Hello - Sonia here...
Just look around at the natural plant world and see how it grows, upwards, adapting to the environment, bending with the wind, stabilising through strong roots, flexible, directional, clear, vital and free. This macro view of the Wood Element in Chinese Five Element theory is also a way of taking a micro view within ourselves for these qualities and attributes.
This Element we see and feel in our tendons, ligaments and hips. It governs the Liver (Yin organ) and Gall Bladder (Yang organ). The energy pathway of the Gall Bladder meridian wraps down along our side-body fascia like a vine twists around a tree.
And so in the season of Spring, the Wood Element resonates, and we might try a yoga practice to create mobility particularly in the shoulder and hip joints.
JOINT - MOBILITY EXERCISES
Minimum of 8 repetitions for each exercise. Retain steady, even breathing.
1. Wrist rotations, figure-8
2. Shoulder Rotations, circle elbows forward and backward
3. Shoulder Rotations with a twist, circle alternate elbows back and slightly turn torso
4. Head movements, gentle "nod yes", "shake no"
& slow neck circles, going just half your full Range of Movement.
5. Cat / Cow - Spinal Flexion / Spinal extension, linking movement & breath
6. Hip Wipers - place feet wider than hips and rock knees from side-to-side, like windscreen wipers. Option 1 use hand support and turn to look over opposite shoulder. Option 2, still rocking from side-to-side rolling over bum, but no hands and start to work core a little more!
Option 3 for Hip Wipers is to keep rocking all the way up onto knees. Take it easy. Move from side-to-side, move from the core. Breathe and get hippy.
7. Slow ankle circles in both directions
photo credit : Ruby Hughes