“The essence of yin is yielding. Yang is about changing the world; yin accepts the world as it is. Neither is better than the other. There are indeed times when it is appropriate and even necessary to change the world; other times, it is best to just allow things to unfold. Part of the yin practice is learning this yielding.”
― Bernie Clark
Yin Yoga
Yin Yoga referred to as “The Quiet Practice” by its promoter Paul Grilley is a slow-paced and mainly floor-based style of yoga, incorporating principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine, with postures that are held for longer periods of time than in other styles, providing a unique opportunity to ease and release deeply held tension in the physical body, unleash stagnant or blocked energy, and cultivate peacefulness in the heart and mind, allowing the body to drop down into the parasympathetic nervous system, and therefore becomes deeply healing and nourishing.
Physically, we work into deep layers of connective tissues, fascia which surround our muscles, joints ligaments, tendons, and organs.
When we feel fearful, stressed, or anxious, the brain sends messages to the fascia, creating tension, stiffness, poor postural habits and even illness in the body.
Yin Yoga is a powerful tool to change the pattern of the fascia by applying moderate stress to these connective tissues of the body and therefore improving joint mobility, circulation, flexibility and posture.
The gentle pressures on the connective tissue in Yin Yoga is one way to grow healthy and hydrated tissue, enabling us to move with comfort and ease.
Energetically, Yin Yoga connects mind, body and soul and facilitates the flow of invisible, subtle energy, also referred to as Chi in Chinese Medicine.
It helps to stimulate different meridians (energy channels) that run through the body. When energy gets stuck along these channels (imagine a network of energetic pathways) it can cause mental illness, tension, trapped emotions, and trauma.
It suggested that these meridians are created by our connective tissue and that the improved flow of qi helps to release blocked and stagnant energy which improves organ health, immunity, and emotional wellbeing.
Emotionally, Yin Yoga gives us permission to slow down, pause and rest from our over-stimulating, all-consuming, busy lives.
Yin Yoga encourages you to be a witness of your own thoughts and feelings, without any need to judge, expand or identify them. By just sitting and observing the physical sensations, you will allow your system to work through the emotional blockages and find a sense of release.
General principles followed in
the practice of Yin Yoga
1. When coming into a pose, come to your first stopping point and relax (find a comfortable ‘EDGE ‘- don’t force past it). This is the place where there is some comfortable sensation in the targeted area but not the maximum stress to cause pain, discomfort, or numbness!
2. Once you have reached the appropriate edge begin to relax and become still. If the sensation changes you might need to ease off a bit or find a new slightly deeper edge. Use the breath to melt into the pose.
3. Stay in the posture for a period of time. The amount of time will vary, but generally, it is 1 to 10 minutes. If you are a beginner start with 1-3 min and progress to 5 with time.
4. When coming out of a pose, come out slowly and gently. The pose does create a sense of fragility; Give yourself time to enjoy the ‘REBOUND’ period between poses as the body returns to neutral.
