From Depletion to Nourishment - A Journey of Restoration with JY Ooi, Apr 18

River Valley
Saturday, April 18, 2026
12 noon to 2pm

There are seasons in life when the pace of living draws more from us than it returns. When life continually asks of us in the form of work, family and caregiving obligations, social commitments and personal pursuits, keeping a balance between these and our personal time to rest and recover becomes a continuous challenge in itself.

Over time, when our to-do list lengthens and our minds get busier and busier, it may become easier to keep up the momentum, keep moving (because that is what is asked of us), but a deeper need goes unmet – the need to stop, be replenished, and return to ourselves.

This workshop is an invitation to slow down and journey towards restoration through a meridian-influenced practice of Yin Yoga.

A Practice Rooted in Stillness
In Taoist philosophy, the Three Treasures — Jing (精), Qi (气), and Shen (神) — form the foundation of all vitality and wellbeing.  Jing is our deepest constitutional essence, the reservoir from which all life energy flows.  Qi is the vital energy that moves through us, animating thought, emotion, and action.  Shen is the spirit — the quality of consciousness, presence, and inner light that we carry in the world.  

Yin yoga is one of the most potent practices we have for tending to all three. It nourishes Jing by drawing awareness inward and reducing energy expenditure. It regulates Qi through sustained stimulation of the meridian pathways. It calms Shen by quieting the nervous system and cultivating a quality of deep, non-doing stillness.

Unlike the more active or dynamic forms of yoga, yin asks little of us physically. We come to the floor, we settle into a posture at our edge, and we stay for 3 to 5 minutes at a time. Within that simplicity, something profound arises.

What Arises in the Stillness
The long, unhurried duration of yin postures creates an inner spaciousness. In that space, things that have been suppressed, avoided, or unnoticed can begin to surface. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), emotions are understood to be held in the body, stored within the organs and their associated meridian pathways. Fear lives in the Kidneys; frustration and resentment in the Liver; worry in the Spleen; grief in the Lungs; the longing for joy and connection lives in the Heart.

When we work with these pathways through the practice of Yin Yoga, gently, patiently and over time, we may encounter the emotional residue that has been quietly held within them. Yin Yoga does not ask us to analyse what arises or to resolve it.  It asks us only to be present with it: to allow feelings to surface, to meet them with curiosity rather than alarm or aversion, and to let them move through us without the habitual impulse to fix, suppress, or ruminate. In this way, the practice nourishes our physical body as well as our emotional landscape, giving us a safe space for emotional release and renewal.

Four-Meridian Architecture
Over 2 hours, we will consciously move through four layers of meridian work, each with its own theme and intention. The arc moves from the deep and inward — the Kidney meridian and our most fundamental reserves, through the receptive (Spleen/Stomach, the capacity to receive and be nourished), into the realm of flow and release (Liver and Gallbladder, allowing what is stuck or constrained to move freely), and finally upward toward warmth and re-connection (Heart, rekindling the inner spark). This is a journey from depletion towards opening and then nourishment.

The workshop is open to all practitioners regardless of experience level. You only need to bring yourself and an intention to slow down.

A Gift of Nourishment for You
Each participant will receive a handcrafted personalised herbal tea — brewed in small batches with care and prepared as a sensory and thematic accompaniment to the workshop experience.

The blend has been thoughtfully curated to reflect the meridian focus of the practice, drawing on 5 classic and well-regarded ingredients from the TCM wellness tradition:

Goji berries — ruby-red and gently sweet, nourishing the Kidney and Liver;
Chrysanthemum grandiflorum — delicate and cooling, calming the Liver and clearing the mind;
Rose buds — fragrant and gently uplifting, moving stagnant Liver Qi and softening the Heart;
Hawthorn — pleasantly tart, supporting the Spleen, the digestion, and the Heart;
Chinese barley (coix seeds) — earthy and grounding, strengthening the Spleen and gently tonifying the Kidney.

This home-made artisanal herbal tea is made from natural, thoughtfully-sourced ingredients, with no artificial flavourings, colouring or preservatives.

Price

$98.

Places are limited to 8 participants, to preserve the intimacy and spaciousness that this practice deserves.  We look forward to sharing this special occasion with you.

Cancellation Policy

Please note that this event is non-refundable.

ABOUT JY OOI


JY brings an unusual combination of professional backgrounds to his teaching – he first trained as a lawyer and was in legal practice for many years, before transitioning to yoga teaching. This journey of transition taught him much about himself, and deepened his conviction that the lessons learnt on the mat have real relevance off the mat. He seeks to bridge his professional training in law and his personal practice in spirituality, contemplative practices and wellness, in ways that are of benefit to others.

JY started practising yoga in 2013, did his first training in 2015, and has been teaching yoga since 2017. He is a Yoga Alliance E-RYT500 and Continuing Education Provider (YACEP), and has conducted trainings and workshops, as well as privates, corporates and events. 

The practice of yin yoga has most informed his practice and teaching. He completed his 300-hour Advanced Yin Yoga Teacher Training with Jo Phee over 8 years, grounded in (amongst others) Traditional Chinese Medicine frameworks including meridians and acupressure points, as well as the therapeutic dimensions of myofascial release. He has also sought to deepen his education at the intersection of yin yoga and contemplative practices such as mindfulness and the Buddha Dharma, and regards Sarah Powers as an instrumental guiding light. He also works on resources for yin yoga enthusiasts as well as yoga teachers.

JY views teaching as a service and a privilege. His classes aim to offer a grounding, calm and reflective space where practitioners are encouraged to observe their breath, sensations, thoughts and feelings – towards realising that the mind and our thoughts are not one and the same, and understanding this not just intellectually, but as a lived experience. He teaches from an authentic and supportive place, fostering awareness, mindfulness and compassion.