What is yin yoga? Even if you’re well-versed in other forms of yoga, you might not be familiar with regular yin yoga. This type of yoga can help you develop a more well-rounded, balanced approach to the practice of yoga, or help deepen your meditation practice. You may just be one yin pose away from a more complete mind-body wellness experience.
Read on to learn more about how yin yoga differs from other styles of yoga, and how it may help uniquely contribute to your physical and mental health.
What Is Yin Yoga?
If you’ve been regularly practicing more dynamic yoga styles, you might be tempted to overlook this seemingly more gentle form of yoga. Indeed, it can appear more like a mindfulness practice more than a physical workout — but you simply cannot discount the fact that yin yoga impacts your physical body in its own wonderful way (more on that later).
In a nutshell, yin yoga is a calm, soothing approach to yoga. Also often referred to as Taoist yoga, it draws from ancient Taoist concepts of stimulating acupressure points to help promote overall wellness. In yin yoga, the focus is on holding yoga poses for longer periods of time by deepening the breathing technique, thus targeting the body’s connective tissue.1
How Is Yin Yoga Different From Other Yoga Styles?
A focus on connective tissue is what sets yin yoga apart from other forms of yoga. Other yoga practices tend to focus on moving from pose to pose, with yoga postures meant to infuse muscles with fresh blood through deep stretches. Yin yoga is founded on the traditional Chinese concept of energy (through blood flow or circulation) flowing through deeper tissues — including ligaments, tendons, and fascia.2
This style of yoga might be more compatible for those looking to enhance their meditation practice. Yin yoga encourages the stretching and strengthening of the spine, hip flexors, and other connective tissues by applying gentle pressure. This is done by holding a yin pose for a longer stretch of time — instead of contracting muscles through movement as done in other types of yoga. Becoming more comfortable in static positions thanks to stronger connective tissue might help hit your meditation stride sooner.3
What Are The Potential Benefits Of Yin Yoga?
The meditative practice of yin yoga is a good counterbalance to more physically challenging yoga forms, like vinyasa or power yoga. While the latter types help lengthen and strengthen muscles, yin yoga helps provide a stronger foundation by helping to support stronger connective tissues in the body. Here are other potential physical and mental benefits of yin yoga.
Supporting Flexibility Through Stronger Fascia
Today’s modern lifestyle — which often involves more hours seated — can do a number on your bones and connective ligaments or fascia (just ask your aching back after hunching over your laptop for hours). Over time, your bones and joints become stiff and less elastic due to underuse, or by staying stuck in less-than-ideal positions. The deep stretches and holds of yin yoga target these problem areas, helping them loosen up to support flexibility and overall range of motion.4
In short, yin yoga is a good exercise to help stave off age- and lifestyle-related aches and pains.
Helping Ease Stress Levels
Studies show that consistent yin yoga classes or a regular practice may help support greater relaxation and psychological health by helping to ease stress.5
Finding Inner Peace And Supporting Self-Awareness
Ancient Eastern cultures believe that stored negative emotions may manifest as aches in the joints. It’s important to release these emotions so they don’t stress the body. Yin yoga helps in a balanced way, helping you gently stimulate these areas while also providing adequate time and space to process these emotions in a meditative state. Through holding the poses and committing to the breathing technique, you may slowly reach a state of self-awareness and help support your emotional health.6
Supporting Blood Circulation
The longer holds and specific poses of yin yoga allow blood to flow through your joints and ligaments more freely, supporting blood circulation. Good circulation ensures the flow of nutrients throughout your body and is integral to overall good health.7
Taking You Out Of Your Comfort Zone By Slowing You Down
As a yin class is a more contemplative practice, it’s certainly a good way to press pause on your hectic lifestyle. It’s a given that people are often in a nervous system overdrive, with all the stress and demands of daily living. If you feel you’re constantly inundated and overwhelmed, you may find yourself enjoying the emotional effects of this slow practice. You’ll be able to slow down, with more time to process your thoughts and emotions and master your mind’s propensity to escape or deny things that are uncomfortable.8
Common Misconceptions About Yin Yoga: They’re Exactly Why You Should Try It
Yin yoga may seem like modern yoga’s slower, easier counterpart. But yin yoga class is a mental workout as much as it is a physical one, and it’s tougher than you think to sit still and be one with your thoughts. Breaking through mind chatter and learning to be comfortable in a meditative state are key elements in yin yoga. You may find it will serve you well in other forms of yoga practice, or even in your daily life.
If you’re unsure whether you’re ready to jump into a yin practice, check with your doctor. Generally, anyone can — and should — try this type of yoga for stress relief and overall wellness. It’s a therapeutic concept that gives you tremendous space and opportunity to get to know your body and support your well-being.
Learn More:
Sources
1. https://www.yogiapproved.com/yoga/yin-yoga-benefits/
2. https://www.yogajournal.com/yoga-101/types-of-yoga/yin/yin-yoga-2/
3. https://www.yogajournal.com/yoga-101/types-of-yoga/yin/yin-yoga-2/
4. https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-5037/Yin-Yoga-101-What-You-Need-to-Know.html
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6051627/
6. https://www.yogiapproved.com/yoga/yin-yoga-benefits/
7. https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-5037/Yin-Yoga-101-What-You-Need-to-Know.html
8. https://www.bodymindlife.com/blog/yoga/what-is-yin-yoga
