Yin Yoga and TCM: Winter season- main element, organs and emotions
Stagnation, laziness or a general heaviness in moving and thinking are downsides of this winter period. The death of nature around us as well as lack of stimulation and excitement, in comparison to the rest of the seasons, make one prone to feelings of loneliness, depression or isolation. However, it doesn’t have to be like this, if we can mindfully switch this perspective into allowing more space and dedication for more inner work, connecting to ourselves more and finding the necessary time to do the healing.
Yoga and the importance of the present moment
When you get those blissful pauses in your practice, let yourself settle instead of anticipating the next cue. Take your time and when it gets hard, notice how your mind reacts. Notice the miracle of breath flowing in and out. Notice what the mind says, how it talks to you, and just like in your meditation practice, gently guide it back to the body and breath.
About Integrity
Integrity is essential to all practitioners of Yoga because it creates a foundation of deep honesty upon which a practice can best be built. Moreover, integrity is fully expressed in the relation with oneself, in the way we honor commitments to ourselves, take time to be considerate of our actions, and represent our practice also outside the Yoga class.
Tension vs Compression in YOGA
Yoga is teaching us to practice ahimsa (non-violence) in our practice, to meet tension with kindness, respect the capacity of our bones, and help find our own intention (optimal health) and personal alignment by shaping the poses into our bodies and not the other way round.
Why Yoga is not always the answer
It could be that the reason for learning Yoga, like being able to touch our toes for example, grows to be completely different in a few months or years; just like we evolve constantly, so is Yoga and what Yoga was for me yesterday, might not mean the same today. Improvement is not always a straight line or clearly defined; often, the smaller, more subtle things are the real clues of our development or progress, maybe the quality of our breath, the posture of our backs or the capacity to listen more.
Taoism in relation to YIN YOGA
The pain and suffering that people experience often in their lives comes from the resistance to what life is and not from the actual happenings that are part of it. Overcoming all challenges with this mindset of allowing things to be and responding accordingly to the events around us, we are reminded of the beauty and simplicity of life in its essence.
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