Every decade or so, it seems like there is a new version of yoga that rises in popularity within the fitness community here in the West. But why are Yin yoga classes the next to rise when it is so vastly different from the practices that have come before? And, all without you having to break a sweat.
Before we begin, let’s dive into the basics. Some of the originating practice styles from Indian teachings include Hatha yoga, Iyengar, and Vinyasa. As people in America were waking up to the benefits of these yoga styles, more challenging yoga practices began to pop up. People soon began craving more intense workouts. Enter Vinyasa flows, Ashtanga Vinyasa classes, and hot yoga (aka Bikram yoga). They met the need for high energy group exercises in gyms across the country. Over time, many styles of yoga classes in the West became synonymous with whole body workouts, strength training, and gym culture.
What about Yin?
Compared to other yoga practices, Yin yoga is absolutely a horse of a different color. This practice involves simple movements of the body that are held for several minutes before gently moving into the next pose. It was first created by Paulie Zink. Though Zink is American-born, he devoted his life to various Chinese practices, causing Yin yoga classes to have more cultural influence from China and less from India. As a Qigong expert and an internationally acclaimed martial arts grand champion, Zink realized that he needed a more calming practice to coincide with, but be starkly different from, his more active martial arts training.
You’re probably thinking, “I’m not at the top of the martial arts game, lady.” Me neither, friend. The good news is that Yin yoga classes are a great inclusion into any lifestyle. Yin yoga was made to oppose the active energy, or yang energy, of any other physical activity. Since yin and yang energies are complimentary, more people are coming around to the idea of including a soothing Yin yoga class into their more taxing exercise routines.
The benefits
So, what exactly can Yin yoga do for you? How about the following:
– increases flexibility over time
– gives the body a break from the constant moving and grooving of daily living
-reduction in stress and anxiety
– lets you focus on events in your life or allows space for personal introspection and processing (basically, make the time spent work in your best interest)
– improves the mind-body connection
– targets the connective tissues that more physical activities can miss
Shall I go on? Don’t worry. I will! There will be a blog that provides a deeper dive on the benefits of yin yoga classes coming soon. This is just a short list of benefits that can provide major improvements to anyone’s life. If you happen to have a chronic illness or autoimmune disease, this list can be a game-changer. Yin yoga is rising in popularity because it is providing the opportunity to sit with yourself for about an hour at a time to replenish the energy and mental effort that is required to function in regular life. Luckily, there are many ways you can give Yin yoga a try. Find a studio that teaches a Yin yoga class close to you, find some videos that can help you mimic a Yin yoga class from home, or you can check out my Services page to see when I teach next, if you happen to be local to me. Even better, you can get more info on how to get 1:1 classes personalized for you. Hopefully, you’ll gift yourself the chance to find out why yin is in.
