Tonight’s Yin yoga class at the Yoga NoHo Center is celebrating the 11th Moon— the Winter Moon— which is near the darkest (shortest) day of the year, the Winter Solstice. It is very Yin. Can you say even longer, long-hold postures? Yeah, I thought you could.
This trigram consisting of three broken lines represents Earth (kun or k’un) and is considered Yin, dark & cold. It’s the symbol of the female principle in the ancient Chinese tradition.
Here’s the series—
- Seiza— shins on floor, sitting on heels: 5′
- Caterpillar— seated forward fold over outstretched legs: 10′
- Gambling— deep squat: 10′
- Square R— seated forward fold over crossed legs, right in front: 10′
- Square L— seated forward fold over crossed legs, left in front: 10′
- Twisted Root R— lying side twist with right arm outstretched on diagonal: 5′
- Twisted Root L— lying side twist with left arm outstretched on diagonal: 5′
- Saddle— kneeling back bend: 10′
- Pentacle— lying supine, palms up, tip of index finger resting on thumbnail: 8′
- Seiza— shins on floor, sitting on heels: 2′
Here’s the soundtrack—
Tibetan Flute Music + Om Chanting | Meditative Mind
Here’s a meditation on the Winter Moon—
Bamboo Grove
Sit alone, hidden in bamboo.
Pluck the qin and whoop with joy.
Forest so deep no one knows it:
the bright moon comes to shine on me.
— Wang Wei (699-759)