Spring & The Wood Element
In Traditional Chinese and Japanese Medicine, spring is associated with the element of Wood 木 
. As Dutch millennial kids we already learned about the elements - Gogyo 五行 - in Japanese philosophy, while watching anime like 'Pokémon' and 'The Last Airbender' in the '90s and '00s.
. As Dutch millennial kids we already learned about the elements - Gogyo 五行 - in Japanese philosophy, while watching anime like 'Pokémon' and 'The Last Airbender' in the '90s and '00s.Wikipedia tells us Gogyo is a "fivefold conceptual scheme that many traditional Chinese fields used to explain a wide array of phenomena, from cosmic cycles to the interaction between internal organs, and from the succession of political regimes to the properties of medicinal drugs. The 'Five Phases' are Fire (火), Water (水), Wood (木), Metal or Gold (金), and Earth (土)." 
Because Dō-In is part of Traditional Chinese and Japanese Medicine, Gogyo is integrated into the practice. To create good 'Wood energy' in body and mind, our yoga practice becomes more active and energetic. This is to spark creativity for the process of growth in spring 
In Dutch culture, we clean our houses when spring is coming. We call it 'lenteschoonmaak'. In Japanese Dō-in 導引 practice, we clean our body when spring is coming; by activating our Liver and Gallbladder Meridian, drinking green tea, eating plant-based and drinking less coffee or alcohol. (To be honest, the last two are always a struggle for me 
).
).In my Japanese Yoga course, we focus on the Liver Meridian in February. In March we focus on the Gallbladder Meridian. Together they make sure the Ki 気 (life force energy) in these organs stays balanced.
When the Liver energy flows well, making and managing plans feels effortless, you adapt easily to sudden change and you feel emotionally balanced.
Due to its association with Wood, good Liver energy ensures growth and development, drive, desires, ambitions, and creativity. These qualities are important at this time of year when we move from emptiness 空 to form 色, from the quiet Winter to the development and growth in Spring.
The stretch I demonstrate in this video, is a dynamic variation on one of the six stretches by shiatsu therapist Shizuto Masunaga (1925 - 1981). It stretches the shoulders, sides of the spine, and upper body, inner thighs, hamstrings, and calves.
You can join my Dō-in workshop on these meridians on March 10 at Samana Yoga Center Amsterdam from 19.30 - 21.00. You can also order two online classes on Liver & Gallbladder, just send me an email: Dit e-mailadres wordt beveiligd tegen spambots. JavaScript dient ingeschakeld te zijn om het te bekijken..