Question about forward bends

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myjulie40
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Jan 09, 2007 4:38 am

Question about forward bends

Post by myjulie40 »

Hi folks -- I just started teaching Yin/Yang yoga this month after first attending teacher training in January 2005 with Paul Grilley and Sarah Powers. Hope to see many of you at the Feb/March 2007 teacher training.

Here's my question: Paul's book clearly states that the meridians on or near the back of the body are "yang" meridians. So why does Caterpillar (which targets the spinal ligaments near the BACK of the body) tend to bring about a contemplative, quiet state of mind? (His book also says this somewhere.

Also, I saw the discussion about Dan T'ien and which chakra this corresponds to. On p. 95, Paul Grilley's book links it with the Svadhistana chakra. Hope that helps a bit. Sarah Powers teaches about which chakras influence which meridians, and I believe the Svadhistana controls the kidney meridian. I'll have to check on that, though.
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 69
Joined: Sun Jan 29, 2006 7:41 am

Yang lines and contemplation

Post by admin »

Hi Julie - interesting point about the caterpillar and a quiet state of mind. I think generally all forward bends are calming in that respect. Most yoga teachers will prescribe forward bends to calm a student, while back bends are found to be alivening and energizing.

Perhaps this has to do with what is happening from the compression experienced in the poses. As you probably know, we can do one of three things to our tissues in an asana: we can stretch, compress or twist them. While caterpillar does indeed stretch the back, yang lines of the body, it also compresses the front, yin lines.

Instinctively, when we are sick to the stomach, we fold forward. People experiencing grief also curl inward. These are yin directions. Our stomach and our heart feel better when we curl inward. There are energetic qualities that arise in these postures that bring us relief.

Going in the other direction, when we do a backbend, we compress the yang lines of the back, but we also open the yin lines of the front of the body. The heart opens and the lungs expand.

So maybe it is not just stretching the lines that create the energetic flows, it is also compression that plays a big role.

Any other thoughts out there?
Cheers
Bernie
Cittahari
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Aug 05, 2008 12:16 am
Location: Northern California

Forward bends

Post by Cittahari »

Sounds spot-on, Bernie. I concur with your statement that the compression aspect of the movement that is a big player; how could it be otherwise? In a forward bend the compression of the lungs automatically makes the breath more shallow and less frequent, which tends to have a sedating effect. In a backbend we breathe deeply and this is energizing.

On another level I suspect that it also has to do with the compression of the spine itself: piezoelectric currents are generated at the compression sides of the vertebrae involved, which then excite the nerve ganglions at those sites, and then the organs, etc. The back of the spine being the yang side, this would result in a yang, energizing effect in a backbend, while the opposite would of course be true for forward bends. Perhaps someone with more training in physiology could verify or correct this idea.

-Citta
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