Wow is this a timely class, just when everyone is scraping about trying to find ways to get around.
Yin yoga is such a perfect practice for autumn! Because of the call for tuning inward and working with what you have, the slowness and steadiness of a yin practice is well aligned to this season. The lung and large intestine meridians are called the transport minister, because they are in charge of getting the essential stuff from A to B.
The Lung Meridian Route
This meridian begins deep in the solar plexus region (middle burner) and descends to meet the large intestine.
Winding up past the stomach, it crosses the diaphragm, divides, and enters the lungs.
It then re-unites, passes up the middle of the windpipe to the throat and divides again, surfacing in the hollow region near the front of the shoulder (LU-1).
From here it passes over the shoulder and down the front of the arm along the outer border of the biceps muscle.
It continues down the forearm to the wrist just above the base of the thumb (LU-9). The channel crosses the height of the thumb muscle to finish at the corner of the thumbnail.
Element: Metal
Physical Imbalances: Disorders of the chest, lung, throat and nose
Emotional Imbalances:
The Lungs are responsible for establishing the foundation of Qi for the entire body. The Lungs house the body’s Seven Emotions and are responsible for self-protection and self-preservation.
Their negative attributes are disappointment, sadness, grief, despair, anxiety, shame and sorrow.
“If we are taken over by craving, no matter who or what is before us, all we can see is how it might satisfy our needs. This kind of thirst contracts our body and mind into a profound trance. We move through the world with a kind of tunnel vision that prevents us from enjoying what is in front of us. The color of an autumn leaves or a passage of poetry merely amplifies the feeling that there is a gaping hole in our life. The smile of a child only reminds us that we are painfully childless. We turn away from simple pleasures because our craving compels us to seek more intense stimulation or numbing relief.”
― Tara Brach, Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha