Yin Energy Rises
Spring is the season when Yin energy rises. It is the time when the sap flows from the roots of trees to the branches and the leaves emerge from their winter hiding. Although Yin is often seen as a passive force, it truly represents the pure potential energy of the earth. It's comparable to the deep, primal grunt of a new mother as she brings her baby into the world, or the muddy bog floor that houses the deep roots of the lotus flower. Yin Energy also rises in the human body—The liver kidney and spleen meridian moves from the earth upward to the chest.
May is women's health month, and I've been reflecting on the beautiful rise of women in alternative health and spiritual spaces. I wanted to offer a course for women, and to address some of the common health concerns I see in my practice—As well as to come together and practice to encourage this strong, rising force.
During my recent travels this spring, I brought one small book with me I pulled off my parter’s shelf called “Smoke Hole" by mythologist Martin Shaw. In the book, Shaw retells the famous Grimm’s' fairy tale of the Handless Maiden, which explores the loss and reclamation of a young woman’s sovereignty. Through her initiation in the forest, she grows her hands back after they were cut off by her deluded father. This ancient pre-Christian European story holds a wealth of wisdom in its symbols.
Hands symbolize autonomy, creativity, agency, and expression. In my work with women, I've observed the various ways our hands have been metaphorically cut off in our lives. What begins as not speaking up when you truly desire to, or dismissing the subtle impulses of your true desires, can develop into a pattern of hindering your own life force. The suppression of emotions and denial of intuitive ways of knowing is akin to blocking the rise of Yin energy.
Regrowing our hands requires courage to navigate through the wilderness of emotions, and to reconnect with versions of ourselves that may have been lost in trying to survive in a patriarchal wasteland that denies the intuitive impulse of feminine wisdom.
Imagine having a clear pathway for our Yin energy to flow through our hands. How would we interact with the world? What would we create if we could regrow our hands that have been severed by our family of origin, societal norms, or personal and collective traumas?
I would be delighted if you could join me for this 3 week online journey starting May 21st, 2024, where we will explore the myth of the handless maiden in our Yin yoga/meridian stretching classes. We will talk about the archetypes of maiden, mother and crone, and how we can use them to re-connect to our yin energy. Classes are recorded and available through my mighty network portal. Visit here for more info and to register.
I hope you can join me on this journey, or if not, enjoy reading the handless maiden, and see how it can inspire the flourishing of your yin energy this spring!
