What is meridian yoga?
Meridian yoga combines two ancient and powerful paradigms into one unique practice: Chinese Medicine and Hindu origin yoga.
Why combine the two?
Both practices or systems have a unique energy anatomy component and a movement component to tonify the body and mind:
Energy Anatomy
What do we mean by energy anatomy?
In short, our bodies are super sensitive conduits of energy. Think about it in western terms. We now know that our actions and thoughts are in large part coordinated by our nervous system, through which electrical impulses (energy) travel and act up on our mind and body.
This energy connects all of the different anatomical systems e.g. respiration, digestion, circulation, our immune system, our endocrine system etc. It is your life force that determines your mood, your thoughts, your relationships with others, and how your body functions on a physical level - e.g. your heart beat, your digestive processes, and breath.
The Chinese call this energy Qi. The Yogis call it prana.
This energy can become obstructed or fall out of balance. Think about the last time you were sick or had an argument with a loved one. What caused you to become sick or angry?
By energy anatomy, we mean our understanding of how this subtle energy travels through the body, and how it affects our mental and physical health.
People can pick up on this “energy” and so can animals. Anger, fear, anxiety - these emotions are palpable and can generally be categorized as stress. They are also the physical manifestation of energetic imbalances and vice versa. The quality of the Qi affects your health and vice versa. Scientific instruments can also pick up on it; while may not fully understand it, we know that it exists.
The ancient Chinese and Yogis had this figured out a long time ago. In many ways, they were more in tune with how these subtle energies ultimately dictate our health. Chinese medicine uses the meridian system to map out and act upon these energy patterns (learn more). The Yogis have the nadi system - which includes the chakras.
The Chinese meridian system is more robust in ways - or at least better documented than the Nadi system, particularly with respect to its therapeutic applications and in understanding unique stress patterns, how they manifest in the body, and how they can affect our physical and emotional health.
You have probably heard of acupuncture. Acupoints reside along very specific energy pathways called meridians. These energy pathways traverse the entire body through our connective tissue. We learn some of these points in meridian yoga class and use self-applied acupressure - along with yoga postures - to stretch and to bring balance to these pathways.
Acupoints and meridians also correspond to actual anatomical features of the body e.g. muscles, ligaments, tendons, organs, and facial pathways. The nadi system tends to speak in more general terms and is not as detailed in describing the exact pathways along which this energy travels.
Movement
Yoga asana (postures), compared to Thi Chi, is unique in terms of sequencing and varying degrees of difficulty. Tai Chi is a softer practice focused on balancing the subtle life energy or Qi through lighter flowing movement. Yoga asana is more effective in building strength, flexibility, and balance.
Movement is absolutely critical to our physical and mental health. You can think of the mind as an instrument and your body as your tuning fork. Often times, your mind falls out of balance. This causes stress, and stress causes disease. Furthermore, your mind (in the most general sense) resides in the body, as much as it does in the brain. Movement helps to clear these mind-body connections (energy channels) and keeps you healthy and happy.
You can think of yoga as the refined art and science of movement. There are many linages and variations of yoga. What most people consider yoga asana i.e. postures and sequences is a relatively modern evolution of much older meditative practices. It is a full-body “workout” with purpose - which ultimately has more to do with the mind than the body.
So, meridian yoga takes lessons and applications from Chinese energy anatomy and incorporates them into yoga asana. Numerous yoga practitioners and teachers are now combining the two systems.
What does a class look like?
A one-hour meridian yoga session starts with an energetic hatha yoga flow to warm up the body and focus the mind; followed by deep postures and self-applied acupressure to tonify the Qi or Prana. We talk a lot about physical and energy anatomy during the session, particularly in relation to the organs and how they affect our mood and overall mindset. You will build strength, stability, and flexibility, and walk away feeling stronger, lighter, happier, and more focused. All levels welcome. Variations for intermediate yoga practitioners.
Sign up for a class! Online and in-person options available.