Yin Yoga 101: What You Need to Know

Experience Yin Yoga with Kelli, Sundays at 10:30 am

Yin Yoga, a less popular style of yoga in the west, is an approach that some may have never even heard of. It takes many a few times to really warm up to and even understand. This style of yoga targets the deep connective tissues of the body and the fascia that covers the body; this Daoist yoga is to help regulate the flow of energy in the body.

Yin Yoga postures are more passive postures, mainly on the floor and the majority of postures equal only about three dozen or so, much less than the more popular yang like practices. Yin is unique in that you are asked to relax in the posture, soften the muscle and move closer to the bone. While yang-like yoga practices are more superficial, Yin offers a much deeper access to the body. It is not uncommon to see postures held for three to five minutes, even 20 minutes at a time. The time spent in these postures is much like time spent in meditation.You may be talked through the postures as if you were trying to meditate. While in a Yin class, you might notice similar postures to a yang class, on a basic level this is to help the student’s mind shift from yang to yin, active to passive.

Yin yoga has been around for thousands of years, and some of the older text, such as the Hatha Yoga Pradipika notes only sixteen postures in its text which is far less than the millions of postures practiced in today’s yoga. In addition, it would appear that these “postures” were more yin like to help promote meditation and long periods of pranayama and sitting.

So what exactly is Yin yoga?

It is a more meditative approach with a physical focus much deeper than Yang like practices. Here the practitioner is trying to access the deeper tissues such as the connective tissue and fascia and many of the postures focus on areas that encompass a joint (hips, sacrum, spine). As one ages, flexibility in the joints decreases. Yin is a wonderful way to maintain that flexibility, something aren’t too concerned about until they notice it is gone.

This intimate practice of yoga requires students to be ready to get intimate with the self, with feelings, sensations, and emotions. These can be easy to avoid in a fast-paced yoga practice. Yin yoga is often used in programs that deal with addictions, eating disorders, anxiety, and deep pain or trauma.  This concept in practice can greater allow a benefit of meditation, basically “learning to sit still.”

Now if you’ve never practiced Yin yoga, you might not quite understand how this is so different. Your instructor may ask you to try a Yin class that they need to try it three or four times to really make a decision about the practice. Many find immediate benefits like more open hips, a more relaxed body, and centered mind.

Some of the benefits of Yin yoga are:

• Calming and balancing to the mind and body
• Regulates energy in the body
• Increases mobility in the body, especially the joints and hips
• Lowering of stress levels (no one needs that)
• Greater stamina
• Better lubrication and protection of joints
• More flexibility in joints & connective tissue
• Release of fascia throughout the body
• Help with TMJ and migraines
• Deeper Relaxation
• A great coping for anxiety and stress
• Better ability to sit for meditation
• Ultimately you will have a better Yang practice

If you take a peek at a Yin-Yang symbol, it is suggesting that no matter what, we should take a “tiny bit” and put it in the heart of its opposite.  Yin yoga can aid in truly being still.

Yin yoga teaches you how to really listen; you don’t get the opportunity to go in and out, jump around and find a distracted version of stillness within your practice. Yin is such a great compliment to other styles because it brings long periods of time in an uncomfortable position, which then asks you to learn to “be” to “accept what is” in that given moment. Something we can all benefit from daily. There is something so deep about Yin that will tap into a part of you in a way unique to Yin.

Article by: Hope Zvara

The Arena District Athletic Club is more than just a gym; it’s a premier fitness facility located in the heart of the Arena District in downtown Columbus. We provide convenience and quality, featuring top-of-the-line equipment, top-notch personal trainers, spa-like locker rooms and a wide variety of free group fitness classes daily including Cardio, Spinning, Barre Fusion, Yoga, Boot Camp and more. We offer free 2-hour parking and convenient contract-free memberships, to fit your healthy lifestyle needs. Don’t just join, belong.