By Leigh Evans
One of my favorite things to do is to create practices to open the areas in my body where I feel tight and stuck. And right now I feel really tight in my shoulders, hips, neck- all places in the Spring organ meridians. From my deep explorations into the body and mind, I know that these cramped areas are actually a gold mine for awakening. My prana/chi and blood flow is congested in these tight places and I know that if I can just open them up, the pathway to spaciousness in my body and mind will be crystal clear. Just like a river that is blocked by a fallen tree branch from a Winter storm, once the branch is removed, the river runs smoothly. So too for the energy channels (meridians), once they are opened, the energy that is stuck will freely move and create a free flowing river of energy.
According to Chinese Medicine, Spring is the season of the wood element which rules the liver and gall baldder organs. As the green shoots start pushing their way out of the ground, the meridians that correspond to these organs are often very tight. Are your shoulders tight? Are you experiencing stiffness in your neck…tender inner legs? Are you having headaches…dry eyes, or other eye issues? Are you getting more frustrated and irritable lately? Yes…then you will deeply benefit from adding some spring poses into your practice to help release the congestion that comes from an an aggravated and congested liver network. Pigeon poses is one of my favorite poses to stimulate both the inner leg lines of the liver meridian and outer hips of the gallbladder meridian. Be sure to spend some time in the upright pigeon to open into the spaciousness of the heart and lungs as well as create space for your digestive organs. As you fold forward, try resting your forehead on a pillow or bolster to help quiet the mind and nervous system. Pay particular attention to softening and relaxing the eyes which are are associated with these organs. Allow your exhalations to lengthen and deepen as you rest in the pose as you release congestion and awaken prana in the liver and gall bladder meridians.
For a Spring yin practice, join me for my SPRING REST & RENEWAL:RESTORATIVE SOUND HEALING workshop this Saturday, April 28, 6:15-8:15pm at Sacred Sounds Yoga for a deeply nourishing sound healing experience for the Spring meridians!
For more Seasonal practices and self care tips from Leigh, go to, http://www.leighevansyoga.com/
Joyful heart!