Why is Yin Yoga Different to other Practices and is it as Beneficial
Yin and Yang
What is the difference between Yin and Yang yoga? Yang yoga is your dynamic, fast flow yoga's such as Ashtanga and Vinyasa where students can flow through 30-50 asanas (yoga poses). Yang yoga is a combined high energy, strength and stamina style of yoga which physically targets the superficial muscles or muscles close to the surface of the skin.
Yin Yoga is a slow and passive form of yoga where the poses are held for longer periods of time, anywhere between 3 to 10 minutes. These longer holds invite greater health and wellness into the body allowing the deeper, connective tissue within the body to stretch and release. There may only be 6 to 10 asanas in a Yin yoga flow and the long holds prepare the students for a meditative state of mind allowing for self exploration in a peaceful and calm environment.
I love both Yin and Yang yoga. I like the strength poses of Yang yoga such as plank pose, lunge pose, chaturanga and downward facing dog pose. But equally I love the meditative state and deep stretch of Yin yoga. The long asana holds allow the space and time for a meditative practice to take place, by directing our minds to the breath and bringing our awareness back to the present moment. This allows the nervous system to calm into a peaceful and reflective state.
The Benefits of Yin Yoga
The benefits of Yin yoga are more than just longer stretches and increased flexibility. Yin yoga calms the nervous system, can reduce pain, improve mental wellbeing and improves the elasticity and strength of our tissue and joints. By going 'inwards' and using self awareness, Yin yoga reduces tension in the body contributing to better physical and mental wellness.
The Benefits Include:
- Improved circulation
- Improved flexibility
- Calms and balances the body and the mind
- Reduces stress and anxiety
- Releases fascia
- Encourages deep relaxation
- Improved joint mobility
- Brings balance to our organs
Yin yoga offers the body a deep but gentle stretch to help and maintain good health in our connective tissue, joints and much deeper layers of our physical body.
Yin Yoga also offers benefits to our emotional spirit, our mental clarity and our 'subtle' body via the Chakras and Meridians.
Yin Yoga - A Short History
Yin yoga is a fairly new form of yoga in name only. However long asana holds have been practised for thousands of years. It was only recently that Yin got it's name and certain yoga poses were named as Yin yoga poses.
Yin yoga poses may be similar to Hatha yoga poses but have different names and are applied to the Yin yoga system. Yin asanas are more floor based poses and perhaps more passive than Hatha.
The name of Yin yoga was created by Paul Grilley and Sarah Powers back in 1979. Yin Yoga is an ancient and traditional Chinese practice taught to students by Paulie Zink who was the first to start incorporating this style of yoga in his teachings. Paul Grilley was a student of Zink and he found the practice of Yin yoga was not only a healthy benefit for his physical body but was a calming medicine for his mind too. Grilley decided to set up his own practice to teach just Yin-yoga only.
As a student of Zink, Paul Grilley realised doing Yin-only style yoga was beneficial to both the physical and spiritual body. He started his own practice where he taught Yin yoga only but taking the name from his former teacher and naming it Taoist yoga. Although Taoist and Yin are similar, Yin is focused more on the lower body and floor poses. Sarah Powers was a student of Paul Grilley and she also studied and assisted to perfect this style of yoga and began to teach her own students Yin-only yoga too. She was the one who suggested to Paul Grilley that this particular style of yoga should be named Yin Yoga and to focus primarily only on the Yin aspects.
The Subtle Body and the Chakras
Chakras are said to be the points of energy located throughout our subtle body. The word Chakra means wheel.
Chakras are said to be discs of spinning light that administer energy to their closest zones. Our Chakras relate to parts of our body and our emotions. The function of the Chakras is to energise and keep the spiritual, mental, emotional and physical health of our body in balance.
Yoga and meditation are dynamic tools for Chakra balancing. Paying attention and noticing your Chakras can help to realign your energy centres. There are Yin yoga sequences that focus on the spiritual and physical Chakras and can settle ailments and re-balance. Meditating and repeating Chakra affirmations can also help to realign the energy centres.
In yoga philosophy there are 7 Chakra points in the body that run along the spine from the coccyx to the crown of the head. Each of the Chakra has a different quality associated with it.
Root/Mulahhara Chakra - The colour is red, its element is earth and it is located at the base of the spine. It's energy gives us a sense of safety and grounding . If it's blocked there may be feelings of fear and anxiety or physically we may feel constipated or arthritic.
Sacral/Svadhisthana Chakra - The colour is orange, its element is water and it is located at the lower abdomen/pelvis. It's energy gives us a sense of sexuality, creativity, pleasure and sensuality. If it's blocked there may be feelings of emotional explosions or obsessive thoughts of sex or physically we may feel manipulative and a lack of creativity.
Solar Plexus/Manipura Chakra- The colour is yellow, its element is fire and it is located at the upper abdomen. It's energy gives us a sense of courage, self esteem and confidence. If it's blocked there may be feelings of low self esteem or physically we may have digestive issues or liver problems.
Heart/Anahata Chakra - The colour is green, its element is air and it is located at the centre of the chest. It's energy gives us a sense of love, joy, compassion and kindness. If it's blocked there may be feelings of loneliness, attachment, lack of love or physically we may feel heart problems or issues.
Throat/Vishuddha Chakra - The colour is blue, its element is space and it is located in the throat. It's energy gives us a sense of communication and self expression. If it's blocked there may be feelings of emotional weakness or inability to express your feelings or physically we may feel gland issues or hyperthyroidism.
Third Eye/Anja Chakra - The colour is indigo, its element is light and it is located between the eyebrows. It's energy gives us a sense of wisdom, imagination, intuition and spiritual awakening If it's blocked there may be feelings of poor concentration or physically we have blurred vision or headaches.
Crown/Sahasrara - The colour is violet, its element is divine consciousness and it is located at the crown or above the head. It's energy gives us a sense of awareness, spirituality and connection with the divine source. If it's blocked there may be feelings of narrow mindedness and stubbornness physically we may feel depressed.
The Chakras are not science based. There has not been a lot of Western research regarding the Chakras or a clear understanding of how they work. The balancing of Chakras is a form of holistic or complimentary medicine and should not be a practice of healing if you are seriously ill and need science-based medication. It is however a holistic healing practice to implement into your own physical and spiritual wellbeing.
The practice of Yin yoga connects and balances your chakras by focusing awareness on our physical, mental and spiritual energies.
©HealthyForeverFitnessMotivation
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