Yin Yoga: the opportunity to stop and analyse

Conscious TV

September 28, 2020

Yin Yoga is a style of Hatha Yoga which is completely focused on preparing the body for meditation: the aim is for the student to be able to remain seated, with an upright back, for long periods of time, feeling no physical discomfort, whether it is in the legs, back or neck.

To achieve this goal they completely change the work of the practice. In the practices of almost all schools of yoga, the focus is muscular and a very common phrase is "don't put weight on the joints, let the muscle do all the work". In Yin Yoga it is the opposite: the aim is to work on the deeper tissues, fascia, ligaments and joints.

In order to work a part of the body, it is necessary to put it under tension; to achieve this with the internal tissues, several works are necessary during the practice:

1. Holding the postures for long periods of time: between 3 and 5 minutes for each asana. This is why each class has few postures, which are held for a long time.
2. Do not tense the muscles: it is important to keep them relaxed, so that the work can be done by the internal muscles.
3. Do not force anything: it is important not to over tense and to know your body's limits so that you do not go beyond them. In this style of Yoga, the principle of Ahimsa, or "non-violence" is crucial.

In this way, the postures in Yin Yoga are more introspective and calm, yet there is still a lot of hard work involved, due to the length of time the postures are held.