Yin and yang are the two polar (yet complementary!) forces in ancient Chinese philosophy. Yang energy is male, fast, penetrating as well as dynamic. Yin is female, slow, introspective, and unchanging. What is yin yoga? It’s a style of yoga has yin qualities. This is a very slow, gentle, and passive kind of yoga that has been practised in India as well as China since ancient times. Yin yoga poses are held for rather long periods. People across the world today reap yin yoga benefits. In this post, we’ll tell you all about this gentle, yet powerful style of yoga.
How It Works…
Yin yoga works mostly by stretching the deep tissues of the body. It focuses on increasing flexibility and strength, while reducing stress. It releases blockages from the body, and thus promotes better flow of ‘prana’ or life force energy. A typical yin yoga sequence has poses where you are in close contact with the ground. It focuses mostly the lower areas of body as well as the spine.
Moreover, this kind of yoga is highly meditative in nature – you would hold the pose for anywhere between 40 seconds to even 20 minutes. While this happens, you develop a deeper and deeper connection with your inner self…and will often drift into a meditative space.
Yin Yoga Benefits
For the mind…
- This style of yoga has a deeply restorative effect on the mind.
- It releases all tensions.
- It encourages you to take a pause from your fast life and experience stillness.
- Also, it helps boost memory and concentration power.
- Yin yoga poses can combat issues like anxiety, depression, and insomnia.
- They support meditative practices, since they put you in a very calm state.
- They invoke a sense of grounding.
- Yin yoga benefits those with sever energy imbalance – specifically excess yang energy, which is much more dominant in today’s world.
- It can promote healing from past traumas.
- This kind of yoga is not only sedating in nature – it boosts cheerfulness, dynamism and optimism.
- It helps bring up and address built up negativity like anger, grief and fear – in a safe space and under proper guidance. This provides opportunities to observe these emotions and let them go.
For the body…
- Yin yoga releases strain from various areas of the body.
- It improves energy levels.
- Increased flexibility is a sure-shot result of regular practice.
- It can provide relief from aches and pains.
- Yin yoga poses improve lubrication in the joints, thus helping prevent conditions like arthritis.
- They also improve blood circulation throughout the body.
- These poses strengthen the body.
- Since it improves flexibility, yin yoga supports more challenging yang practices (like Vinyasa yoga).
- It can improve cardiovascular health by helping regulate blood pressure.
- It also promotes detoxification in the body.
- And it also removes constriction and tightness from the body.
This Yin Yoga Video Shows You What It’s Like:
Note: Posts on Ayurvedum are solely for the purpose of sharing the goodness of Ayurveda and bringing awareness about natural and healthy living. Please do not substitute it for professional medical advice. Ingredients discussed can interfere with certain medications. So, before using anything to treat yourself, always consult an Ayurveda doctor or practitioner.
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