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YEM: YOGA AS ENERGY MEDICINE

YEM: YOGA AS ENERGY MEDICINE

HAMSTRINGS AND HUMILITY

build one exercise upon
the next to best help you
reap the full benefits of
this unique and powerful YEM: Yoga as Energy
Medicine practice.
EXERCISE
1. Find a quiet and relaxed
environment
where you can lie on
the floor. Use a towel
or yoga mat if you like.

Image credit: Walter Lai

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ext to our shoulders, one of the tightest muscles in our body is often our hamstrings. We
spend a lot of our time sitting, causing these long, powerful muscles to atrophy. Some
people are born with naturally flexible hamstrings, while the rest of us need to put in a bit of
effort to keep the stabilizing gems long and supple.
If you have ever taken a yoga or exercise class that included hamstring stretching, you
likely know that there is no muscle that can bring up issues of frustration more quickly. There
is something in the hamstrings, which connect us from our root energy center to the ground,
that bring up feeling of competitiveness, the desire to achieve and the accompanying experience of limitation. Of course, witnessing such is one of the great gifts of yoga.

2. After doing Savasana,
The Breathing Wave or
Discovering The Wave,
draw in life force
through your breath
through the whale
spout at the crown of
your head, down the
tube of breath that is
your spine. Allow that
energy to travel, on
the inhale right down
to your toes. Feel your
whole body breathing.
3. While lying on your
back, take hold of the
right leg, leaving the
left leg on the ground.
If you find that creates
too much stress on
your hamstring, simply
bend the left leg and
place your foot on the

ground. The intention
here is to keep your
right leg straight. Think
of how a straight conduit will aid in energy
travel.
4. As you inhale, point
your right toes. Sense
the
energy
move
down your spine.
5. As you exhale, press
out your right heel.
Sense
the
energy
move along your