11
Yin Yoga Sequences for the Spleen and Stomach Organ-Meridians
Spleen and Stomach Meridians
THE SPLEEN MERIDIAN begins at the medial side of the big toe and comes up the inside of the leg, just next to the Liver channel. It goes into the torso through the groin; enters the stomach and spleen; goes up through the diaphragm, chest, and heart; and ends at the root of the tongue.
The Stomach meridian begins next to the nose and goes down through the diaphragm, into the stomach and spleen, moves down along the top of the leg, and ends at the second toe.
Spleen/Stomach Short Session
Wide-Knee Child’s Pose with Twist
This pose affects the Spleen meridian along your inner legs, and the Stomach channels that flow down the front of your belly are nourished by the twisting (Fig. 11.1).
Begin in Child’s Pose, then spread your knees as wide as they are willing to go, keeping your hips back near your feet. Twist to the left and take your right shoulder toward your left knee; rest it on the floor with your arm outstretched. Your left hand can reach around and rest on your lower back, or come around to your inner right thigh. Rest your head on the floor or your upper right arm.
Stay in this pose for 3 to 5 minutes. To come out, release the left hand down on an exhale, and as you push into the floor to come up, slide your weight over to the other side, moving the left arm over to the right, resting on the left shoulder and taking your right arm back. Stay 3 to 5 minutes. To come out, exhale as you bring the right hand back to the floor. Inhale as you come up, pushing down through the right hand. With your weight on both hands, bring the knees back together, resting in Child’s Pose. It is better not to drag your legs closer together after having been in this passive pose for so long. Simply lift one knee and bring it toward the center of your body, following with the other knee.
Rest in Child’s Pose for a few breaths.
Dragon Pose
From Child’s Pose, push up on all fours and step your left foot forward into a lunge. Allow your hips to draw forward toward your left foot until you feel an appropriate amount of intensity along the inner top of the right leg. You can rest your hands or fingertips on the floor (Fig. 11.2) or on blocks on either side of your left foot, allowing your right leg to be extended far back behind you.
You can also place your hands or elbows on the inside of your front leg (Fig. 11.3), which is especially helpful if you are pregnant.
Stay in this pose for 3 to 5 minutes. To come out, simply bring your weight back, away from your left foot, and exhale as you bring the left knee in line with the right. To change sides, come forward with your right foot and repeat on this side for 3 to 5 minutes. To come out, bring the right knee back in line with the left and rest back in Child’s Pose.
Saddle Pose
Do Saddle Pose (Fig. 11.4) as described on this page. As our main interest is emphasizing the top of the thighs where the stomach meridian flows, you can try placing your feet beside your hips in Saddle Pose, rather than keeping them under you. If this pose is risky for your knees, take Sphinx Pose as described on this page (Fig. 9.15).
Dragonfly Pose
Dragonfly stimulates the Spleen meridian as it flows up the inner thighs. Do Dragonfly Pose (Fig. 11.5) as described on this page.
Corpse Pose (Savasana)
Do Corpse Pose (Savasana; Fig. 11.6) as described on this page.
Spleen/Stomach Long Session
Wide-Knee Child’s Pose with Twist
Do Wide-Knee Child’s Pose (Fig. 11.7) as described on this page.
Half-Saddle Pose
This pose stimulates the Stomach meridian as it flows down the top of the thigh (Fig.11.8).
From Child’s Pose, sit up while leaning to your right side and stretch out your left leg, allowing your right leg to stay folded back with the foot near your buttocks. Rest back on your hands or elbows, or all the way back onto the floor. If you would prefer to put a little less flexion in your right knee, place some padding under your buttocks and behind your right knee (Fig. 11.9). You can also have support under your back and head.
Stay in this pose for 3 to 5 minutes.
To come out, inhale and lift up using your elbows and then your hands; engage your abdominals to help you move up out of the pose. Come into Dragon with your left foot forward.
When you would like to create variations with this practice, you can add a few poses from Half-Saddle Pose, before you come forward into Dragon. Simply come up from the backbend and, keeping your right leg still folded back, spread your knees wide and fold toward the left leg (Fig. 11.10). Hold for 3 to 5 minutes. Inhale, come up, and keeping your legs the same as the last pose, bring your torso centered between the legs and fold forward (Fig. 11.11). Stay here 3 to 5 minutes. Finally, still with your right leg folded back and your knees still wide, twist toward the right and reach your left hand to the outside of the right leg and your right hand can reach for the inner left leg, or rest on the floor behind you (Fig. 11.12).
Dragon Pose
Do Dragon Pose (Fig. 11.13) by lifting up out of Half-Saddle Pose and bending your left knee. Step your weight forward, into a lunge with the left foot forward, stretching the right leg back. (Note: this will relieve the right knee from the flexion of Half-Saddle.)
Sleeping Swan Pose
This pose stimulates the Spleen meridian—the groin of the front leg and along the inner thigh of the back leg (Fig.11.14).
From Dragon Pose, walk your left foot to the right and place your shin and knee on the floor in Sleeping Swan Pose. (Note the photo shows the right leg, but you are doing the left side first in this sequence.) Bring your left knee over to the left so the left foot rests in line with the center of your body. See this page for further instructions.
Stay in this pose for 3 to 5 minutes.
To come out, inhale and lift your hips while sliding your left foot under your left hip and going back to Child’s Pose.
Repeat the same sequence on the other side with the left foot folded back in Half-Saddle Pose and then the right foot forward in Dragon Pose and Sleeping Swan. When you come out, rest in Child’s Pose for a few breaths.
Saddle Pose
Do Saddle Pose (Fig. 11.15) as described on this page.
Dragonfly Pose with Twist
This pose stimulates the Spleen meridian along the inner leg and both the Spleen and Stomach meridians as they flow along the abdomen (Fig. 11.16).
Begin by sitting upright with your legs out in front of you. Then spread your legs as wide apart as they are willing to go in a straddle. If they do not pull open very far, it may be more beneficial to bend your knees and put the feet flat on the floor before bending forward. Take your right hand behind you toward your left thigh, and the left hand over to the outside of your right leg. If your right hand cannot reach all the way around, place it on the floor behind you. Keep your spine upright between your hips as you twist toward the right. Turn your head either toward the right or all the way to the left, or alternate.
Stay in this pose for 3 to 5 minutes. To come out, exhale, release the hands, and bring your body back to center. Repeat the twist toward the other side.
Dragonfly Pose
Do Dragonfly Pose (Fig. 11.17) as described on this page. Or choose Butterfly Pose (Fig. 11.18), as described on this page.
Corpse Pose (Savasana)
Do Corpse Pose (Savasana; Fig. 11.19) as described on this page.
