Oriental Yoga

Oriental Yoga is a therapeutic and effective practice, combining ancient principals and traditional postures. Oriental Yoga practice developed from traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine which adds another healing dimension to the yoga.

The flow of Chi (life force, known as Ki in Japanese) is a guiding principal in all oriental disciplines and medicine. Understanding how the Chi flows through the meridians of the body and how each meridian effects different organs and other types of energy within the being is how oriental disciplines have healed and enhanced life for thousands of years, acupuncture and Tai Chi are two good examples of this. The health of every individual is determined by the flow of Chi throughout the meridians, the balance of energies in the entire body and energetic being.

If the flow of Chi is obstructed the health of the body will be affected potentially causing pain and illness. Yoga is one of the best ways to optimise your Chi flow as once your body is stretched, relaxed and open the Chi can flow easily and promote wellness throughout the entire system balancing physical, emotional and spiritual energies.

Oriental Yoga encourages an acute awareness of energy flow when practicing Asanas (postures). Understanding this enhances ones yoga experience and helps the practitioner self heal on a daily basis. For example a seated forward bend (legs straight, feet flexed with toes pointed upward) specifically targets the bladder meridian which runs from the little toe, up the back of the legs, along either side of the spine, over the top if head and into the most inner most point of the eye. One of the functions of the bladder meridian is to regulate the nervous system. If your nervous system is stressed, a common symptom apart from actual stress is a tightening and rigidity in the back. Having this awareness helps one to heal, as you breathe into the forward bend and explore the relationship between the above elements, you can experience and understand the connection on a physical and emotional level while holding the posture.

The oriental model of wellness originates from the system called the Five Elements which relates to the continuous change created around and within us by all phenomena of the universe and nature which can be broken down into five elemental qualities represented by wood, fire), earth, metal and water.

These elements correspond to one another and influence all parts of the being. The flow of Chi can also be effected by the seasons as in each season a particular element becomes more prevalent in the body, when the element changes so does the associated organ / energy. In Spring the wood element is activated, the organs relating to the wood element are the liver and gall bladder, this makes spring the perfect time to work with asanas that help the liver and gall bladder as these energies are most active and the practice will be more effective. The associated meridians for the liver and gall bladder run on the inside and outside of the legs, so asanas stretching those meridians would be a focus during the spring classes.

Oriental yoga also has a strong focus on the energy of the seasonal change, for example Spring energy rises, regrowth, the excitement of new opportunities. Winter is the very opposite energy, the time to hibernate and work on setting the foundation which all else will be constructed. Winter activates water and is the time for the deepest work on our bodies, the lower back and belly, strengthening our foundations so that when the more outward energies (Spring and Summer) are influencing us we have a solid foundation to to move forward activate our goals.

Oriental Yoga assists us to become more in touch with the cycle of change that is constantly occurring around and within us.

Phenomenon	Wood	Fire	Earth	Metal	Water
Direction	east	south	center	west	north
Color	green/blue	red	yellow	white	black
Climate	wind	heat	damp	dryness	cold
Taste	sour	bitter	sweet	acrid	salty
Zang Organ	Liver	Heart	Spleen	Lung	Kidney
Fu Organ	Gallbladder	Small Intestine	Stomach	Large Intestine	Bladder
Sense organ	eye	tongue	mouth	nose	ears
Facial part	above bridge of nose	between eyes, lower part	bridge of nose	between eyes, middle part	cheeks (below cheekbone)
Eye part	iris	inner/outer corner of the eye	upper and lower lid	sclera	pupil