Yin Yoga as a platform for TCM
The Myofascial Layer or "Jing-Jin".
S.Pucelle -
In its energetic approach, Yin Yoga offers two trends: one based on the tantric chakra system, more classical in yoga, and the other on the network of meridians in the traditional Chinese medicine approach. Yin Yoga brings TCM to the forefront, drawing on its Taoist roots, but also on its scientific foundations. Indeed, Yin Yoga has contributed greatly to the understanding of modern meridian theory with the groundbreaking work of Dr Motoyama and Paul Grilley who received an honorary doctorate for his research into the relationship between fascia and the energy channel network.
"There has not been much research on this subject before, because the fascia was considered to be connective tissue, an inert substance that only held the organs together. When we perform surgery or dissection, it is mainly the fascia that we cut through to be able to see the organs or blood vessels that we are interested in.
Paul Grilley & Dr Motoyama at the Tokyo Research Institute December 2007
Nowadays, with the age of electronics and more sophisticated electrical devices, we have come to understand that fascia does much more than hold things in place. It actually conducts electricity.
One of the most likely extrapolations of fascia is that it is the conductive network that the Chinese and Indians describe in ancient texts, that the meridians are within the fascia." Paul Grilley. - Excerpt Pranamaya interview 2019.
In its holistic approach to man and his interaction with the environment, the Chinese energy arts are embodied in numerous disciplines: Qi Gong, martial arts, medical knowledge, divinatory and cosmological knowledge such as the I Ching, philosophical knowledge with Taoism and Confucianism, medicinal knowledge with traditional Chinese medicine, pharmacopoeia as well as acupuncture, Tui Na, moxibustion, etc.
They reflect a period of Chinese civilisation that was then flourishing and at its peak. There are three great religions that have marked China: Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism. We can see that these three great philosophical or religious currents (they can be considered as one or the other) overlapped at a given time and gave rise to many different branches, schools and traditions.
Illustration He Hao
In this article we will look at Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Yin Yoga. The Taoist approach and TCM are fascinating because of their holistic analysis of man and his relationship with nature. These approaches try to include the phenomenal origin and consequences of nature, without dividing or fragmenting the different aspects of the human being. The Taoist vision creates links between the different layers which form a human being, such as: physical, astral and causal bodies. Thus, all aspects, from the grossest to the most subtle, will be taken into account for a better harmony of the micro and the macrocosm. Two fundamental elements make up TCM: the network of meridians called Jing Luo, and the Qi (or Prana in yoga).
Yin Yoga and the 5 elements
An omnipresent concept in TCM is that of the 5 elements, naturally Yin Yoga has associated itself with the 5 elements (wu-xing) to develop an approach to the energy channels of postural practice. Each element has a specificity, even a personality, and will touch the human being through its different layers (physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual). Hence the interest in knowing the element, understanding it and communicating with it, as it reveals its secrets and also aspects of our person/being. For example, the element of water will be linked to the kidneys and the urinary bladder, and therefore associated with two meridians (one Yin and one Yang). This element of Water is important because it governs the Jing (energy essence of the physical body) which is stored in the Kidneys. Water as an element, governs our daily energy and that which animates us throughout our life, the emotion which presides over this element is fear, and its virtues are courage and wisdom, its spiritual or psychic expression is called ZHI or will.
When practicing a Yin Yoga pose, we can say that we are mechanically targeting muscle groups. Each muscle group is crossed by several layers of fascia, and the interstices between these layers according to modern meridian theory are the space of the energy channels. It is from this anatomical perspective that we can couple a postural practice with an energy system. Stimulating the water element, i.e. the kidneys and urinary bladder, means addressing mainly the hamstrings and erectors spinea muscle groups. This is possible by performing a forward bend for instance, which will mobilise these two muscle groups and the meridians that run through them. Thus we develop a systemic approach evolving from the mechanics to the energetics of the body, which suggests the following relationship: Pose: Forward bend - Muscle group: Hamstrings / Erector Spinae - Meridians: Kidneys and Urinary Bladder.
The practice of Yin Yoga combined with the Chinese energy network often results in mistakes due to an incomplete understanding of the meridian map. We have all seen a poster describing the meridians on the human body. But this can be misleading if we do not look beyond the surface, because the Chinese energy network approach is multidimensional: it is based on 3 layers, 3 depths of analysis. It is a mistake to retain only the line (meridian) that is on the surface when we associate it with an asana (posture). Retaining only the line described just under the skin is what we call the primary meridian, Jing Mai, also called dermal, on which we perform acupuncture or massage. This meridian can be stimulated by pressure, Tui Na or Shiatsu massage... or by the application of acupuncture needles, but not by yoga poses .
If you want to stimulate the Chinese energy network by a mechanical action on the body, you should not only put your intention on the primary meridian (dermal), but also on the underlying layer: the so-called muscular meridian, Jing Jin, or myofascial meridian. In Yin Yoga, we stretch the muscles and connective tissues: we touch this second depth called muscular meridians or myofascial meridians.
The third layer consists of the so-called divergent, Jing Bie or visceral meridians. The divergent meridian is a branch of this network which goes directly to the organ and feeds it energetically. But the organs are quite difficult to access and complicated to isolate.
The poses yoga programs target the so-called deep fascia.
Acupuncture Atlas - Claudia Focks
In postural yoga, we are therefore interested in the second layer: the muscle meridian. However, the nomenclature of the second layer is different from that of the first layer. To take the example of the Kidney meridian, it expresses itself mainly at the back of the body (as well as on the hamstring muscle group) and is located along the spine, not at the front of the body as the first layer is described on the acupuncture charts. In order to avoid confusion, a holistic approach to meridian theory is essential because of its multidimensional nature.
By combining the holistic approach of TCM with the quiet introspection of Yin Yoga, we are able to project ourselves into the complexity of the meridian network in two ways:
1. by mechanical stimulation of myofascial groups,
2. by visualizing the meridians during the pose.
If you want to know more, please click on the button below to be redirected to the programme of our module on Chinese Medicine and Yin Yoga.
