What is Yin Yoga? A Beginners Guide + Benefits Of Doing It
Introduction
Curious about yin yoga? Perhaps you’ve heard the term but you’re not sure what it is? In this article I’ll breakdown what yin yoga is, why you should do it and what you can expect in a class.
What is ‘Yin Yoga’?
Yin yoga is a style of yoga based on Toaism, or ancient Chinese medicine. It is a deliberately slow style of yoga that aims to relax the body and mind. It was developed in the 1990s to counterbalance the fast-paced energetic styles of ashtanga, Bikram and other popular styles at the time.
Practicing yin yoga involves holding passive stretch poses for long periods of time…usually between 3 and 11 minutes. The goal is to find comfort in stillness and slow the body and mind to rest and recover.
What are the benefits of doing Yin Yoga?
Yin yoga is there to help us balance out the “yang” or busy-ness of everyday life. It is a practice designed to relax the body and work on the deep connective tissues in the body. Through finding stillness in the body and smoothness in the breath in this practice we can often calm our mind.
Research suggests that practicing yin yoga can reduce stress and anxiety, improve sleep, increase flexibility, and increase mental focus. Through practicing yin yoga you can support the balance in your nervous system through activating your body’s natural relaxation response. This can help to reduce your risk of health issues including heart attacks, fertility and digestive issues. (Source)
How is yin different from other styles of yoga?
Yin yoga is different from other yoga styles for many reasons.
Yin yoga is different from other styles of yoga in 5 key ways:
1. Passive vs Active
Unlike other styles of yoga where there is a lot of focus on activating and engaging different muscles groups in poses, in yin yoga there is no muscular engagement. You are seeking to fully relax your muscles. Yin is about finding stillness in a stretch with no strain or effort. This physical relaxation of the muscles can allow you to calm the mind.
2. Practice “cold”
This isn’t about your physical room temperature! Most yoga classes start by gently warming up the body, this could be some dynamic stretches or perhaps sun salutations. However, in yin yoga you traditionally move straight into the poses without completing a ‘warm up’.
3. Pose types
There are traditionally 26 yin yoga poses. These poses strongly focus on the lower body. Almost all of the classical yin poses are practiced on the floor in seated, kneeling or lying position, as opposed to standing. In recent years yin yoga has evolved to more poses added to the “classical” ones! This means in modern yin yoga classes you may do some poses standing or focused on the upper body as well as the more traditional mat-based lower body poses.
4. Less focus on alignment
In many styles of yoga including hatha, vinyasa and ashtanga there is a strong focus on alignment in poses. The teacher will instruct you where to place each body part and will often give you extra guidance to help you find a specific shape with your body. In yin yoga it is much more about how you feel in a pose than what it looks like. Whereas you might worry about the angle of your foot in pigeon pose in a typical yoga class, in yin yoga you would allow your foot to lie wherever it feels most comfortable.
5. Pose names
Although the yin poses can be seen as similar to some of the poses you might find in other types of yoga class, they have different names. This is deliberate! The idea is that giving the pose a different name can help the yoga student to approach the pose differently to a usual class. Bernie Clark, one of the godfathers of Yin Yoga brings this to life well:
“The yin pose of Swan looks identical to the yang pose of Pigeon, but in Pigeon, as in most yang poses, the muscles are the targets. In a yang pose, we engage the muscles and stretch them. In the yin practice, we relax the muscles; we aim our intention into the joints and the deep tissues wrapping them, not the more superficial tissues of the muscles or skin.”
What you need to practice yin yoga
If you are about to try yin yoga for the first time, then these are the top 3 things it’s good to bring to get the most out of your first class:
Layers or blankets
As you are in stillness for quite a lot of the class it’s helpful to wear more clothing than you would typically wear to practice other types of yoga. Layers are great so you can adjust as you need (sometimes stretching in yin poses can build heat!)
Any yoga props you have
If you are going to an in-person class it’s worth checking with the teacher to see what props you need and if you can borrow them in class. If you are practicing online at home it’s worthwhile gathering any yoga props you have (bricks, blocks, straps, bolsters and eye pillows). If you don’t have any props then a couple of bed pillows, cushions and a dressing gown cord are good substitutes.
An open mind
Yin yoga feels quite different to other yoga classes. When you try your first yin class you may find the quietness and stillness of the practice challenging. However, practicing yin can be a great way to step off the wheel of life and allow your body and mind to rest and recover.
Conclusion
Yin is a great balance to the busy-ness of everyday life, and compliments other more dynamic yoga practices. Through practicing yin yoga you can reduce stress and anxiety whilst improving your flexibility, sleep and mental focus!
In this article we’ve explored what yin yoga is, the benefits of practicing, the key differences between yin yoga and other yoga styles and what you need to bring to your first yin yoga class.
Deeply Relax Your Body & Mind With A Sound Bath At My Spring Workshop
This afternoon of self-care will leave you feeling energised, calm and grounded… ready to grow and flourish with the season ahead.
