Yin Yoga and the Kidney and Urinary Meridian
Winter Wellness: A Journey of Restoration and Vitality
Yin yoga is a gentle but profound approach to cultivating inner harmony and rejuvenating the body’s energy flow. The Yin energy is inwards and downwards, a passive and receptive practice, a time to find stillness, a time to listen. Yin yoga aims to release our deep connective tissue, and focuses on the meridian pathways, or energy channels, that travel through our body. The kidney and urinary bladder meridian holds a unique significance, governing vitality, resilience, and the ability to navigate life’s challenges with adaptability and grace. This blog will explore Winter wellness with yin yoga and the kidney and urinary meridians.
In nature, Winter is the most yin of seasons, a time where everything sleeps and rests, creating space for new growth in Spring. Society pressures can make us feels forced to push beyond this natural desire to slow down and rest in Winter but we can start to tune in and notice the needs of all aspect of us-physical , mental, emotional, spiritual, energetic and the cyclical nature of our needs.
The Nature of Yin
The nature of Yin consists of landing into stillness so we can have time to observe, sense and feel with our senses. The more we listen inwards to our own truth, the more we can hear and discover. It is connecting with ourselves and cultivating real self care towards our needs and our sacred stories. Then we are more easily able to mirror back our true nature, love.
Yin yoga helps us to learn who we are. While the yin energy, a calm and relaxing energy is stimulated through the poses, we have time and space to feel, to sense and to realise what is happening- right now inside ourselves. This connection sheds light on what separates us from our TRUE SELF so we can release them layer after layer as our bodies sink layer after layer into full surrender, surrendering all resistance. Connecting to our innate knowing. Observing our needs in this moment. How can we find balance and peace? What is supporting us? What feels good and what doesn’t? Where are our boundaries and how can we respect them in a loving way so we can release tension and expand beyond them?
Yin yoga is the art of listening, to notice how our bodies, minds and hearts are different, in constant ebb and flow, in constant change and dance of the elements. As we listen with acceptance, we will start to feel how to modify and adapt our practice, our breathing and our general rhythms. As we start to notice the current of energy in our life, we can really look after ourselves, we can really support true fulfilment from our core and soul.
The more we listen and accept ourselves and become comfortable with being unique- we will grow into the boldness of daring to be UNIQUELY who we are without trying to fit into any box- whether its about yoga and the expectation for us to have the same anatomical structures or our way of thinking or living that is expected to be uniform in any way.
The Kidney and Urinary Bladder Meridians
Winter governs the water element and the deepest meridian. The kidney and urinary bladder meridian, is associated with the element of water, symbolizing adaptability, fluidity, and the capacity for renewal. This meridian originates at the little toe on each foot and ascends along the inner thighs, reaching up to the abdomen, chest, and connecting to the eyes. It plays a crucial role in regulating water balance, hormonal function, and overall vitality.
‘Water is fluid, soft, and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield.’ Tao Te Ching
Water is the supreme example of acceptance. It never struggles, it simply flows. It does not resist its path. It does not resist. It just is. And even though water is the most humble of things, offering no resistance, it is also the strongest of things. By simply flowing, it is capable of wearing away even the most solid rock.
Poses for Kidney and Urinary Bladder
(Yin)KIDNEY: Inner thighs, forward folds, spinal extension
(Yang)URINARY BLADDER: Forward folds, extension of spine
Yin Yoga’s Impact on the Kidney and Urinary Meridian
By focusing on a deep connective tissue release and stillness, yin yoga targets the deeper layers of the body, reaching the fascia, ligaments, and tendons that form the basis of the meridian pathways. By gently stretching and releasing these connective tissues, yin yoga promotes the smooth flow of energy along the kidney and urinary meridian.
This enhances kidney function and urinary tract health
- Improves our hormonal balance
- Increases energy levels
- Reduces stress and anxiety
- Enhances our emotional resilience
- Cultivates a sense of stillness and inner peace
The emotion of our kidneys is fear. Fear can be seen as a spectrum, when imbalanced we can be too fearful or equally, too fearless. Through our Yin yoga practice, we can find a balance, like water, between calm and fierce, ebb and flow, when to push and when to surrender.
Our vitality is our ability to flow with change, to not stagnate or feel out of control but to instead flow with nature’s rhythm and our own rhythm.
Working the Kidney and Bladder meridians will help you emerge from loneliness, depression and fear into hope, growth, and abundance. It only requires you to believe that the possibility for change exists. This is the power of water. It is the start. It is the place where all potential lies.
The Essence of the Kidney and Urinary Bladder Meridian
The kidney and urinary bladder meridian, paired together as a harmonious duo, is associated with the element of water, symbolizing adaptability, fluidity, and the capacity for renewal. This meridian originates at the little toe on each foot and ascends along the inner thighs, reaching up to the abdomen, chest, and ultimately connecting to the eyes. It is believed to play a crucial role in regulating water balance, hormonal function, and overall vitality.
Yin Yoga Poses for Kidney and Urinary Meridian Health
Several yin yoga poses specifically target the kidney and urinary meridian, encouraging the flow of energy and promoting well-being in these areas.
Some of these poses include:
- Reclining Bound Angle Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana): This pose gently opens the hips and lower abdomen, stimulating the kidney meridian and promoting urinary tract health.
- Dragonfly Pose (Makarasana): This pose stretches the inner thighs and lower abdomen, further stimulating the kidney meridian and improving circulation.
- Saddle Pose (Salamba Virasana): This pose stretches the inner thighs and groin, releasing tension and promoting energy flow in the kidney and urinary meridian.
- Reclining Twist Pose (Supta Jathara Parivartanasana): This pose gently twists the spine, stimulating the kidney meridian and promoting detoxification.
- Child’s Pose (Balasana): This pose relaxes the entire body, calming the nervous system and fostering a sense of stillness, which is essential for kidney health.
Incorporating these poses into a regular yin yoga practice can significantly contribute to overall well-being, particularly by enhancing the health and vitality of the kidney and urinary meridian.
Yin yoga offers a profound and gentle approach to nurturing the kidney and urinary meridian, promoting resilience, vitality, and a sense of inner harmony. By incorporating yin yoga into your wellness routine, you can embark on a journey of restoration and rejuvenation, cultivating a deeper connection with your body and its natural healing abilities.
If you’d like to practise Yin yoga with me, online classes run every Thursday 18.00-19.00.
If you’d like more information on yoga philosophy please contact me or book here to practise with me in Marlow, Twickenham and online.
With love
Anney xx
