Yin Yoga: A Journey of Inner Peace and Balance
Creating a yoga practice is all about finding movement in your body and mind. Playing with shapes, learning to listen to your body, watching your thoughts float by without judgment, and getting comfortable with powerful poses. To appreciate that movement, though, you also need to find and experience stillness. Unlike vigorous yang styles such as Ashtanga and Vinyasa, Yin yoga invites us to slow down – holding poses for extended periods to lengthen and strengthen our deep, connective tissues and helping us learn to access peacefulness within.
This gentle practice offers many benefits for the body and mind. While Ashtanga and Vinyasa yoga styles generate heat through dynamic movements, Yin cools and grounds us. It allows us to consider the uniqueness of our individual bodies and the time to make poses and shapes our own. It gives our mind, breath and body – our overall energy – a sense of balance and harmony.
Physically, Yin yoga enhances flexibility by stretching the fascia – the sheath of connective tissue surrounding our muscles. Extended holds allow gravity to help us, gently pulling us deeper into the pose and helping us ease past any protest from our muscles, tendons and ligaments. Regular practice can result in improved joint mobility, increased circulation, and fascia health.
For the mind, the more meditative approach of Yin yoga challenges us to quiet the chatter and noise of the day. Each pose we hold helps us practice mindfulness, offering us the space to observe our thoughts, sensations, and emotions without judgment. It can give us a little boost of restorative energy at the end of a long or stressful day or help us find a sliver of calm when we feel chaotic or wired.
Concerned about flexibility or holding poses? Don’t worry!
Yin yoga is accessible to everyone, from the novice to the experienced yogi. Props such as blocks, bolsters, and blankets can be used to help support or deepen poses. The goal of this form of yoga is to help us surrender and soften into each pose, never to push, force or strain to get there.
The slower, gentler pace of Yin yoga is a great way to get started with yoga or to challenge our bodies in new ways with less stress and more success. Our modern, fast-paced lives are filled with ‘yang’ energy – active, outward, and stimulating. And, Yin offers a counterbalance – passive, inward, and calming. We need powerful movement to help us grow, but we need the balance of a softer approach to help us let go and tap into our inner peace.
We encourage you to step onto your mat, embrace the stillness, and let Yin bring stability and symmetry to your yoga journey.