Yinspiration - a slow centred way of life

The greatest effect of yin is felt after coming out of the pose - the blissful release that follows can become a healthy addiction and why people love practicing yin!

Our modern way of life is very "yang-like" - about action, movement, effort, busy-ness, stress. The constant activities and to-do lists can dominate our mind with external demands and distractions.

It is very important to balance this with a "yin-like" space in your day, a time to turn away from distractions, to gaze inward, to become still, to restore.

FInd out why yin yoga can be a healthy, blissful addiction.

Yin practices are long held poses that aim to deeply open the physical body. The long holds target tight areas of the body - the legs, hips and and back, places where connective tissue is dense. Muscle only require a few breaths before they begin to release and lengthen. The "yin tissues" of the body (ligaments, fascia, tendons) require a long, slow tug in order to release. Fascia is connective tissue that covers our entire body like a unitard. If this has become dry and tight, imagine how we feel after hydrating, loosening and releasing the fascia? The greatest effect of yin is felt after coming out of the pose - the blissful release that follows can become a healthy addiction and why people love practicing yin!

We work with the energetic body, targeting "nadis" (meridians/energy channels) that run through our tissues. When we create more space in our joints and tissues, vital energy flows more freely. We also work with our mental body. Holding the pose for several minutes in stillness can aggravate a busy and distracted mind. We learn mindfulness techniques to remain open and accepting, softening into presence rather than avoid or turn away. By cultivating a calm mind in the face of a challenge on the mat, we take this into our lives and into every situation and experience - open hearted, unguarded and present. From this space of centeredness we learn how best to respond rather than react, how to listen to our own needs and how to free ourselves from habitual tendencies. 

Yin empowers the mind and frees the body.