New connections, familiar practices

Today was a special day for me in two ways: firstly, I made a connection with another local wellness professional whom I met at the local Chamber of Commerce, and with whom I am looking forward to exploring ways to work together, and secondly because I experienced acupuncture for the first time.

I have had dry needling before, but never acupuncture, though I have heard a range of experiences from a horror story of a forgotten needle left in a foot, to its miraculous curative properties for a variety of ailments.

Acupuncture is a practice drawn from Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the placement of the needles follows the structure of the meridian lines, or energy lines through the body. As a teacher of yin yoga, I had learned about the meridian lines in teacher training, and how certain shapes affect these lines and the different systems of the body - in ways that are far from intuitive. That being said, I don't personally emphasize the meridian lines when I teach or practice yin. I was fascinated to learn more about how acupuncture works. If you're in Maple Ridge, check out https://www.wholeheartedwellness.ca/.

The experience of acupuncture was interesting - and while I've been advised its effects are cumulative, it was a relaxing experience. It also reminded me of my yin teacher training and inspired this week's episode of Om: The Podcast. The Taoist concepts of yin and yang - the cool and the fiery, the still and the dynamic - are what gave yin yoga its name.

I have found myself increasingly drawn to yin yoga in recent years, and one thing I found interesting was that the acupuncturist assessed me by examining my tongue, and concluded that I likely "run hot" based on having a red tongue and somewhat dry mouth; as a result she would place the needles in such a way as to "block the heat from rising". It is true that I typically am warmer than my environment or those around me. Yin is a cooling practice in that you are more stationary but also based on the logic of the meridian lines that yin poses activate - or so I was taught.

Check out the episode on Spotify, and if you need some yin in your life to help you de-stress, sign up for Om: Unlimited - my livestreaming yoga classes. Gain access to my entire library of recorded Yin and Vinyasa classes, or join me live every Wednesday at 8:30 PM PST for yin, and Saturdays at 9:00 AM PST for Vinyasa. Try it for 1 week completely free!

You can also purchase this single class - 60 minutes of yin to support your spine.

Hope this week you find your Om

Love,

Britt