Yoga for Healing – Part 2

Yoga For Healing - Part 2: YIN YOGA : Understanding and Connecting to the Heart Meridian - GratitudeEnter your text here...

You may or may not have come across Yin Yoga before. If you have not then I will briefly explain what it is. Yin yoga is influenced by Traditional Chinese Medicine and the concepts of Yin and Yang. Even though TCM is from China it has a very similar approach to healing as a person is treated and viewed as a whole in the same way as Ayurveda.

Yin yoga is to incorporate yin energy (which can be viewed as Luna energy) in respect of yang energy (which can be viewed as Solar energy) as this mainly focuses on creating heat within the body through movement which tends to be at a faster pace.

Lunar energy requires us to go more inwards as it represents the deeper part of ourselves. Physically, stimulating our connective tissue, joints, fascia, chi (our life force energy) and connecting to our emotions. Within a Yin Yoga practice you are there with props holding specific poses/ shapes for a longer period of time. That alone makes Yin more of a meditative, reflective practice which invites us to deepen our relationship and connection with ourselves. Aiding in deepening our capacity to experience witness consciousness. Which means not trying to change or alter anything, yet working with the breath to keep ourselves grounded, calm and present. All in essence to make us less reactive and more compassionate people.

Yes, it is true over time Yin Yoga CAN help us improve our range of movement and perhaps flexibility however I feel like this is more a by product.

When we connect with the Heart Meridian this represents the summer time which can be considered the yang-est part of the year. It is about feeling expansive, open, sociable, creative and cultivating meaning and substance within all of our relationships. The Heart is paired with the Small Intestine whose role is to absorb nutrients and to feed it back into and nourish the body. In the same way how our Small Intestines role is to keep us nourished, how can we nourish ourselves and the relationships we have around us.

Represented by the element of fire. The fire can be viewed as the substance that aids to keep us going. Ideally we want a strong consistent fire, too big or hot we can burn out and this can happen when we over commit or equally we don’t want our fire to be non-existent where we have no enthusiasm or zest for life. 

In many lineages the heart has always been held with high regard. Considered as the bridge between the rational mind and our soul. The home of ‘shen’ which is our spirit and the home of the deep innate wisdom that our body and beyond holds. The Heart Meridian is about joy and how we can bring more of it within ourselves and when we do a heart focused practice (which tends to be upper body) we can connect to the heart in many ways. Essentially it encourages us to drop into a space of feeling rather than being stuck within our thinking mind.

With everything being about balance even though this energy is about being open it is also about setting boundaries. If you look at the heart itself. It is an extremely sensitive organ but it is fully protected by the ribs that surround it. So as much as we should step forward and be social, having strong heart meridian energy is also enabling yourself to cultivate clarity in your voice in being honest with what your available for/ able to do without overcommitting therefore ‘burning out’. Remembering too much of anything isn’t good for us.

Sometimes in moments when we are overwhelmed it can be hard for us to be able to take a moment to find the small joys in our day and no matter how rough the day has been there can always be 1 thing we can be thankful for. It doesn’t have to be something grand or big, it can be the smallest of things.

A yin yoga practice that is focused on the Heart Meridian and incorporates a space for us to focus on gratitude is such a wonderful way to be able to connect with this energy and can be extremely healing. 

focused and tempts us into seeking so much outside of ourselves. The true medicine we seek is always within.

This deeply nourishing series includes practices from different lineages such as Yin yoga, Traditional Tantric Hatha and Yoga Nidra. We will also incorporate pranayama (breathwork), meditation, acupressure points and fascia release to complement each part of this bundle.

Francesca Secolonovo who will lead these sessions creates spaces that invite individuals to slow down. Francesca is a 660hour yoga teacher and student who offers Yin Yoga, Traditional Tantric Hatha, Yoga Nidra, Cacao Ceremonies and Sound Healing. She focuses on creating spaces that invite reflection and slowness as she deeply believes there is power to be found, deep realisations to be had and deep healing to be experienced within those spaces where we are invited to go in on ourselves.

Book an appointment with Christine HERE!
Link for our free class is HERE!

Here at the Center for Sacred Window Studies, we share voices from many perspectives and backgrounds. We believe that the sacred weeks post birth, and the experience of humanity is experienced in countless ways. We learn by listening to one another and honoring our stories. The views and opinions of our writers do not necessarily reflect the mission, viewpoints or opinions of the Center for Sacred Window Studies.