Beyond Meridians: Understanding Qi from the Inside Out
In the past number of years, learning the location and function of the Chinese meridian system has become increasingly popular in yin yoga teacher trainings . I have seen photos of yin yoga students drawing meridians on their body with erasable markers, and the mention of meridians has become commonplace within a drop-in yin yoga class. This makes sense, as the marriage of TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) and yin yoga has been a popular affair since the birth of Sarah Power’s book “Insight Yoga”. As my teacher, I can tell you firsthand that Sarah does a beautiful job interweaving these concepts into her teaching, and everything she teaches comes from a deep well of personal experience and “inner research”. However, I believe that the experiential dimension of what it means to work with energy has become lost in the quest to conceptually understand the complex system of TCM, which I have come to realize, is largely irrelevant to the yin yoga practice.
I am not denying the beauty of acupuncture and TCM, as I think there are some concepts that can deeply inform our yoga practice. However, we have to remember that Yin yoga is a practice to empower healing from the inside out- It is not a tool to diagnose, or to even treat disease in the same way a TCM doctor would. Instead, Yin Yoga it is as a preventative tool for deepening self-awareness, and balancing ourselves emotionally and thus energetically. In my quest to understand meridians and their relationship to yin yoga, I have come to learn that the energy is complex- it is not necessarily the 12 primary channels, we are even influencing in yin yoga but more the sinew or Jing Jin channels which effect the Wei chi (this can be a whole post in itself - maybe another time). And while Qi is most definitely stimulated through these long held postures, what is so often missed is presence of the practitioner within the long held postures.
What the mind is doing, and what the mind continues to do in between practice will probably have the most influence on ones energy body on and off the matt.
In thinking we need to understand everything an acupuncturist knowns in order to be a good yin yoga teacher, we can also get lost in the conceptual understanding of energy without actually taking the time to experience how these energies show up in our life. Then, the understanding of meridians, the five elements and their interplay, becomes yet another way to observe the body and its physical symptoms from a cognitive distance. While this understanding can help a TCM doctor problem solve, diagnose and treat disease, this information remains an arms length from the undertow of a true energetic experience.
From Dr. Jerry Allan Johnson the secrete teachings of Chinese Energetic Medicine, volume 2
Without a steady committed practice, and the recognition of the psychospiritual domains of health, there is a missing link in empowering ourselves and our students toward genuine healing. This is why I would argue that yin yoga can be compared to a form internal Qigong practice than it will ever be to acupuncture.
Qigong literally translates as “energy skill”, or “to work with energy skillfully”. In order to work with our energy skillfully we need to understand how energy is influenced. Mechanical force, (exercise, yoga and acupuncture) diet, and breathing and sound are ways we can directly influence energy. But, as mentioned above, one of the most powerful ways energy is influenced is through the mind, or what the Taoists call the Shen. Memorizing the location of meridians, is therefore less than half of the equation. In order to be skillful in our internal qigong practice, we also need to understand the landscape of the mind and how we can more skillfully harness, store, and distribute these energy forces while practicing.
The word healing comes from the Proto-Germanic word khailaz, which means "to make whole”. Yoga practice has and always will be about engaging with the body, mind and spirit directly in order to become more whole. A piece that is so often missing is the spirit level disturbances that can be so pacified from the practice of Qigong/yin yoga. Acupuncturists would not argue with me when I say that many (not all) physical disturbances are rooted in a shen/mind disturbance. Science tells us that stress is the leading cause of disease, and yet, we keep the description of stress as a vague agent of our ailments, and utilize coping mechanisms to “get through it” (again, this can be another whole post so won’t go on a rant.) BUT What if our yin yoga practice could be a container to observe that stress more closely? What if, in our observation of that hick-up of energy within our inner system, we were to gain insight into understanding the root of that physical ailment, and also gain a deeper understanding of our soul’s landscape? What if, we can use the intelligence of the mind to shift the energy within a slow steady practice of yin yoga? What if yin yoga could be a receptacle for honest, self-reflection, deep observation and transformation?
I am not at all denying the gift of acupuncture and understanding five element theory. I am, however, questioning the relevance of memorizing meridians and other diagnostic techniques within the yin yoga practice, when some of the forms of internal qigong, visualizations and healing meditations are overlooked.
Understanding the location of meridians, sinew channels and vessels will lead us to the shoreline of our practice, but we still need to jump in the water.
Interested in diving deeper? I’m offering an online Yin Yoga Teacher Training that further explores these topics this April.
