World Yoga Day: sharing my morning series

Having completed a meridian-based yin yoga teacher training a few years ago, what has remained with me is a very fine morning routine (in the evenings I never get around to it), the "kidney series".

Note: Yin poses are different from traditional Yoga poses. Firstly they are held much longer, from 3 to 5 minutes each (I tend to stick to 4 minutes). The intention is to  let go of your muscular effort to begin to effect the connective tissues in the body. By reaching the connective tissue, the idea is that you are accessing the deeper meridians in the body which follow these tissues. 

Why do I focus on this kidney series? As we get older our kidney "chi" or "qi", the kidney essence gets weak and we need to nourish it to strengthen our water element; our blood, joints and the "juiciness of our bones". 

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the kidney is the powerhouse of the body, supplying reserve energy to any organ running low on Qi. So I want to support this powerhouse and I chose the following set of postures:

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1.
I start with "butterfly " or "Tara" pose:

• bring the soles of your feet together in front of you at a comfortable distance
• bend forward towards your feet and walk forward with your hands until you can rest your head, comfortable nestled in the soft padding of your feet

Modifications:
​You can also use a prop, like a yoga block or a (set of) cushion to rest you head and slowly ease into the position with time and patience!

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2.
Next, I like to do a seated twist to both sides

• sit upright with one leg stretched out and the foot engaged
• raise the knee and set your other foot next to the knee
• turn over the the raised nee and look backwards over your shoulder, supporting yourself with your free hand
• the shoulders should be in a nicely even horizontal line
• TURN and set up the posture on the other side

Modifications: 
​If you are not flexible enough to hold the outside of your thigh, just hug the knee and/or put your back hand on a yoga block

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3.
I then move into "Forward bend" or "caterpillar" as it is called in yin yoga:

• sit with both legs straight out in front (together or hip width apart)
• breathe in and raise arms high above
• breathing out fold down and reach forward towards your ankles
• aim your nose to the knees, the back may be round
• slowly roll back up after 4 minutes

Modifications while working towards this pose:
- with atigth lower bac, open your feet apart or sit on a cushion 
- with tight hamstrings, bend the knees and place a bloster under the knees
​- you can support your head with your hands

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4.
"Saddle pose" on a bolster. A favourite for stretching the thigh muscles, opening the sacral-lumbar arch, and opening the heart:

• start sitting on your knees and slowly lean back upon the bolster
• open your arms to the side to open your chest
• (if comfortably done) bring the heels out of the hips

Modifications:
You might not want to lean quite as far back when first practising this posture.
- Use props to create less of an incline, keep your feet under your hips
- If you feel a lot of pressure under your feet, use a folded up blanket to soften the impact
- You might also straighten one leg for half-saddle!

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5.
"Happy baby" - a deep hip opener:

• lying on your back, bring your knees next to you
• hold the soles of your feet from the inside and gently pull them down, keeping shins perpendicular to the ground
• your back should be flat on the ground all the way to your sacrum

Modifications:
- you can do a half-"Happy Baby", stretching one leg out and feeling how your back comes lower to the ground, switching legs
- you can hold your shins or knees it it is difficult to reach the soles of your feet
​- you can place a cushion under the tailbone or head to feel more comfortable

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 6.
"Snail" pose - deeply stretching the whole spine, stretching hamstrings, and squeezing thyroid and adrenal glands as well as heart, stomach, and pancreas:

• lying on your back bring your legs up and behind your head
• rest the hands on the ground or support your back (i like to bring the back because it feels safer for my neck and the weight seems to get spread more evenly)
• hips should be reaching towards ceiling and not sinking on your chest

Modifications:
- if your feet are not touching the ground you can place a bolster under them
- (I like to support my knees for a bit before the backsides of my legs are nicely stretched)

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7.
Candle pose - this is not a yin pose, it is yang, but I like to move into it after snail pose. It somehow opens my whole front and I like the blood streaming into my head and the nice balancing of the legs in the perfectly perpendicular motion!

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8.
... and then I finish up with "straddle pose" or "dragonfly, which opens the hips, groin, and stretches the hamstrings:

• open legs wide, keeping knees and feet pointing upwards
• walk forward with your hand as far as possible
• you may rest on your elbows (in "television pose" as it is named by Yogi Hari)
• but the intention is to stretch your arms flat on the ground, bringing your nose to the floor
• watch out that your feet are active and your try to keep the back as straight as possible

Modifications:
- you can lean forward upon a bolster (plus cushion or block), just keep the back as straight as possible
- with tight hamstrings you can place cushions under your knees

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FINALE
... and to finish things off, Ii like to do a nice open side stretch, resting one elbow on the ground, as well as turning and bending down to the foot over each outstretched leg, bringing my nose on the knee!

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Namasté and enjoy my "yin kidney series"!