We humans are a confluence of earth ‘Yin’ energy and heavenly ‘Yang’ energy. Just as our world could not exist without the Yin support of the ground below and the Yang space of the sky above, our health and vitality depend upon these complementary upper and lower energies.
Our yoga practice draws strength from these two primordial forces of life and increases chi migration throughout the whole body while improving pranic circulation through the Hara, the belly center which is the wellspring of our life force.
The emphasis in the Insight Yoga | Heaven DVD is on enhancing the vibrant Yang energy within our body. We then balance this with a grounded Yin-based practice.
Heaven DVD Overview
• Practice Overview (9 min): A short presentation on the principles of Insight Yoga with further details about each practice on this DVD.
• Practice 1: Strengthening the Lung Chi (65 min): A series of of upper body poses, inversions and yin backbends, with breath exercises and visualizations to strengthen the lungs and increase overall circulation and vitality in the body.
• Practice 2: Ground Support: Breathing into the Hara (45 min): A series of yin and yang postures practiced on our backs, nourishing the spine, hips and abdomen.
• Karuna Meditation (16 min): A guided compassion meditation in which we use our mental and emotional obstacles as opportunities for developing kindness and sensitivity toward our vulnerabilities as well as an empathic connection with others.
The emphasis in the Insight Yoga | Earth DVD is on enhancing the vitality in the Hara while encouraging strength and stability in our legs and abdomen—the ‘earth’ areas of the body.
Earth DVD Overview
• Practice Overview (9 min): A short presentation on the principles of Insight Yoga with further details about each practice on this DVD.
• Practice 1: Grounding Down (55 min): A series of standing and balancing poses that encourage lower-body groundedness, followed by fluid movements to decongest stagnancy in the back and shoulders. This practice helps maintain a healthy spine.
• Practice 2: Spiraling the Universal Chi Down and In (31 min): Seated twists and core strengtheners that increase circulation along the spine and abdomen.
• Shamata Meditation (20 min): A breath-focused meditation to develop a relaxed and stable quality of non-distracted attention that cultivates ease of being.
• Vipassana Meditation (18 min): A mindfulness practice to disengage from the habits of mental reactivity and develop an alert, inquisitive attitude leading to insight.
