Intro to Yin Yoga

A less popular style of Yoga, Yin Yoga is not something which most Yoga practitioners will be familiar with. This is not an easy yoga practice and requires a lot of patience and determination for its completion. It was designed so that you can sit comfortably for a longer period of time in a meditative Pose while stretching your connective tissues.

This passive practice includes several seated and supine poses which the user needs to hold for 3-5 minutes at least. As a result, it is actually a great practice for people who are aging. It can help you maintain flexibility in your joints, something which is important if you don’t want to become dependent in old age.

Short History

In China and Taiwan, many techniques and the long-holding yoga poses of the Yin yoga style have been practiced in Taoist Yoga, aka Tao Yin. Many Taoist priests used to teach this technique, along with relaxing breathing techniques, to the Kung Fu practitioners about 2000 years earlier.

The Yin Yoga style was actually founded by a martial arts expert in 1970s who was also a Taoist Yoga teacher. His name was Paulie Zink, who also included some Hatha yoga tradition into the Taoist Yoga to design this yoga style.

Paule Grilley learned this yoga style under Paulie Zink for a year in the 1980s, who then imparted his knowledge to Sarah Powers. Sarah Powers, in turn, started teaching what she had learned from Grilley and then renamed this yoga style to Yin yoga.

Practice

In this practice, the students need to get in touch with their feelings and emotions. This is why it is often good for programs like anxiety issues, eating disorders, drug programs, etc. While Yin yoga is not hard, it is an altogether unique experience which can be beneficial for both your body and your emotions.

A normal Yin class lasts from anywhere between 75 – 90 minutes and requires you to hold your every pose for at least 3 – 5 minutes. While it might sound like a long time to hold the same pose, it is essentially not. You have several yoga props to help you out with it as well. You can use props like blocks, blankets, bolsters, etc. which can make it easier and more convenient to hold a pose for a long time.

Since you hold each pose for a long time, you start focusing on your breathing pattern and the yoga practice becomes more meditative in nature.

Here are 3 steps that you should follow to practice Yin Yoga perfectly.

• Let yourself loose and simply relax. Just be receptive to any emotion or experience that you might encounter while practicing this yoga.
• Keep your mind open and don’t expect any experiences. Let it be receptive to all sounds and sensations that might come along.
• Just reflect upon your feelings once the session ends.

Course & Difficulty Level

Yin Yoga is different from all the other yoga practices that you have experienced so far. And while, the poses practiced in this yoga style aren’t too complicated, holding the same position for a few minutes can be slightly hard. This is why it is not everyone’s cup of tea.

This is one of the reasons why a lot of teachers often encourage their students to give this yoga practice a try for a couple of days before deciding if they want to continue with it or not. Also, apart from the physical exertion of holding your pose for a longer time, you also have to be ready to face your emotional troubles.

This can be emotionally draining for some people which make it harder for them to continue. However, it is completely worth the effort because once you are done, you feel more open and relaxed.

Aasanas

There are a lot of poses being practiced in the Yin Yoga style, a lot of which are performed in every class. Many poses will help in hip opening and there are extremely few standing poses in this yoga style. Here are a few examples of Yin yoga poses:

• Shoelace Pose
• Child’s Pose (Balasana)
• Deer Pose
• Lizard Pose (Utthan Pristhasana)
• Caterpillar Pose (Salabasana)
• Butterfly Pose (Badhakonasana)
• Sleeping Swan Pose
• Pigeon Pose (Kapotasana)
• Sphinx Pose (Salamba Bhujangasana)
• Seal Pose (Bhujangasana)
• Open Wing Pose
• Dragon Pose
• Corpse Pose

Difference to other yoga styles

This Yoga practice is extremely different from all the other Yoga styles that are currently practiced. This is because while this yoga style focuses on yin energy, the other yoga styles focus on the yang energy.

Other yoga practices are designed to challenge and force your body by heating it up and then improving your internal systems to flush out the toxins like Bikram Yoga. Regardless of the speed of the class, all other yoga styles result in an internal heat up due to the holding of postures like the Plank Pose.

However, the opposite is true of Yin yoga. Its main aim is to cool your body and gently change into a pose. It doesn’t force your body and allows you to relax and chill. With the help of passive movements, you can strengthen your joints and ligaments.

Yin Yoga impact on health

Yin yoga has a restorative effect on your body which is why many yoga classes include a few Yin yoga poses to relax their students. This is one of the most useful yoga styles if you are suffering from an illness or a mental health issue.

Here are a few benefits of yin yoga which makes it a popular yoga style to practice:

• Helps in improving your stamina
• Improves your coping mechanism for stress and anxiety
• Enables you to sit in a meditative position for a longer time
• Provides you deeper relaxation
• Improves your body flexibility, especially at your hips and joints
• Balances your body and mind and calms them down
• Increased mobility in your joints and hips
• Helps you with migraines
• Helpful in overcoming drug addiction and mental traumas

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