What Yin Yoga Means To Me

I discovered yin yoga about 11 years ago and it immediately resonated with me on such a deep level.

Living in a world driven by achievement and ambition, I am very much a ‘doer’ type, yin has become an antidote for me. I also often feel like I do not have enough time and often cram in as much as possible into my life. Yin gives me the time to be still, connect and feel.

I have been meditating on and off for about 14 years, so to find the meditative qualities and the time to settle in, and observe the inner landscapes was, for me, sublime. It marries the two practices perfectly. While more yang practices can also be meditative, it is the time in yin which allows me to connect on a deeper level. I regularly practice both yin and yang styles. When meditation feels challenging, yin is always a way ‘in’ for me.

I practice for longer periods whenever I can and regularly do a reclining butterfly, with heart opening props, in the morning for 5 minutes. I sleep on my sides, so this pose works so well for me as soon as I wake up. It opens my pecs, chest, my breath, and I feel the mild stimulation of the back bend.

I have taught Yin since 2017. I invite my students to approach the practice as a meditation. Yin to me is basically mindfulness, whilst holding the body in a particular shape. Of course, there are numerous other benefits, the stretching and stress on the tissues, and acupressure we create on our meridians, but it is the slowing down and observation within the stillness that draws me to the practice.

I have had many emotional releases in meditation, pranayama and in yin. A particularly strong reaction was to the first (of four) 10 day vipassana meditation retreats. That was 14 years ago and I still feel the benefits of it today. I feel lighter, brighter and more myself after engaging in these practices; it is both immediate and accumulative. Yin calms me, it soothes me, it slows me down and makes me feel more like myself. Even teaching the practice gives me a strong feeling of embodiment, a calmness, almost as if I somatically recall the feeling and qualities of the poses I am guiding students through.

Being able to guide students towards their inner experience through yin yoga is an absolute joy to me, to see the expressions on their faces when the light fills the room at the end of a class, the serenity that I so often witness is palpable. It is a blessing and a joy to be able to experience those moments.

Yin allows me to experience my own body, mind and emotions and helps me to feel like a more authentic me, without all of the stuff that weighs us down. To use the words of Norman Blair, yin ‘brightens my inner skies’.

You can read my review of the Norman's book HERE