Because of this, in Japanese yoga, spring practices will focus heavily on detoxing (which starts in the liver), and on letting go of what no longer serves the yogi.īy contrast, winter is a time of taking stock, of physical and perhaps spiritual hibernation, so the focus is inward, on the kidney, which is such a vital part of the body, as a whole. Spring, for instance, is a time traditionally associated with rebirth and new beginnings. The idea behind this seasonal healing is that our bodies aren’t linear, but rather that they follow the same patterns as the seasons. Of course, every yoga practice will be a little different, but the main thing that sets Japanese yoga apart is that it’s specifically focused on healing and nourishing the different parts of the body through mindfulness. What is the best time to practice Japanese Yoga? Lastly, in summer, we focus on elements of fire, with much of our yoga practices focusing on the heart, and small intestine.In spring, we move on to the liver and gall bladder, with the liver playing a crucial role in traditional oriental medicine.For winter, the focus is around a water element, with common approaches to Japanese yoga targeting the kidney, and bladder. ![]() ![]() For autumn, the focus can be on eliminatory organs, like the lungs, and the large intestine.The focus may differ, depending on where you go to practice Japanese yoga, but a common seasonal division of the meridians is: Yang meridians of the leg – focus on the urinary bladder, stomach, and gallbladder.Yin meridians of the leg – targeting the liver, kidney, and spleen.Yang meridians of the arm - focused on the small and large intestines, and the san jiao (in traditional Chinese medicine, this translates as the sixth organ of Fu, and refers to the hollow space inside the trunk of the body).Yin meridians of the arm - focused on the heart, lungs, and pericardium.In total, there are twelve meridians in the body, divided as follows: ![]() In some ways, Japanese yoga has been likened to traditional Chinese acupuncture, in the sense that it focuses on the meridians in the body, to heal different parts. Depending on which season you’re in, you’ll follow a different yoga practice, with each season focusing on specific areas of the body. So the yoga you’re doing at Christmas won’t mean the same stretches you do in the summer, and vice-versa. In Japanese-style yoga, the yogi will actually practice different movements and poses, changing with the season. Whereas the yoga we’re used to tends to remain more or less the same, as time progresses, with the yogi just getting better at it, Japanese yoga is changing. So naturally, you’re wondering what the difference is between traditional yoga and the Japanese version.
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