Did you know that the ancient practices of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Yoga bring balance to the body, mind, and spirit? Do you know how they work together and how we can combine them in our daily practice? Let’s take a closer look at these two concepts. Although they are completely different, they offer tools to help us feel grounded and balanced in our daily lives and on a deeper level.
“He who has health has hope, and he who has hope has everything.”
Arabian Proverb
What Is Traditional Chinese Medicine?
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has evolved over thousands of years in China, to address health problems and aim to prevent or heal disease by maintaining or restoring Yin-Yang balance.
Core Principles
It includes various methods such as acupuncture, herbal remedies, and qigong. The aim of all of these is to find a balance in the body’s vital energy, called Qi.
A key philosophy of Traditional Chinese Medicine is to understand the meridians, which are specific pathways in the body through which Qi travels.
TCM also focuses on harmonizing the five basic elements of our body: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. These elements are associated with specific organs and emotional states that play an important role in people’s well-being.

The Yogic aspect
Yoga is an ancient practice where practitioners harmonize the body, mind, and soul, incorporating yoga asana, pranayama, and meditation.
Core Principles
There are multiple ways you can practice yoga and all the way it helps to bring physical health, mental clarity, and spiritual growth.
This practice helps people to understand their true nature so they can connect with themselves more deeply.
The Combination of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Yoga
At first Yoga and Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can be seen as two different things, but they both work on the same goal to find inner balance.
These practices center on the flow of life energy—known as “Qi” in TCM and “Prana” in yoga. These energies move through the subtle body and are called meridians in TCM and nadis in yoga.
Qi = Prana, meridians = nadis, balance = harmony.
Practical Applications For Everyday Life
Yoga and Traditional Chinese medicine have many practical applications for everyday life, by understanding that the mind, body, and spirit are all connected and that illness and disease rise when there is some kind of energetic imbalance in one or more of these areas.
Stress Relief and Mindfulness
Connection: Yoga and TCM focus on calming the nervous system and promoting inner peace.
Integration: -Use the Legs-Up-the-Wall pose (Viparita Karani) with gentle acupressure on KD-1 (Yongquan) to ground energy and relieve anxiety.
-Combine yoga Nidra (guided relaxation) with TCM herbal teas like chamomile to deepen relaxation and improve sleep.

Pain Relief and Mobility
Connection: Yoga strengthens muscles and improves flexibility, while TCM focuses on resolving blockages causing pain.
Integration: Gentle yoga stretches like Cat-Cow Pose to cobra pose can relieve back pain, followed by TCM heat therapy for lasting relief.
-Practice hip-opening poses like Pigeon Pose to release tension, along with tapping techniques on TCM’s Gallbladder meridian.
Emotional Balance
Connection: TCM and Yoga both see emotions as important to health—TCM links emotions to organ health, and yoga teaches mindfulness to process them.
Integration: Use TCM breathing techniques alongside yoga’s Pranayama to Relieve specific emotions (e.g., deep belly breathing for anger to calm the Liver).
-Practice Heart-opening poses like Camel Pose to release stored emotions, paired with TCM practices to Heart Qi.

Daily Practices for Balance
Morning Routine- Start your day with gentle yoga Flow, and Qi Gong exercises, followed by pranayama and later healthy breakfast.
Midday Energy Boost- Use self-reflection, or meditation techniques along TCM meridians to reduce fatigue.
Evening Wind-Down- Combine Yin yoga poses with a calming TCM herbal tea and mindful gratitude practice.
Key Takeaway:
Through yoga and TCM, you will create a powerful practice for your physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. These practices complement each other beautifully and help you achieve balance and harmony in your daily life. Whether you explore these principles through a 200 hour yoga teacher training in Bali, where we can explain in more depth how these principles work together, or integrate them into your practice, the synergy of TCM and yoga offers a profound path to inner and outer transformation. Through this connection, you can deeply nourish yourself, embrace health, and peace and connect with your true self.