YIN YOGA
When I discovered Yin Yoga through Bernie Clark, during my first 200-hour teacher training, I was illuminated to a whole new way of practicing — and being.
Bernie has such a skillful way, not only with teaching the principles of Yin, but in the way he teaches with stories and science (both Eastern and Western) and holding space.
The stillness wasn’t easy, or the staying at my edge. But what I started experiencing through the Yin practice was nothing short of transformative. After class, I often felt lighter, more connected and more grounded in myself, with an emerging sense of clarity. With an increased perception of my physical self and sense of ease, I became all in to Yin.
From there, I went on to train with one of the founders of Yin Yoga, Sarah Powers, and to deep dive into Traditional Chinese Medicine with Lonney Jarret and Stephen Brown — and the journey continues. For me, learning is a lifelong practice and I’m deeply grateful for those who have guided my path. It is in service of the knowledge they bring forth that I’m a teacher myself today.
My deepest intention in offering Yin Yoga classes is to co-create space to support the nervous system, reduce stress and anxiety and build connection.
About Yin Yoga
Benefits of Yin Yoga
Yin Yoga encourages the development of body awareness (somatic intelligence), which includes our understanding of where our bodies are in space (proprioception) and our own inner awareness (interoception). From finding the appropriate depth of a stretch to learning over time which practices evoke the felt sense of restoration and clarity, inner awareness invites us to discover the impact poses have on the more subtle parts of ourselves. Because inner awareness is interwoven with our capacity to attune to others, Yin Yoga fosters the biology of connection.
Soften to Strenghen
The meditative aspects of Yin Yoga support heart-rate variability which is correlated with improved immunological biomarkers. The meditative aspects of yin yoga offer the supportive container to get to know the body as it is moment to moment supporting the habit of responsiveness and care on and off the mat.
Yin Yoga Pose Names
Yin Yoga renamed classic Hatha poses to encourage a different way to experience the postures. Although the yoga pose looks the same from the outside, we are targeting the tendons, ligaments, fascia, and bones and fluids of the body rather than the muscles and cardiovascular system of the body. Using these names helps encourage beginners’ mind and allows experienced yoga practitioners to approach the posture in a new way. Yin is practiced to support maintaining healthy mobility.
Although our intention for the physical body is different, Yin Yoga, like all forms of Yoga, shares the intention to enliven the tissues, soften and steady the heart, and enhance and balance our energetic system.
Yin Yoga & The Body
Yin yoga is a therapeutic and functional approach to practice. It is often described as the other half of exercise. Yin is a complementary practice to more active styles of yoga supporting mobility maintenance, nervous system regulation, and subtle body balance. Working with gravity, students move slowly through poses, holding each pose for several minutes. The long-held poses in Yin Yoga facilitate stimulation in the deeper tissues including fascia, ligaments, tendons, and bones.
Functional Approach
Yin yoga teaches us to prioritize function over form, meaning that each posture has a physical and/or energetic intention. All bodies are unique and each practitioner over time learns how to adapt the external shape to initiate a specific range of motion within the joints or target stimulation in myo-fascia. The map of Traditional Chinese Medicine describes that we have lines of energy that are housed within the physical body and our practice is designed to optimize and balance the flow of Qi (energy) within these lattice- like channels called meridians..
KIND WORDS