Yin yoga is the perfect complement to yang. These types of yoga are adapted to each other with a final purpose, to balance body and mind through our two dualities: the internal, feminine, dark and passive energy, and the external, masculine, more luminous and active energy. Both inhabit everything that surrounds us and both existences need the other to be.

Yin and yang are concepts that derive from Taoist philosophy. In this way we can distinguish between yang yoga practices, more dynamic or active, such as vinyasa yoga, hatha yoga, power yoga… And yin classes, with a much slower and more passive rhythm.

Practice

Yin yoga is a slow practice of asanas, whose postures are normally performed on the floor, and are held passively for a period of time between approximately 2 and 5 minutes, thus achieving a broad stretch, calming our mind and our body. Thanks to this delicate practice we can achieve pleasant sensations of well-being, perfect for disconnecting, enjoying and relaxing. It is about maintaining stillness and moving slowly between posture and posture.

This is not to say that yin practice is effortless. It is really difficult to maintain yoga postures for so long. It is gravity that acts on our body, and stretching manages to reach the deepest layers thanks to the passive activation of connective tissues.The energy channels of the meridians, nerves and the blood system are also worked on, which you may know if you are familiar with traditional Chinese medicine or acupuncture.

Origins

Some people believe that this is a centuries-old yoga style. This is not true, and it is based on the association of the word ‘yin’ with ancient Chinese medicine. Yin Yoga started in the late 1980s when Paul Grilley saw a presentation on national television by Paulie Zink, a martial arts champion and Taoist Yoga teacher. Paul Grilley got impressed by the flexibility and range of motion of Paulie Zink. So, he went to Paulie Zink and attended his Taoist Yoga classes. There, Paul practised holding the poses for long durations of five to ten minutes. Even after doing Taoist Yoga classes regularly for many months, Paul saw not much improvement in his flexibility. So, he stopped going to the classes and continued to practice and teach the dynamic forms of yoga, like Vinyasa Yoga.

With time, he started to teach some passive stretching classes to his students. The results were overwhelming; he saw quick improvement in the range of motion of his students. As he had an inclination to Buddhism and he did not want people to confuse his classes with Indian Hatha Yoga, he called his classes Yin Yang Yoga.

What is a Yin Yoga class like?

In Yin Yoga, we hold most poses between 5 and 10 minutes. This is in contrast to the dynamic forms like Ashtanga Vinyasa and Vinyasa Flow, where the poses are held for 5 to 10 breaths, and we constantly move in and out of the poses.

Even though Hatha Yoga is much more static, most poses (for beginners) are held up to a maximum of 3 minutes. So, in Hatha Yoga, too, we usually do not hold the poses as long as in Yin Yoga.

When we hold a pose for a longer period, we bring the stretch to the yin tissues, which are the deeper tissues such as the tendons, fascia, ligaments, and the other connective body tissues. Our yin tissues are less vascular (supplied with blood) and less elastic, and therefore need more time to stretch. When stretched regularly, it increases the overall flexibility, circulation, and range of motion in the joints and ligaments.

In dynamic styles, such as Vinyasa Yoga, and modern Hatha Yoga, the movement makes the muscles take the main load and stretch. Muscles are yang tissues; they are quick to warm up and stretch but also quick to cool down and rebound. That is why, if you do not practice for a few days, you see a big decline in flexibility and strength. So, if you practice only dynamic forms of exercise or yoga, you will gain muscle strength, but not necessarily a wider range of motion. To have a healthy range of motion around our joints, many of us need to also stretch the deep connective tissue and the joints.

According to Paul, Yin Yoga is a complementary practice, not a substitute for the more yang exercises.

What is Yin Yoga good for?

Not only does it help us to passively gain flexibility by holding the asanas, but it also acts as a meditation thanks to slow and conscious breathing during them. We will be able to find a space of peace in practice, recover mobility and prevent injuries derived from other sports disciplines, since it is one of the styles of yoga that will significantly increase our range of mobility.

It is a restorative yoga that will allow us to end the session with a feeling of joy and well-being. It is essential not to feel “pain” during the practice, although it is normal to have some “discomfort” at first.  It can also happen that certain sensations arise in a yin session, not only physical but emotional, my recommendation is to let them flow, if you feel like crying, smiling, sighing… let them continue their process while you breathe and loosen up without judging yourself, at the end you will see How do you feel great relief? Sometimes yin yoga allows us to lighten “backpacks” that we carried with us without realizing it.

It is a safe practice that respects the anatomy of each yogi and can be done at any age and in any physical condition, since the asanas are adapted to each practitioner with the use of blocks, belts, bolsters, blankets, and other supports.

Passively increases flexibility.
– Relaxes the central nervous system by working stillness and calm in the postures.
– It counteracts the active and dynamic lifestyle of our day to day, the perfect complement to the more active practice of yoga or highly active sports, and we can resort to it in times of fatigue or stress.
– It works on the fascias, mobilizing them delicately while achieving a wide range of movement, and with it bodily, mental and emotional opening, as well as general well-being as if you had just received a massage.
– It relaxes tensions, loosens up and allows you to be in the here and now as it is a regenerative practice with minimal muscular effort.
– It mobilizes prana or vital energy and this has a positive impact on our body, organs and tissues.
– Helps concentration and body awareness.
– It favors self-practice, since being passive and long-lasting postures, we can repeat them without the need for a teacher to guide us.
The benefits can be perceived from the first practice and surely at this point you are wanting to try…