![]() ![]() When the liver energy is unbalanced it is linked to cramping, arthritis, stiffness, fatigue, and irregular emotions. ![]() The liver and gallbladder are associated with the wood element and the energy expands. When the kidneys aren’t functioning properly you will see toxicity in the body, the abdomen and lower back can ache. The kidneys and bladder are associated with the water element and where the energy is sinking. The five elements also correspond to the seasons. Each element has corresponding yin and yang organs which are the kidneys (yin) and bladder (yang), liver (yin) and gallbladder (yang), spleen (yin), and stomach(yang), lungs (yin), and large intestine (yang), the heart (yin), and small intestine (yang). Firstly, The 5 elements according to Chinese medicine are within our body like nature. I will explain more about these five elements, the yin and yang organs, and yoga poses in a simple format for yoga beginners to understand. These natural five elements are matched up with five yin and yang organs. Practicing yoga, qigong, tai chi, meditation, and mantras, helps us move this energy through the body to bring back harmony. These energy lines go through every muscle, organ, and bone in our body. I’m going to outline more about this energy, the 5 elements, and the yoga postures to help you bring more balance into your body. Sometimes it can be called the vital essence, the energy of the universe, or life force energy. In the Indian system, it is Nadis and the energy is known as prana. In the Chinese system, it’s called meridians and the energy is chi. This energy flows within our body along pathways. This is all energy and we are all made up of energy just like nature. The Five elements of nature are drawn earth, water, fire, wood, and metal. This practice reminds me that at my core, I am the Sun, and that all my thoughts are just clouds passing by.The Five Elements and Yin Yoga Yin Yoga and the Five Elements Improve Your Health With Yin Yoga The sun was always there, even if I couldn’t see it. When I experience that freedom, it’s like a cloudy sky parting to let a sliver of sunlight through. In those moments I don’t take things so personally, I don’t judge myself, I don’t get anxious, and I don’t need things to be a certain way. ![]() But, when I do have those moments of clarity, I notice the shift. And one that I fail at more often than not. Yoga (the practice of freeing myself from the overwhelm in my mind) is a daily effort. For many people, a physical yoga practice becomes a gateway for developing a meditation practice, and it is in trying to do this that I have experienced some of the most freeing moments in my life. Being attentive to the sensations in our muscles and of breath moving in and out of us means that we don’t have as much mental space for negative thoughts to enter. Stepping onto the mat helps us focus in on our bodies and breath. When I first studied to become a yoga teacher, I learned that yoga is more than just stretching in different poses, however, that is a wonderful place to start. Getting off this mental merry-go-round isn’t always easy, and that’s where yoga can help. They seem to take over, spilling into every facet of life. And when we’re in a mental tailspin, it becomes hard to recognize that thoughts are not who we are. One of the Yoga Sutras (written guidelines to help explain the aim of a yoga practice) states that “Yoga is the cessation of the modifications of the mind.” Basically, it means that sometimes we find ourselves overwhelmed with thoughts, worries, feelings, etc. Through my exploration of this ancient practice, I realized yoga’s biggest gift to me is freedom of mind. And over the last few years, as I committed more regularly to my yoga practice, I started to realize that there is another kind of freedom that I can give myself if I choose to work at it. Some of these freedoms are available to me because of the hard work and sacrifice of others, for which I have deep gratitude. Specifically, that I live in a place and time period where I enjoy many freedoms. ![]() As Independence Day quickly approaches (next week already?!) I have spent some time reflecting on the concept of freedom. ![]()
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