This discussion group is for questions about Yin Yoga and other body parts, such as shoulders, feet, wrists, etc.... Also, this is the place to discuss various conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis, etc.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) the Lungs control the skin in that they spread our defensive Qi (part of our immune system) to keep us healthy and spread fluids to keep us moist. Both the lungs and the skin are involved in filtering out toxins. The Lungs have a special relationship with the Large Intestine and we often think of this pair as 'taking in what we need and letting go of what no longer serve us'. When we look at any condition in TCM we are always looking at the whole person (body/mind/spirit/lifestyle/environment/nutrition...)
There could be many factors affecting the beauty and radiance of your skin since it relies on an abundance of Qi, blood and fluids in the body which can also be affected by imbalances in other organ systems. There are many TCM practitioners that specialize in skin conditions because it can be so vast and complicated. To keep it simple though I would focus on the Lung meridian which travels down the inside of the arm and finishes at the outer aspect of the thumb. Opening the chest and doing longer held arm sequences are great. Tapping the skin and following the meridian helps bring our Qi to the surface. You can even start this tapping from the crown of your head and move down to your feet. Explore the head, face, arms, chest, low back, belly, inner things, feet...gently invite the Qi and blood to the surface of your skin. You and your students will feel more invigorated afterwards which I think can only benefit this largest organ of our body.
Thanks Cathy - and let's not forgot dietary aspects of healthy skin. Vitamin A is a big part of skin health and it is a very cheap vitamin to buy. There was an article in Science Digest recently that showed eating vegetables and fruits are better than sun tanning for creating that health skin glow.
[quote="Ckeenan"]In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) the Lungs control the skin in that they spread our defensive Qi (part of our immune system) to keep us healthy and spread fluids to keep us moist. Both the lungs and the skin are involved in filtering out toxins. The Lungs have a special relationship with the Large Intestine and we often think of this pair as 'taking in what we need and letting go of what no longer serve us'. When we look at any condition in TCM we are always looking at the whole person (body/mind/spirit/lifestyle/environment/nutrition...)
There could be many factors affecting the beauty and radiance of your skin since it relies on an abundance of Qi, blood and fluids in the body which can also be affected by imbalances in other organ systems. There are many TCM practitioners that specialize in skin conditions because it can be so vast and complicated. To keep it simple though I would focus on the Lung meridian which travels down the inside of the arm and finishes at the outer aspect of the thumb. Opening the chest and doing longer held arm sequences are great. Tapping the skin and following the meridian helps bring our Qi to the surface. You can even start this tapping from the crown of your head and move down to your feet. Explore the head, face, arms, chest, low back, belly, inner things, feet...gently invite the Qi and blood to the surface of your skin. You and your students will feel more invigorated afterwards which I think can only benefit this largest organ of our body.
I hope this helps.
Cathy-
:)[/quote]
THank you very much Cathy! I thought it was the lung Meridian! Most yin asanas for this meridian that I know seem to access the "back" side of the body very well (butterfly, sphinx, wide leg childs pose w twist, 1/2 downward dog, forward bend, snail etc) but few open the chest. Can you suggest some?
There are several poses that will deliberately work the arm meridians: Anahatasana is one good one, as is Frog (though not as deep). Also, while in sitting poses like Shoelace you can do the cowface or eagle arms. In the Half Butterfly with a twist/side bend you can either work the opposite hand behind the back (like in cowface) or extend it along side your ear. Finally, in Reclining Twists or Saddle Pose, you can raise the arms over head to work the shoulders.
I intend to talk about this in the next newsletter as well: due out at end of March.
