Is the Heart Meridian Yin YTT Or Yang?
Heart Meridian Yin YTT Or Yang
In yoga, meridians are the energetic pathways through which life energy (Qi) flows throughout the body. They are a critical aspect of the practice, connecting organs and tissues as well as influencing physical and emotional states. Yin yoga uses the concept of yin and yang to balance and enhance the body’s natural flow of qi, and postures are designed to release blockages along the meridians. This slow, connective style of yoga is a perfect compliment to a more energetic, Vinyasa or Ashtanga yoga practice.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, there are twelve principle meridians: five yin meridians (heart, spleen, lungs, kidneys and liver), and five yang meridians (large intestine, small intestine, bladder, gallbladder and the pericardium and triple warmer). Each meridian is paired with its opposite, with yin going up and yang flowing down.
The heart meridian begins at the outer edge of the pinky toe and travels through the inner leg, hip, and up to the throat. This meridian is responsible for strengthening the heart and balancing emotions. When out of balance it can manifest as a lack of compassion, anger or frustration, and when balanced it brings a sense of loving kindness. Poses that support the heart meridian include banana pose and melting heart pose.
Is the Heart Meridian Yin YTT Or Yang?
Meridian theory is important for Yin YTT for meridians because of its relationship to the body’s five elements. Each element is associated with specific meridians, as well as organs and emotions. Yin Yoga can be used to help balance the body’s meridians and the elements that they correspond with.
Yin Yoga can also be used to build sequences based on the meridians and their associated organ systems. This enables the yogi to incorporate themes into their classes that relate to different aspects of health and wellbeing.
In the Yin Yoga Teacher Training course, we explore the location and pathway of each of the major meridians in the body as well as the yin and yang paired poses that stimulate them. This is foundational work that will give you a strong basis for your future learning and teaching. From here, you can go on to learn more about Yin Yoga and the various other topics that are covered in the later modules of the training. This includes learning the Chinese Medicine principles of each of the Yin Yoga Elements as well as a breakdown of the body’s anatomy and skeletal system, meridian theory fundamentals and postural breakdowns. You’ll be fully equipped to design a range of classes that are thematically connected and supportive of your students’ physical and emotional well being. You’ll be ready to dive in and start designing your yin yoga classes with confidence! Sign up for Yin Yoga Teacher Training today to take the next step on your yoga journey!