Powers: Insight Yoga, Yin Practice #1: Harmonizing Kidney Chi

[Guest guest]

This was exactly what I needed this morning.   These past 2 weeks i've been moving at breakneck speed what with the managers' meeting & sales conference at work and the emotional energy spent around Mr. Famous. 

This was my first Yin yoga practice, and I now I want more!  Powers is Buddhist so while you hold the poses for five minutes each you get either a lesson on the kidney meridians and chi that passes through or a Dharma talk.  It was around an hour long.  There isn't any music so I used a nice yoga soundtrack I got at the dollar spot at Target a few years ago of all places, Kathy Kaehler's Yoga Workout Music mix which as two 70 minute cd's. 

It was nice to be in Studio LouLou alone for a change.  I had one yoga mat on the ground, a cushy Bollinger mat in the middle, and another yoga mat on top.  On that at one end I had a folded blanket as the other practitioners did, and lots of pillows about, candles lit, space heater on. 

The other very special part about this practice is that I was joined by my two cuddly lions, and Jr.  I've played and loved them up this week but during this practice I was able to spend quality time with them and was able to really connect with them more. 

The emphasis of this practice was to envigorate the kidneys, but the poses were mostly hip openers, just what I needed!  You start in butterfly pose, which is like cobblers pose only the legs further out (we did this one when  took Hapkido, it was part of our warmup). 

Next you do vajrasana, thunderbolt pose, kind of like camel only you lay all the way back ont he floor.  I had to put a pillow between my calves and tush and only went back to my elbows (hope you can visualize this).  offered a modification of laying on your tummy in cobra/shphinx, and later on I did that instead. After that you could stay in sphynix or go up into seal, same pose but instead of resting on your elbows you push up with your hands and stay there.  Again, I did that for part of the time, sphynx for the rest.

After that you are in a seated wide angle stretch and you lean over to one side for 5 minutes, then the other side for 5 minutes.  Lastly, you lie on your back, cross the right ankle over your left knee, and do a spinal twist with one arm straight up by your ear, 5 min's one side, 5 min's the other. 

There was a brief shavasana, as on the dvd there is a chapter that has a whole 30 minute shavasana. My lower back is really thanking me for doing this.  There is another yin practice on this dvd for the liver and gallbladder and I'm hoping to may be do this one next Saturday.

Peace and Light,