Yin Yoga

“Know Thyself, and you shall know the Universe.”

-Temple of Delphi, Greece.

What we truly need isn’t to do more but to soften, slow down and let go. Yin Yoga is an embodied way to access stillness of mind through the still holding of poses. Here, the muscles soften, and tension that is held in the fascia can be released.

What is Yin Yoga?

Yin Yoga is a passive practice where we marinate in floor based poses for a longer period of time, giving the mind and body the opportunity to soften and release. Unlike more Yang styles of yoga which work into the muscles, Yin focuses on the connective tissue, ligaments, joints and bones.

How is Yin Yoga practiced?

There are three principles in Yin Yoga:

  1. Come into the pose to an appropriate edge

  2. Remain still

  3. Hold the pose for time

To find your edge you want to come into the pose to the point where you start to feel significant resistance. This does NOT mean pushing to find the deepest expression possible. Just come to where you start to feel something that isn’t going to turn into a struggle to keep still.

Once we have found our edge we settle into stillness and hold the pose. This is where our props come in, we use pillows, bolsters, blocks and blankets to support our bodies so that the muscles can relax and the stretch can move into the deeper tissues of the body, the ligaments and the joints. Of course, if you feel any unwanted sensations of pain or tingling you are free to adjust where you need to, stillness in Yin means staying away from fidgeting.

Finally, we hold the pose for about 3-5 minutes. This is where the magic happens!! A natural side effect of stillness in the body is stillness of the mind and of the breath which can lead to a beautifully meditative experience.

How does Yin Yoga relate to Tradition Chinese Medicine?

In traditional Chinese medicine the main goal is to live in harmony where all aspects of the body, mind and spirit are in a state of harmony so that dis-ease and illness don’t have a chance to develop. In TCM, a person is in good health when Qi (pronounced chi- meaning life force energy) flows evenly and freely throughout the body.

The poses of Yin Yoga work deeply into those energetic pathways (known as meridians) because they run along the connective tissue lines of the body. When these lines are open, Qi can flow more freely bringing health, harmony and balance to the body, mind and spirit.

What do I love most about teaching Yin Yoga?

Yin Yoga is an expression of your uniqueness. I can teach a pose and look around the room to find four or five different variations of it. It’s not about what it looks like on the outside, its about how it feels to you on the inside. Yin Yoga is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about yourself, to find deep rest and relaxation in the body and to feel good from the inside out. It is a truly peaceful practice that I can not wait to share with you!

This 90 minute class takes place on alternate Saturday mornings at 10am and costs £15.