms to your sides or rest your hands onto your belly.

And just take some breaths here to arrive into your body for your practice.

Today we're working with this spleen meridian line which runs from the big toes up the inner legs over the abdomen to the diaphragm and then branches to the heart,

Spleen and the tongue.

So our postures today are mostly targeting the inner legs and the groins.

The spleen is connected with the earth element and the season of late summer and is paired with the stomach.

And the spleen is very closely connected with the digestive system.

A healthy flow of spleen energy leads to a strong digestive system and disruptions in the flow of spleen qi can lead to digestive problems.

So our practice today is especially beneficial for your digestive health.

As you continue to settle into your body,

Bring your awareness to the pathways of the spleen meridian.

From the big toes,

Up the inner legs,

Over the groin,

Over the abdomen to the diaphragm.

The meridian enters the body and branches out after this.

So we'll focus on this lower part of the meridian today as it's also in the part of the body where there's more fascia for us to work with.

For the next couple of minutes,

Just rest your awareness at these pathways running up the inner legs and over the abdomen and observe what you feel here.

Observe and feel any sensations that arise.

Nothing is right or wrong and there's no need to think about why anything feels the way it does.

Just take this time to connect with this part of your body and to notice what's happening there.

And now bring your hands to the outsides of your legs and push the knees together and bring the legs out to straight.

Take a few breaths here to feel into your body to notice how you're feeling after that first posture.

From here,

We're going to move into reclining tree.

So now bend your right knee and bring the right foot to rest on the inside of the left thigh so the right knee falls out towards the right side.

If your knee is very high off the ground here or if it feels very uncomfortable with your leg out like this,

Take a cushion or a block under the thigh.

You can rest your hands on your thighs or bring your arms over your head,

Keeping a slight bend in the elbows and relax into the posture here.

Observe what you feel.

Scan over your body to see if there are any areas that you can relax a little more,

Any places where the muscles are clinging.

And if you find any tighter areas,

Just send a mental message to those muscles to let go,

To release.

Take the right hand to the outside of the right leg and push the leg up to bring the right foot to the mat.

Bend the left leg to bring the left foot to the mat.

And keeping the feet apart,

Drop the knees together and take some breaths to observe any feelings or after effects from that posture.

And from here we'll move into reclining pigeon.

So take the knees apart so that they face up towards the ceiling.

And now bend your right knee again and take the right foot to rest on the left thigh.

If this is already giving you enough intensity,

You can stay here or otherwise lift your left foot off the mat and take your right arm between the legs to grasp the hands behind the left thigh.

Place some gentle pressure on the left leg until you feel your edge,

That point where it starts to feel more intense.

And relax into the posture here.

Observe the sensations that arise for your body in this position.

As your body gets used to being here,

You might find that you begin to lose intensity and it doesn't feel like so much is happening for you.

If that happens,

Gently draw the left leg a little closer towards you until you feel that edge again.

We'll be here for a few more breaths.

Take your time to come out of the posture.

Release the right leg and take both legs down to straight on the mat.

And take some breaths to observe any sensations,

Any feelings.

Observe how the right side of your body is feeling and how the left side of your body is feeling.

Now let's come into reclining tree on the other side.

Bend your left knee and bring the left foot to the inside of the right leg,

Supporting the left thigh if that feels best for you.

Take your hands to your thighs or over your head and relax into the posture.

Often the different sides of the body can feel very different,

So observe the sensations that come up for you on this side.

Take your left hand to the outside of the left leg and push the knee back up,

Bringing the left foot to the mat.

And take the right foot to the mat.

Keeping the feet apart,

Drop the knees together and take some breaths here to observe.

And we'll move into reclining pigeon on this side.

Bring the knees back up to face the ceiling and bring the left foot in to rest on the right thigh.

You can stay here or lift the right foot off the mat and take the left hand between the legs to clasp the hands behind the right thigh.

Relax into the posture.

If there are any places that feel especially tight or uncomfortable,

Remember that you can use the breath to help encourage a release in those places.

Inhale into that tight or uncomfortable area and allow the exhalation to carry some of that tension away.

Slowly make your way back out.

Release the left leg and bring both legs to straight on the mat and take some breaths here to observe.

Bend the knees in towards your chest and roll to one side to come up onto your hands and knees.

Next we're going to come into child's pose.

Take the big toes together and open the knees to the sides of the mat.

Sit down onto the heels and bring your foreheads down to the mat,

Taking the arms out in front of you.

You can support yourself here by taking a block onto your heels if it feels challenging for you to sit all the way back to the heels and you can support your forehead with a block or by folding your arms and resting the forehead onto the forearms if that feels best for you.

Relax into the posture.

Observe the sensations that arise for you here.

When there are blockages or disruptions in the flow of spleen energy,

The digestive system can be affected,

Causing symptoms like bloating,

Gas and even vomiting.

Along with digestive disturbances,

Another main symptom of a spleen imbalance is excessive worry and issues with the spleen can also lead to forgetfulness,

Cloudy thoughts,

Poor concentration and low self-esteem.

A healthy spleen brings us good self-esteem,

Fairness,

Openness,

Clarity of thought and a good memory.

So as we work through these postures today,

We're encouraging all of those positive qualities.

We'll just take a few more breaths here.

Slowly walk your hands in to bring yourself up and make your way to your hands and knees.

We're going to move into some dragon poses and if you'd like to support your knees a little more for these,

Just take a folded blanket under the knees for some extra padding.

We'll start with the right foot forward.

So bring the right foot between the hands,

Making sure that the right knee is aligned above the ankle and now turn the left toes under behind you and take the left knee slightly back,

Bringing the knee back to the mat with the weight just above the kneecap.

Coming into baby dragon.

Relax into the posture.

Remember to breathe into any uncomfortable places.

If this is giving you exactly what you need right now,

You're welcome to stay here.

Otherwise,

Bring the right hand to the inside of the right leg and step the right foot out to the right side of the mat,

Moving into dragon flying glow.

If you have the flexibility,

You may like to come down to your forearms here or otherwise remain on your hands.

Remember that we never want to be forcing anything in yin yoga,

So only come down if it's easily accessible to you.

You want to be at about 60% of your maximum stretch so that you can safely access the connective tissues.

When you find where you want to be,

Relax the muscles and keep breathing.

You're welcome to remain here or to come into winged dragon.

Drop onto the side of the right foot and allow the right knee to open out to the right side.

Again,

You can stay on your hands or rest on your forearms.

Observe what you feel here.

We're going to stay here for another minute.

Slowly make your way back out.

Take your time.

We don't want to move too suddenly and stress the tissues too much after such a deep stretch.

Slowly bring the right leg back behind you to come back to the hands and knees and sit back onto your heels into child's pose.

Rest your forehead to the mat or onto your stacked forearms and take some breaths here to observe.

Walk your hands in to come back to your hands and knees and let's come into dragon on the opposite side.

Bring your left foot forwards between the hands,

Aligning the knee with the ankle and turn the right toes under to lift the right knee and take the right knee back so the knee comes back to the mat with the weight just above the kneecap.

Relax into the posture.

Feel into the new sensations that arise for you on this side.

You're welcome to stay here if that feels best for you or to come into dragon flying low,

Bring the left hand to the inside of the left foot and step the foot out to the side of the mat.

You can come down to rest on your forearms here or stay on your hands.

Be sensitive to where your body wants to be as you rest into this next variation.

And if you want to come into winged dragon,

Come onto the outer edge of the left foot and let the left knee fall out to the side.

You can stay on your hands or come down to the forearms if that's accessible and comfortable enough for you.

Keep breathing into those uncomfortable places.

And slowly come back out.

Bring the left foot back to the mat and step the left leg behind you,

Coming back to your hands and knees and sit back onto your heels into child's pose.

Take some breaths here to rest and observe.

Slowly walk the hands in to come up and make your way to sitting on the mat for butterfly.

Bring the soles of your feet together so that the knees open out to the sides.

And if your knees are very high up on the mat or if it feels very uncomfortable sitting like this,

You might like to support yourself by sitting onto a block or folded blankets and placing blocks or cushions under the thighs.

And if sitting upright like this is giving you enough intensity,

Then stay as you are.

Otherwise,

Begin to fold forwards over the legs until you feel that edge,

When it starts to feel a lot more intense.

And relax into the posture here.

Keep the hands by the feet with the palms facing upwards and observe the new sensations that arise.

As we begin to stretch more deeply into the fascia,

Sometimes stored emotions can be released along with the physical tension.

And as we're working so much with the spleen meridian today,

It's very possible that stored feelings of worry may come up for release or any feeling that your body has been holding on to and is ready to let go of.

If this happens,

Know that it's a sign that your practice is working and that your body is releasing emotionally as well as physically.

And just watch that emotion as it releases,

In the same way that you watch the physical sensations,

Knowing that whatever you're feeling is on its way out.

We've got another minute here.

Bring your hands to the feet and slowly walk the hands up the legs to curl back up to sitting.

Bring the knees back up and take the feet to the mat and gently rock the knees from side to side here.

Observe any feelings,

Any sensations,

Any effects from that last posture.

And from here,

We'll move into dragonfly.

So open the legs to a comfortable open distance.

If it feels uncomfortable for you to sit upright with the legs open,

Or if your back curves when you sit like this,

Sit onto a block or a folded blanket so that you can lift the spine to straight.

Relax the legs and the feet.

And if this is enough for you,

Stay as you are sitting upright.

Or if you want to fold forwards,

Take a breath in to lengthen the spine up and exhale to fold forwards,

Taking the hands between the legs.

If you're more flexible,

You may come down to the forearms,

But remember to stay at your edge.

Relax into the posture.

We're going to be staying in these last few postures a little bit longer,

So we've got two more minutes here.

Slowly walk the hands in to come back up to sitting and bring the feet back to the mat to rock the knees from side to side again,

Observing what you feel.

Sometimes it's when we come out of the posture that we're really able to feel what it's been doing for us.

And now bring the legs back to the mat,

This time bringing the legs together straight out in front of you and we're going to come into half butterfly.

So keeping the left leg straight,

Bend the right knee and bring the right foot to the inside of the left thigh.

Like in our previous butterflies,

You can support your thigh with a block or a cushion and you can sit onto a block if that feels best for you.

Remain sitting upright if you're already feeling enough intensity here or to come forwards,

Take a breath in to lengthen the spine up and exhale to fold over the left leg,

Finding your edge.

Relax your hands to the side of the leg and observe the new sensations that come up for you here.

Scan over your body to see if there are any more muscles that you can relax.

Keep breathing into the discomfort and slowly walk the hands in to curl yourself back up.

Remember to take your time to come out.

Keep the legs as they are and we're going to come into a twist from here.

So now take your left hand to your right knee and take the right hand to the mat behind you.

Inhale to lengthen the spine upwards and exhale to turn towards the right,

Just until you feel that edge.

Turn the head to look over the right shoulder and relax here.

Make sure that the shoulders are relaxed,

The thighs are relaxed.

This is a yin twist,

So we don't want to be forcing anything.

We just want to feel enough that we know the posture is doing something.

Slowly unwind.

Bring the upper body back to the centre and release the right leg back to straight.

Take some breaths here with the leg straight to observe any effects from those postures,

To notice the left and right sides of your body.

And let's move to the other side.

Bring the left foot into the right thigh and if you're coming forwards,

Take a breath in to lift the spine and exhale to fold over the right leg.

Relax into the posture.

Slowly walk the hands in to come back up and keep the legs as they are for your twist.

Take the right hand to rest on the left leg and bring the left hand to the mat behind you.

Inhale to lengthen the spine up.

Exhale to twist to the left.

Take your time to come back out.

Bring the upper body back to the centre and take the left leg back to straight.

Take a few breaths here to observe.

And it's time for your relaxation.

So make your way down to lying in Shavasana with your legs a little wider than hip distance apart and your arms at the sides with the palms of the hands facing upwards.

Take any support that you need to feel comfortable here.

Perhaps a block or a cushion under your head or a rolled up blanket under your knees or your ankles.

And if lying in Shavasana doesn't feel good for your back bring your feet to the sides of the mat and drop the knees in together.

Make sure that you're warm enough.

Your body temperature is likely to drop here so you may like to cover yourself with a blanket.

And give yourself permission now to completely relax.

Bring the awareness back to the passageway of the spleen meridian from the big toes up the inner legs over the abdomen to the diaphragm.

Observe what you feel here.

Any feelings,

Any sensations.

Just observe.

And now let that observation of the spleen meridian go.

These next few minutes are yours to relax completely and enjoy all of the effects and benefits of your practice.

Very slowly prepare to come out of your relaxation.

Take a few deep breaths into your belly.

And slowly start to move your body.

Moving the fingers and the toes.

The wrists and the ankles.

And take your arms up over your head to give yourself a long stretch through the whole of your body.

Bend your knees and bring the knees into the chest and rock gently from side to side here to ease out any remaining tension in the lower back.

And when you feel ready slowly roll over to one side and make your way up to sitting.

This brings us to the end of the practice.

Thank you for joining me today.