Why Zen Yoga Poses Can Improve Your Health

Zen yoga poses are part of an Oriental system thatsome way, this definitely does not mean that our
combines the practice of asanas with Traditionalorgans are! I emphasize this because a lot of people
Chinese and Japanese Medicine. Postures aretend to get alarmed by some of the terminology, and it
categorized according to the primary meridian theyjust stems from a misunderstanding of the context in
affect. A meridian can be understood as similar to awhich it is being used.
blood vessel, in that it has an energetic structure thatBy understanding how important the energetic aspect
corresponds with the human body, but which is insteadis in Oriental philosophy, it is easier to understand how
a channel for energy to circulate (instead of blood).they look at the symptoms of disease, illness, or any
The alignment of these exercises with specificproblems we feel in our bodies. Instead of focusing on
meridians is what makes zen yoga such a powerfulthe symptom itself, Oriental diagnosis looks at what is
healing modality. In fact, teachers of this Orientalgoing on in the meridians, and a healing approach is
system emphasize its' capacity to help treat the basicbased on this, instead of a rigidly defined solution for a
causes of illness.. This article will explore what is meantset of symptoms. What this means in practical terms,
by that, and provide some illustration on how zen yogais that one person's ideal solution to a bad back, or a
poses can be adapted to an individual's problems.stiff neck, may be very different to another's.
Meridian exercises work by facilitating the natural flowThe good news is that you don't have to know a lot
of energy in areas where we experience blockagesof theory to do zen yoga successful. And neither do
and stagnation. We may feel those areas ofyou need to understand the intricacies of Oriental
blockages as stiffness, aching, tension, pain, or simply adiagnosis to apply zen yoga exercises for your own
feeling of being uncomfortable. Zen poses open upspecific problems. Masunaga offers this useful guide:
their primary meridians, and as a result, they dispel 'ill'"first find the exercise which is hardest to do... and then
energy, and allow healthy energy to flow instead.look for another one which is the easiest... If doing the
A little background on meridians may be helpful. Thereeasiest exercise causes an improvement in the
are 12 meridians, and they are named after differentperformance of the most difficult one, or relieves a ...
organs of the body. So, we have the Lung meridian,symptom, it is effectively reinforcing the Ki [energy] in
large intestine meridian, Heart constrictor, triple heater,the Kyo [deficient] meridian".
liver, gall bladder, spleen, stomach, heart, small intestine,Masunaga was a leading shiatsu teacher in Japan who
kidney, and bladder.organized meridian exercises into a system that
It's important to note that although these meridianspeople could use themselves. He actually wrote that
each have an energetic relationship with the organthe best way to learn about zen yoga poses, was to
after which they are named, they are not just referringpractice them! Zen yoga seems more difficult in theory
to the organ when we speak about them. Theirthan it is in practice. It's actually a very fun, playful and
primary meaning is an energetic reference, to a typegentle style of yoga that can readily be adapted to
of energy that runs along a specific channel, which justany level of fitness and health. Like tai chi, it has great
happens to be associated with a physical organ ashealth benefits, which can be explored in more detail
well. So, when Oriental practitioners and yoga teachersthrough classes or publications.
talk about a particular meridian being out of whack in