Hello and welcome to this yoga class for the lung and large intestine meridians.
My name is Danya,
And as we move through our poses today,
I will explain how the energetic pathways are stimulated and brought into balance through yin yoga.
Let's begin together.
In a comfortable position.
You may allow your eyes to soften or gently close.
Taking this moment to arrive in your practice.
Settling.
And taking a few intentional breaths.
In today's practice,
We will slow everything down.
Yin yoga works on the deep connective tissues.
And stimulates the meridian lines that run through the entire body.
We will hold poses for three minutes.
Your invitation is simply to soften.
And breathe.
Let's move into our first shape,
Melting heart.
Bring yourself into a tabletop position.
And then walk your hands forward along the mat while keeping your hips stacked over your knees.
Allow your chest to descend toward the floor.
Forehead resting on the floor.
Your arms extended long.
Palms soft.
Feel how the chest opens.
Between and below the collarbones.
This is the territory of the Lung Meridian.
The front of the lungs.
And the heart space.
Soften.
Toward the earth.
The lung governs our breath and energetically our boundary with the world.
Our capacity to take in.
Fresh air.
But also fresh ideas.
Inspiration.
You may feel a gentle stretch.
From the armpits.
All the way down the inner arms to the thumbs.
That is the lung line running its course.
Breathe into the back of the ribs.
On each inhale feel the ribcage expand.
On each exhale,
Let the chest yield closer to the floor.
Let each exhale.
Be an act of surrender.
The chest drops a little further.
The shoulders melt a little wider.
Stay with your breath.
And the sensations.
I will let you know when it's time to transition.
Slowly walk your hands back toward your knees and rest in child's pose.
Notice what sensations come up in this rebound shape.
Stay with the breath.
And feel the echo of melting heart.
Let's make our way into our next shape,
Supported fish.
Place a rolled blanket or a block horizontally across your mat.
Sit in front of it.
And slowly recline so the support lands beneath the shoulder blades and upper back.
Allow your head to fall back onto the floor.
Unless this causes too much compression in the neck.
Then you can place a folded blanket under the head for support.
Set yourself up.
So the shape feels sustainable.
You will be here for three minutes.
So move away from any sharp sensations.
That will cause your muscles to tense.
Extend your arms overhead or let them rest in a cactus shape.
Settle into your shape.
And then become still.
This opening through the sternum,
Throat.
In front of the chest.
Is a direct invitation to the lung meridian.
The lungs themselves expand as the chest lifts and opens.
You're creating physical space.
For more breath.
Breathe deeply.
Notice the inner arms,
The soft crease of the elbow.
The pathway toward the thumb.
The entire lung line is being stimulated.
Stay with your breath.
Noticing how the chest and belly fill on the inhale.
And how the body surrenders.
A little effort with each exhale.
There is nothing to do here.
Only to allow.
Slowly make your way off your props.
And pause on your back.
For a rebound.
As you settle into your rebound.
Allow the body to become completely effortless.
Notice the sensations moving through the body.
Perhaps warmth.
Tingling,
Pulsing.
Spaciousness.
Feel the quiet echo of the pose still moving through the tissues.
The breath softening naturally on its own.
Allow the muscles to ungrip.
This is where we shift from doing into feeling.
Let's prepare.
To move into broken wing or side lying chest opener.
Come onto your belly.
And extend your right arm out at shoulder height.
And roll the right shoulder open.
Toward the floor so your chest begins to spiral upward.
Stack your knees.
Or arrange them in any way that feels comfortable.
Allow the weight of your body to gently open the shoulder and chest.
If the body invites you deeper.
You may want to bend the top knee and place the foot behind you for support.
Or let the top arm reach behind you.
Settling to your shape.
And become still.
The lung intestine runs through the inner arm and hand.
Now pressed grounding toward the earth.
Also awakens the large intestine meridian.
Feel the whole arm as one long river of sensation.
From shoulder.
To fingertips.
The front of the chest.
And the outer edge of the upper arm.
Are particularly rich with meridian energy.
Let yourself feel what this pose awakens.
Perhaps a sense of vulnerability.
As the chest opens.
Perhaps a feeling of release.
Stay with the breath.
Each exhale allow the chest to spiral.
Little more open.
Breathe naturally and notice.
If you can soften around any resistance.
In the shoulder.
Slowly roll onto your belly.
Take a few breaths here.
Before you transition to the other side.
Perhaps making a pillow for your forehead with stacked hands.
This is the medicine of the rebound,
The pause.
Where the body integrates.
The nervous system.
Recalibrating.
The breath softening naturally on its own.
And you are ready.
Make your way into Broken Wing.
On the other side.
Explore the shape.
With curiosity.
Each side is a little different.
Settle into your just right variation.
And then surrender your effort.
Trust the shape to do the work.
A large intestine is the great releaser.
It processes,
Discerns.
And let's go.
Together,
These meridians ask us.
What are you holding on to?
And when are you ready to release?
Take your time.
To tenderly move out of the shape.
And take a rebound in any shape that calls to you.
On your belly.
Or roll onto your back.
Or even sit up in a seated position.
What matters?
Is the pause.
Taking a moment to observe.
And let the echo of the shape.
Settle into your body.
The deepest tissue.
Your nervous system.
Our next shape is a forward fold in caterpillar.
From sitting,
Extend both legs long in front of you.
Perhaps allowing a nourishing bend in the knees.
Begin to fold forward from the waist and allow the spine to round.
We aren't targeting the hamstrings.
Rather,
We're looking for spinal decompression.
Let your head hang heavy.
Your hands can rest on your shins.
On the floor beside you.
Or interlaced behind your neck.
Close your eyes.
And settle into your shape.
You may want to take a few cleansing breaths.
Inhaling through your nose.
And releasing the breath with a long sigh through your mouth.
As you draw inward.
And round the back.
You are compressing the front of the torso.
The area where the lungs and large intestines reside.
Gently stimulating these organs.
If your hands are clasped behind the neck.
The forearms and wrists.
The pathways of both the lung and large intestine are active.
This pose reflects the qualities of the metal element.
The quiet turning toward the interior.
Toward contemplation.
Letting go.
Let the breath be soft.
And unrestricted.
Each breath yields deeper.
Into the fold.
Slowly,
Roll up.
And make your way into a tabletop position.
We'll take a few slow cat-cow movements before we transition.
Let the breath lead.
Inhale,
The belly drops,
The chest opens.
The collarbone spread wide.
The lungs fill with air.
Exhale.
The spine rounds,
The chin tucks,
The navel draws in.
The large intestine contracts.
Completing its cycle.
Let each movement become a little bigger.
A little more expressive than the last.
The body has been still for a long time.
Enjoy some movement.
And let's move into our next shape,
Sleeping swan.
From all fours,
Slide your right shin forward toward the front of the mat.
At whatever angle suits your hip.
And extend the left leg long behind you.
And then Fold forward over the right shin.
And rest your forehead on a block.
Your hands are on a mat.
Take a moment to settle into the shape.
Noticing where the stretch lands in your body.
The large intestine meridian begins at the index finger.
Travels up the arm,
Across the shoulder,
And up the neck to the face.
Bringing awareness to this line of energy.
Traveling through your arms.
The shoulder.
The top of your forearms.
The back of your hands.
The webbing between the thumbs.
And index finger.
The large intestine in Chinese medicine is about letting go.
Of the past.
In this shape we practice.
The art of releasing.
What we don't need to hold on to.
Tension.
Stored emotion.
Let each breath here.
Be a tender invitation.
To let go.
Rest gently.
Into your hands to rise.
And set yourself up.
For the other side.
In Chinese medicine,
The metal element governs autumn.
The season of letting go.
And of drawing inwards.
But it's also a time for harvesting.
Gathering what truly nourishes us.
While releasing what no longer serves.
As we surrender to the pull of this deep stretch.
Physical tension begins to unravel.
And perhaps during the time here.
Something else comes up.
That can be put aside.
Returns to the fertile earth.
To be absorbed.
Making more room.
For that which nourishes you.
Now gently transition into constructive rest.
Feet wide.
Knees softly resting toward one another.
Allowing the lower back and hips to relax.
To completely let go.
Take a slow breath in.
And a long,
Effortless breath.
As you rebound here.
Notice the subtle after effect of the pose.
Perhaps there's warmth flowing through the hips.
A soft pulsing through the spine.
This is chi energy.
Stimulated,
Moving freely through the meridians.
Simply observe.
And receive.
And draw your knees to your chest.
It may feel sweet to give your legs a little squeeze and chair belly.
Or make some slow movements.
Circling the hips.
Or rocking from side to side.
And when you are ready,
Let both knees fall to the right in a supine twist.
Adjust the position of your legs.
They may be stacked or staggered.
Wherever you find your just right stretch is perfect.
If twisted roots is in your practice,
You may want to intertwine the legs.
Play with the position of your arms.
Perhaps they extend long at shoulder height in a T-shape.
Or cactus the arms overhead.
If that feels good.
Let your head drift to the left.
Keep both shoulders heavy.
Sinking toward the earth.
Twisting gently massages the colon.
Affecting the large intestine meridian.
As we wring out the organ,
We stimulate peristaltic movement and encourage both physical and mental.
And energetic release.
The large intestine asks us.
To distinguish between what nourishes.
And what no longer serves.
Just as the body separates.
As we ring out the organ,
We stimulate peristaltic movements and encourage both physical and energetic release.
The large intestine asks us to distinguish between what nourishes and what no longer serves.
As the body separates.
Nutrients.
From waste.
Let this twist be a message to your entire system.
It is safe.
To let go.
With the arms wide and the chest open.
We are also stimulating the lung meridians.
Encouraging it to open and receive.
And slowly make your way back to center.
You may choose to pause in constructive rest for a few breaths.
Or perhaps your body is calling for some movement now.
Gently rocking from side to side.
Or windshield wiper in the legs a few times.
Let your body lead the movement.
And whenever you feel ready.
Roll to the other side.
For the second twist.
Feel the gentle ringing through the belly.
In Chinese medicine,
The large intestine is the official of transportation and transformation.
Its job is to look everything passing through.
Discern what is still valuable.
And release the rest.
This gentle massage is nudging.
The body toward letting go.
As you breathe now,
See if you can make your exhale a little longer.
Let it empty completely.
Right there at the very end of the breath.
Where we have nothing left to hold on to.
Awareness to your arms too.
Wide open palms,
Softly receiving.
The chest is open.
The lung and large intestine are paired organs.
One takes in.
One,
Let's go.
Right now,
You are doing both at once.
Receiving with the chest.
Releasing with the belly.
If there is something you have been carrying,
Something you do not need to carry anymore.
You don't have to name it.
You don't have to understand it.
You just have to let the exhale.
Take it away.
Slowly unwinding,
Coming to lay on your back.
For the final rest.
Let your arms rest away from the body.
Palms turned upward.
In a gesture of receiving.
Of openness.
You may place a folded blanket over the belly for grounding.
You have spent this practice stimulating both the lung and large intestine meridians.
Now give the body time.
To integrate.
In Chinese medicine,
It is the quiet after the practice.
The stillness.
Where the deepest healing occurs.
Allow the weight of the body to sink into the earth beneath you.
Your breath moves on its own.
You are simply its witness.
Feel the chest rise and fall.
Feel the belly soften.
It is like you are being breathed.
With each exhale,
Sense whatever you have been carrying.
Grow lighter.
Loosen.
Release.
You have done the work.
Let the practice work on you.
You may begin to notice a sense of spaciousness in the chest.
A softness in the arms.
A quietness in the mind.
Rest here.
You have earned this stillness.
Slowly begin to wiggle your fingers and toes.
Stretch your arms overhead.
Taking a full body breath.
And when you are ready,
Roll to one side.
Take a moment here.
Before pressing up.
To a comfortable seat.
We will close our practice together.
With both hands to your heart.
The lungs only receive fresh air.
When the all there has been fully exhaled.
Whatever you have released today.
May you carry that lightness with you.
And whatever you have taken in.
May it nourish you deeply.
The light in me honors the light in you.
Namaste.
