What's So Special About Yin Yoga?

Have you tried Yin yoga yet? If so, you’ll know that it can be a very challenging practice at first. We come into the chosen shape to an appropriate degree, we try to remain still and we stay for an extended period of time.

We may find it difficult to sit with the physical sensations of some of the shapes (and so we may need to adjust and ease off from ‘edge’ or leave the shape and rest awhile). Or it may be the stillness that we find disconcerting to begin with, especially now that most of us are over-stimulated and unaccustomed to sitting in silence.

But, given time, it’s a practice which can become a meditative and nourishing experience. As we breathe through the challenge of staying in shapes for extended periods of time, we can explore and pay greater attention to our internal landscape. We can notice our habitual patterns, begin to let go of strong emotions, develop our capacity for patience and kindness - towards ourselves and others - and begin to discover our true potential.

Most shapes are seated or lying on the floor and generally held for between 3 to 5 minutes. By relaxing into the shapes for this length of time, we can stress the fascia (the deep connective tissue of the body, including the tendons and ligaments). When practised with attentiveness and awareness, stressing these tissues can help to lubricate and strengthen the joints and to influence the flow of Qi (energy) through the meridians (energy channels) that run through the body. This in turn can help us to lessen not just physical tension, but mental stress too.

It’s different from Restorative Yoga. In Restorative Yoga, we tend to stay significantly longer in the poses and we also tend to use more props, so that we fully support the body in positions of comfort and ease. In Restorative yoga our intention is to facilitate deep rest.

In Yin, we may also use some props but the intention is to facilitate greater ease in the physical body through stressing the tissues. However, we often find that, with regular practice, the slow and meditative nature of Yin can help us to cultivate the ability to be still and to sit with whatever is arising for us on any given day: physically, energetically, mentally or emotionally.

If you’d like to explore the potential benefits of a Yin yoga practice, click on the ‘Contact Maria’ button below for details of online group classes, workshops, corporate sessions or one to one sessions.