WHAT IS YIN YOGA?

What is Yin Yoga?

A Brief synopsis followed by the deep dive!

Yin yoga stands as a beacon of tranquility and mindfulness in the fast paced world of fitness and wellness. a focus on the uniqueness of every body and shift away from the aesthetics of poses offers an accessible counterbalance to other forms of yoga.

Characterised by slow deliberate movements and the emphasis on holding poses for extended periods it targets the body’s deep connective tissues. tissues that are often neglected in vigorous training and other forms of yoga. However, it isn’t all about the physical - this holistic practice intertwines physical health with mental well-being; offering a moment of repreive from the daily grind and ushering in a state of deep relaxation.

older individuals looking to maintain a lively, pain-free existence as they age will find yin yoga’s gentle approach particularly beneficial. It supports joint health, enhances circulation, increases muscle strength and offers an effective means to combat stiffness and discomfort. women, throughtout various stages of life, including pregnancy and beyond, may discover solace in yin yoga’s ability to relieve stress, balance hormonal fluctuations and foster a nurturing space for self-care and exploration.

bodybuilders, powerlifterS and crossfitters, often engaged in intense training sessions focused on muscle strength and growth, can find in yin yoga a valuable ally. performing yin yoga regularly can aid in preventing common injuries by promoting healthy ligaments, joint mobility and flexibility. thus serving as an essential counterpoint to strenuous workout routines. it helps muscular recovery, ensuring the body’s supportive structures are craed for, facilitating a more balanced and sustainable physical cultivation.

this inclusive practice offerS profound benefits across the spectrum, inviting all who engage into a deeper connection with their physical and mental landscape.

the deep dive - what?

In contrast to common belief yin yoga is not a new form of yoga but rather the interpretation of ancient Siddha tradition reformed into Taoist techniques that have travelled across the Indian subcontinent, through China and back again. It is not new to take one asana (pose) and hold it for an extended period. I don’t want to go too deep into the principles here, but essentially the fundamentals of yin yoga were born of the theory of duality. That to each and everything there is an equal and opposite. That life forces, whether you call it Chi, Prana, Qi, divide into two when entering the physical realm.

In order to maintain balance, both must be present e.g. Yin and Yang. Yin is the stable, unmoving and hidden aspect of an object whilst Yang is the changing, moving and revealing aspect. One cannot exist without the other. In life we may live a more yang lifestyle – busy, hectic schedules, working a lot, being with friends, going from one place to another – at some point we will need to slow down – to balance the yang with the stillness and softness of the yin.

When applying this to yoga we cannot just say this style is totally yang… or this style is totally yin. Each practise goes beyond the physical. So, while active forms yoga are considered to be more in the yang style and passive forms are more within the yin realm both must contain elements of the other. It is also highly dependent upon context – in ashtanga yoga flowing from asana to asana could be more or less yang dependent upon its contrast and context. A series of gentle flowing movements would be more yin than several strongly held static poses requiring a lot of effort. On the other hand, if movement were the objective measure the flow would be more yang than long-held poses with gentle transitions. Additionally, each session includes elements of both yin and yang.

Since I am discussing and predominantly practising yin yoga in the context of training for skeletal tissue adaption and stress-relief I tend to take the stance of someone considering the yin or yang based on the plasticity or movement of the tissues. As such, any physical activities that focus on engagement and movement of muscles in an active form would be considered yang. Conversely, activities that focus more on a passive tension and stress of tissues would be considered yin.   

While on the face of it yin yoga could be considered boring or safe any true yogi knows that the practice of yin yoga is invaluable as a balance to the yang styles of yoga. Neither one is better nor worse – both have benefits and each complements the other. Yin yoga can be considered as helpful for muscular strengthening as any other form as long as it is performed correctly. Both can calm the nervous system and offer relief from daily stressors. Ideally, we learn and practice both to gain the maximum benefit from all that yoga can offer us.

How?

At a very surface level yin yoga consists of a series of poses held between one and twenty minutes. Unlike other forms of yoga there is less aesthetic emphasis. How I may hold a pose will vary greatly from how you hold a pose. The expression of the pose itself is not important – rather the way our body reacts to the pose is the point.

To understand the process you need to understand the three essential tenets – Finding the edge, being still, holding the pose.

The Edge

Unlike restorative yoga the long-held poses are not designed to be a form of relaxation. Although the process can be calming and a very effective stress release and a wonderful way to recover from a hectic day. Instead, one takes the pose to the edge between comfort and discomfort. It is important to feel the balance between effort and release. Too much exertion will change our inner state of calm, our breath will change and there will be inhibition of the vital flow of chi. On the other hand, it is possible to not exert enough and not allow our structure to expand enough.

Because of this technique the practitioner must be able to really listen to their body. To hear the cues given by the deep layers of muscle tissue. To find the perfect balance you must be able to know when you find yourself at a point of stretch without effort.

As such, practicing yin yoga actually helps you to learn how to tune into the subtle cues delivered to the nervous system. This is absolutely invaluable to anyone who is training. Knowing when to back off from an exercise or when to push it a bit further safely is key to developing strength and endurance without injury.

Being Still

Through stillness we achieve maximum flow of chi to joints and bones. As we become still muscles release as gravity draws us to the ground. During the practice you might feel your body falling deeper into the pose as muscles elongate and joints become more lubricated with synovial fluid. Or you may feel you have taken the pose too far too soon and need to back off and readjust. It may be that you experience some numbness and need to exit the pose, massage the area to increase the blood flow and re-enter the pose again. All these situations are normal, especially when starting out. As the practitioner becomes more advanced, they will learn to surrender to steady observance and tolerance of discomfort. After an effective yin yoga session you may feel a calmness throughout the body and clarity within the mind.

Holding the pose

The choice of poses is not entirely random. Each series of poses are designed to target particular meridians within your body. If you have any experience with traditional Chinese medicine or acupuncture, you should be aware of these and how they relate to maintaining health. Discussing meridians is well beyond the scope of this post, but in very basic terms the poses direct energy towards areas of body to address particular health concerns. The longer one holds a pose the more energy can flow to through that meridian system. How long one holds a pose is experience and comfort dependant. Beginners usually start at about one to three minutes with aim to reach five minutes fairly quickly and develop a greater capacity to sit with and simply observe unpleasant sensations. Experienced yogis will hold the poses for twenty minutes or more.

Why?

During each held pose microtears occur in the muscle tissue in much the same way they occur in the tissues when strength training. These areas of the muscle are flooded with repair mechanisms via the blood and it is this process that makes us stronger. Yin yoga is a gentle way of building this strength. It additionally targets particularly deep tissues that perhaps aren’t attended to as much in resistance training. For example, you can work on your biceps and triceps, glutes and quads, but it isn’t so easy to target those deep tissues in your pelvis such as the psoas muscle that links your spine with your legs. In yin yoga deep and held forward bends gently place this muscle under tension creating a strengthening effect. This in turn allows for increased strength during activities such a deadlifting, playing football and climbing.

That isn’t to say that yin yoga isn’t helpful to larger muscles as it absolutely is. They can often be more stubborn and prone to adhesions and the passive tension effect can help reduce any pre-existing adhesions whilst preventing others from forming in the future.

Beyond just the muscular system yin yoga also exerts the correct amount of force transmission on the fascia, or extracellular matrix (the fibre, fluid, collagen and ground substance that makes up the connective tissues in the body). This stimulates fibroblast production, most notably of collagen and elastin, which allows for greater lubrication and hydration of tissues and joints. The additional collagen and elastin also improve density of ligaments. This is vital for anyone doing long distance or endurance training, power lifting or for those who are aged 50+ and are beginning to face loss of density throughout these structures. Also, because of this effect yin yoga is a particularly helpful technique to alleviate pain caused by defects in the extracellular matrix.

There is also a positive effect on bones by increasing the stimulation of chondrocytes and osteoblasts which leads to reduction of degeneration and degenerative diseases such as osteopenia and osteoporosis. Again, another vital consideration for those at greater risk of developing these conditions such as the over 50’s – women in particular.  

Another important aspect to consider are the effects on systems other than just the muscular-skeletal system. Yoga in general has been scientifically proven to have highly beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system (CVS) – mostly from an anti-inflammatory perspective. There are positive associations with every aspect of cardiovascular disease. However, when considering yin yoga, it is possible that these effects are magnified. Since there is a greater focus on stillness allowing for heart rate to slow and blood pressure to decline there is reduced pressure on the CVS. However, it is not only the CVS that benefits from the stillness. Stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol fall (which explains the CVS anti-inflammatory effects) and results in lower stress levels, better sleep, improved digestion and general physical inflammation decrease. This is why yin yoga can be a wonderful way to end the day or end the week. It can be a great physical as well as mental contrast to activities that increase inflammation and stress throughout the body and mind.

Through stillness we also allow ourselves to go inwards. We take the time to observe and notice our thoughts and feelings, we observe our daily life without adding any more drama. We learn to observe cravings, aversions and discomforts without connecting to them. This in turn helps us to become stronger mentally. We learn to push through physical and mental barriers more easily by being able to take a stance of greater clarity. We can be more goal focused. As such practising yin yoga first thing in the morning can be a really helpful way to get the day started with a clear mind and fixed intentions.

I think from reading this you can see that giving yin yoga a go is definitely worthwhile. We could all use a little more balance in our lives. The inclusion of yin yoga in your weekly routine can help to bring some more moments of stillness whilst still being challenging enough to keep you interested. Drop me a message if you’d like to know more about how I could help you add some more stillness and balance into your life and routine.

References:

Gudetti, R. R., Dang, G., Williams, M. A., Alla, V. M., (2018) Role of Yoga in Cardiac Disease and Rehabilitation, Jcrp journal

Schneider, A., (2017), Yoga and Meditation fo Health and Well-being, The Journal of Positive Psychology 12(2)

Gauer, J. P., (2022), Yoga and Brahmavihara: Expanding the Concept of Self to Include Others, Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies, 5 (1)