Yin yoga

I believe that most of us are overstimulated by modern life – on our phones, consuming content, always switched on, busy, up in our heads & jumping onto the next thing to do.

Which leads to excess tension in our bodies, often as a result of not taking the time to breathe, relax & let go of our thoughts and tensions.

Personally, I’ve found Yin yoga to be one of the best ways to actively relax. And it’s the closest thing I’ve found to replicating the feeling of having had a massage – without actually having a massage.

What is Yin Yoga?

Yin yoga is a yoga practice that guides you to relax deeply into each pose, rather than trying to achieve a deep stretch.

It’s mostly done on the floor & poses are held for 3 - 5 minutes.

How to Yin Yoga

Set up in a nice warm room, preferably with a yoga mat, make sure you have plenty of cushions nearby.

As you move into each pose, pause at the point where you feel a little resistance. That's where you use cushions to support your body so that it doesn't need to support itself & can fully relax.

Breathe slowly through the nose.

On every exhale, relax a part of your body that’s still holding on.

There are always muscles that can relax further. For instance, after spending a few breaths relaxing your lower back, you might then notice that your mid back needs to relax, after which you find that your lower back has more space to relax.

Your exhale is your most powerful tool for relaxation.

If you feel pain, you’ve gone too deep. Back off, especially if the pain’s in your joints. You don’t need to win this pose. And if you do, you win by being in a space where you can breathe slowly, deeply & relax. Ease out of the pose until you can find a shallower version of the pose to rest in. You might need more support to make this happen.

Discomfort is normal. Many people aren’t used to this kind of stillness. You got this – come back to your breath. As you inhale, listen to your body. As you exhale, let go, relax, stop holding on, let go. Maybe you need to get creative with the cushions to support your body so that it doesn’t need to hold on. Or you might shift your focal point to a different area that has space to relax.

You can play with your focal points, sometimes letting your attention sit broadly on your whole body, or shifting focus to more specific areas.

Doing longer sessions is better, but any Yin yoga is better than none!

Links

Here are some YouTube videos I've found valuable that cover a range of areas.

Back, shoulders & neck

Lower back, hips & sciatica

Full body

If you can’t find what you need here, you can do a search for “Yin yoga” & the area you're having trouble with. If you find any that you love send them to me too please 🙂

I hope you enjoy this practice and that it brings you deep relaxation & release.