Merging Chinese medicine with Yin Yoga. Why and who can teach it?

Self-care plays a big part of Chinese medicine, with the purpose of building certain qualities, and elevating your sense for worthiness of being in your own body. In the umbrella of self-care practices and tools to build these qualities, lies meditation, yoga, Dao Yin, Qigong, acupressure and guasha, breathing and visualisation techniques. Methods important in daily life, to release potential stress.

Acupressure, for example, is used to decrease pain, by many people who don't want to use medication. And guasha, which is considered folk medicine, is used to prevent and treat headaches, and common cold, among other things. A method not exclusive for Chinese medicine doctors/acupuncturists. Which kind of, is the whole point. 

When I did my internship in acupuncture at a hospital in Beijing, China, never once did I see a doctor use guasha in the clinic. Guasha was something to be done at home. 

SELF-CARE and YIN YOGA

Self-care is part of the complex medicine that Chinese medicine is. A medicine that takes years and years to learn and understand. At least if you´re learning the diagnostic tools to be able to treat patients. But again, there are parts of Chinese medicine that anyone can learn, to integrate in life, and yoga. Which brings me to the key questions of this article:

Do self-care practices like acupressure and guāshā have a place in Yin Yoga? Or any other yoga practice? And who´s qualified to teach it?

Yin Yoga is Yin Yoga. Chinese medicine is Chinese medicine. They are not the same thing. But there are beautiful and powerful ways to integrate the two. Just like a Hatha Yoga teacher might integrate Ayurvedic principles in a class.

Yin Yoga is what we call the practice of a series of floor-based shapes we hold for several minutes at a time. That in itself isn´t Chinese medicine, if we consider that Chinese medicine is a name that includes acupuncture, herbal medicine, moxa, cupping, and so on, based on diagnosis to treat the individual. A medicine that, again, also includes self-care.

Self-care in Chinese medicine is called YANG SHENG. A term usually translated as “nourishment of life tradition”, including self-care elements like sleep, diet, exercise, and emotional wellness. A term where Yin Yoga definitely holds a place. Just like Qigong.

So, what I´m trying to say, is that although Yin Yoga isn´t Chinese medicine per se, it definitely lies within the self-care methods of Yang Sheng, together with acupressure and guasha. Which means, in my opinion, that Yin Yoga absolutely can merge beautifully with Chinese medicine theory. Just like you could teach running and include Chinese medicine theory in it, teaching runners acupressure to release pain related to over-use injuries, or breathe better. That doesn’t mean running is Chinese medicine. But they can merge. I teach it all the time, for my runner students. And use it myself.

CHINESE MEDICINE PROVIDES A FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERSTANDING THE PRACTICE

Yin Yoga isn´t Chinese medicine, in a way that it isn´t acupuncture. But Chinese medicine gives us an amazing framework, to help us bring an understanding of the body, and what´s happening in the practice. In my opinion, that´s where the strength lies in merging Chinese medicine and Yin Yoga. We have the practice, which is Yin Yoga. And we have Chinese medicine that can clarify and bring a deeper understanding of that practice.

I could also explain it like this;

Yin Yoga can be a tool to make the body a better laboratory, to enduce a state of tranquility. And Chinese medicine gives us a way of making sense of what we experience, by explaining the energetics of it.

And then, not to be forgotten, we have they way Chinese medicine teaches us about health, life, and nature, in general. About seasonal living, and the five elements. Which again, is about energetics.

Nature is governed by five elements, that also manifest within us, through our organs. Organs that create the five vital substances of life; namely blood, qi, fluids, essence and spirit. Which is all about subtle and less subtle Qi and energetics, in need of constant harmonizing.

Through lifestyle factors such as diet, sleep, exercise, and emotional regulation, we can care for the production and maintenance of our five vital substances for life. And the last two, exercise and emotional regulation, is where Yin Yoga really can shine. A practice where we exercise our connective tissue. By creating tension and compression of the tissues. Which creates piezo electricity. That affects our organs. Which are the creators of the vital substances.

Are you following my point? Yin Yoga ISN´T Chinese medicine, per se. But Chinese medicine brings a deeper understanding to the practice of Yin Yoga. And Yin Yoga is part of YANG SHENG. Which is part of Chinese medicine.

So this brings me to my next question:

WHO CAN TEACH CHINESE MEDICINE IN A YIN YOGA CLASS?

The broad answer; it depends on what and how you say it.

Let me give you some examples:

Teacher one:

“I learned a few amazing acupressure points by another teacher, and I would love to share it with you in class. Please know that I´m not an acupuncturist and so I´m just sharing what I´ve learned with you guys, which is acupressure on an acupoint called Liver 3, according to Chinese philosophy said to support the flow of Qi in our bodies, which can help us when we feel emotionally stuck. This acupoint is especially nice to practice during the transition into Spring, since it´s related to the Wood element, which is all about expansion and growth.”

Teacher two:

“Ok, so we are going to practice some acupressure on an acupoint called Liver 3. As a Chinese medicine practitioner, I use this acupoint in clinic for many different things, such as emotional stress, headaches and migraines, and period problems. But since I can´t make a diagnosis of you all, we aren’t using this acupoint based on any specific illness or symptom. We are just going to use this acupoint as a general way of being more attentive to our bodies and maybe bring some calmness into your system. And massaging this acupoint help us bring more attention to the target area that I want us to focus on in our next Yin Yoga pose.”

See the difference in how this was delivered in class?

Teacher one doesn’t mention the word medicine, or symptom. Instead the teacher is using words like philosophy. And being humble about not being a trained Chinese medicine practitioner.

Teacher two use the word medicine. And clinic. But still provide information that in class, the acupoint is used for general wellbeing and nourishment.

It´s all about how you deliver the knowledge. And answer any potential questions. Being humble of what you know and don’t know. And aways consider what’s useful in a yoga class, and what doens’t have a place there. Like symptoms. Just like we don’t say: this pose is the best pose for back pain, we don’t refer to any acupoint as the best point for this or that. Because we would need to make an individual diagnosis to say that. Instead, we can say that for a healthy spine, in the long run, we need to make sure we provide movements for the spine in all its directions. And we can say that, for example, Kidney 3 acupoint is well known to strengthen the lumbar area, whether you’re experiencing pain or not.

HEALING TOUCH

The touch and self-massage that acupressure brings, can be a beautiful way for someone to re-connect to their own body. It may help people being their attention into their own physical body, leaving out any distractions. It can support them in becoming more mindful. It can help people to pay attention to their breath, their body, and the moment. And after the massage, with or without a guasha tool, they might melt into a yin pose with more calmness and ease. More connected. And isn’t that the whole point of a yoga practice?

Acupressure and guasha, in my opinion, can add depth to a Yin Yoga class. Depending on how it's taught. It's highly important to leave out talk about illnesses and symptoms. And use it in a way to just bring people closer to their own bodies. Spirits. Minds. 

To teach this, of course you need education. But you don´t need to be an acupuncturist. You just have to learn from one. And then in class, be clear and humble about you not being an acupuncturist, referring to one if anyone have questions about symptoms or diagnosis.

CHINESE PHILOSOPHY

I´ve never heard a yoga teacher being scared of talking about Ayurveda in class. The opposite. It seems pretty mainstream to include elements of it if you´re a Hatha Yoga teacher. The difference, I believe, is that the word medicine isn’t there. You can say Ayurveda, and not Ayurvedic medicine. Huge difference. And I think we can do the same with Chinese medicine. As a teacher you could say, for example: “I´m really inspired by Chinese philosophy.”

Most compatible with Yin Yoga, in my opinion, is to teach people about the elements. Of learning about how to live according to seasonal changes. And there's great acu points to be used for that, in a combination of elongating those sinew channels like we do in Yin. Working with Wei qi, which is great and super awesome.

The acupoints I personally choose and add are nourishing acupoints. To help students pay attention to that area of the body, before adding a yin stress to it. The acupoints are basically never mentioned in relation to illnesses. Sometimes I mention menopause, or period problems, or headaches, and such. But I do it because I’m a Chinese medicine practitioner, and I can handle questions after class and book students for treatments. But I’m not teaching Yin Yoga to get patients. SO I’m careful with what I say. Making sure the information I provide, is general.

Because it requires knowledge of Chinese medicine beyond a Yin Yoga training, to talk about symptoms and acupoints. I my class, we focus more about the area than the millimeter specifics of the acupoints. Because points are areas of potential. Places we can tap into Qi. And in Yin Yoga, I would say it's mostly about unblocking channels and tissues from any stagnation. To get things to flow freely. 

LEARN IT, USE IT AND TEACH IT!

Teaching people that pain can be decreased with acupressure is great! I mean, how amazing to be able to share that with students! I actually don’t think I’ve ever met a student that believes that it’s so simple as “press this point and it’s all better”. They know that a combination of points are most often needed. Based on them as a person. But at the same time, there are points that give immediate relief. Calmness. Even stop bleeding. And why wouldn't we want to teach that? Ok, maybe not bleeding, but the powerful points that brings calmness and a sense of ease. Amazing!

Why hold that back? Acupressure is safe. And free of charge. Just make sure you learn from a trained acupuncturist, and be clear in class with your intentions of bringing elements of Chinese medicine (PHILOSOPHY) into the class. And know the general contraindications.

Acupressure and guasha isn’t exclusive to Chinese medicine doctors/acupuncturists. Which is the whole POINT.

Yin Yoga isn’t Dao Yin. But it holds similar qualities. And Dao Yin is part of Chinese medicine. And personally, Yin Yoga is a bit like floor based Qigong to me. Built on similar ideas. At least as I was taught in my long Qigong training with a Daoist priest.

LEARN MORE IN MY online EDUCATION PROGRAMS or my yin yoga teacher trainings.