Yin Yoga
Yin Yoga with Leah
Yin Yoga unites the mind, body, and soul in a way that eases tension and promotes health. Leah's goal as a teacher is to provide a safe, healing space where students of all levels can slow down, relax, turn inward, and unwind from the stresses of modern day life.
What is Yin Yoga?
Yin yoga is a quiet contemplative practice.
Yin Yoga is a passive, mellow, and mediative style of practice, derived from the roots of two ancient practices: Hatha Yoga and Chinese Taoism. It's a comparatively modern form of yoga which developed in the 1970s from the roots of ancient traditions.
Yin yoga works deeply into our body with passive, longer-held poses. During Yin Yoga, the asanas are held longer than in other yoga practices in order to apply tension/compression and target the deepest tissues of the body, our connective tissues: ligaments, joints, bones, the deep fascia networks of the body.
Yin is almost entirely passive.
Yin yoga usually consists of a series of long-held, passive floor poses that mainly work the lower part of the body – the hips, pelvis, inner thighs, lower spine. These areas are especially rich in connective tissues. The poses are held for up to five minutes, sometimes longer. Connective tissue responds best to a slow, steady load. During the asanas, muscles are relaxed to avoid muscle spasm, which could result from engaging muscles for long periods. Instead of using the muscles, we let gravity do the work on the body, and stillness do the work with the mind.
How is a Yin Yoga practice different than other forms of yoga?
Yin is the stable, unmoving, hidden aspect of things. (Yang is the changing, moving, revealing aspect.) In the body, the relatively stiff connective tissues - such as the tendons, ligaments, fascia - are Yin. (The more mobile and pliable muscles & blood are yang.)
Connective tissues respond best to a slow, steady load. When we gently stretch connective tissue by holding a yin pose for a long time, the body will respond by making the areas a little longer and stronger. Quietness allows us to connect deeply to the breath, and allows room for a meditative mind.
Yin to balance the Yang of life
Yin Yoga offers the practice of stillness, where we can relax deeply and surrender to the present moment. This practice is an important balance to the hectic life of modern times.
Yin yoga supports healthy energy flow.
In the Classical Indian Yogic Traditions, energy in the body is known as Prana and is located in the nadi channels & the chakra system. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the energy in the body is known as Qi (chi) and is located throughout the meridians of the body. When you practice Yin Yoga, you are activating the chakra system, and enhancing the flow of energy in the physical body.
Sometimes less is more.
Even in yoga.
Through yin yoga we become adept at self-care.
Yin yoga is a practice in stillness, non-reactivity, and patience.
We become better listeners with practice "tuning in"; we become wiser as we get to know ourselves from the inside out.