Taoist Yoga

Founded by Paulie Zink, and based upon Chi Kung and Taoist practices from Northern China, Taoist Yoga (as it was originally known), or the amalgam of Taoist Flow, Yin Yoga and Yin & Yang Yoga, attune us to the river flow of energy and breath within, as we traverse the vast terrain of Yin and Yang. Even though often popularly referred to as “Yin Yoga,” the practice in its fullest form is known as Taoist or Yin & Yang Yoga, for, in actuality, there can be no Yin without Yang. Yin exists because of yang and vice versa.

Practices often involve a traditional birthing cycle or yielding cycle of the 5 elements found in traditional Chinese medicine. Through our bodies, we express the qualities of Earth, Metal, Water, Wood and Fire and learn proper alchemy of these energies. Taoist practitioners never aim to duplicate or copy, but rather, personally and experientially explore infinite variations of form; the practice weaves between embodied movement and stillness.

There is no final goal or form to achieve, but rather the practice is a dynamic, evolutionary process of growth, at once playful and liberating—always existing outside pure intellect. Dissolving stuck qi clears joints of calcification and toxicity and frees us to fluidly express our primal nature. Moving through life like water, without resistance, becomes our paradigm. Experimenting with circular motions and instinctive animal forms while balancing the 5 elements, opens us to our primordial state of being, moving and experiencing.