What is Yin Yoga?
A beginner’s guide to Yin Yoga and why everyone should give it a go at home or in a studio
Yin Yoga is my favourite class to teach and attend. I love it! It’s amazing for your mental health, wellbeing and physical body.
You can do it at any time and anywhere, so it’s a perfect activity to do at home. You don’t even need a yoga mat to practise - a rug will suffice and a couple of pillows and books.
It’s a chance to be still and feel at home in your mind and body.
To block out the world for a short while, and to listen and learn about what you need in that moment, letting go of judgement, fear, expectations and worries.
It not only helps to reduce anxiety, stress and fear, but it improves flexibility, circulation and joint mobility.
Yin Yoga gives us permission to slow down, pause and rest from our over-stimulating, all-consuming, busy lives.
Read on to discover what Yin is and why you should practise it.
What is Yin Yoga?
Yin Yoga is about finding stillness, breath and release in the mind, body and energetic system. You will hold yoga poses between 2-10 minutes at a time, supported by yoga props or household props if you’re practising from home.
There will be no planks, no sun salutations, no movement…
Yin Yoga is a slow, still practise, the opposite of our yang practises such as Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Cycling or Running. Yang is about creating heat and repetitive movement in the body. It’s uplifting and energising. Whereas, Yin is about finding coolness and stillness in the body. It’s calming and peaceful.
A perfect balance of yin and yang creates wholeness.
Why practise Yin Yoga?
In Yin Yoga, we work with our physical, emotional and energetic body as we hold poses for long periods of time.
Physically, we are working into deep layers of fascia which surrounds our muscles, joints and organs. When we feel fearful, stressed or anxious, the brain sends messages to the fascia (connective tissue) 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, improving joint mobility, flexibility and posture.
Energetically, Yin Yoga connects mind, body and soul and facilitates the flow of invisible energy, also referred to as chi, vital life force, prana, vibrancy etc. 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.
Emotionally, 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.
Enjoy the power of stillness
I hope this post has provided you with a little insight into Yin Yoga and its many wonderful benefits.
If you’re looking to reduce stress, manage anxiety or get a better night’s sleep, give yin a go! It’s still, peaceful and incredibly rewarding.
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