All About: Yin Yoga!
Yin Yoga. If you aren’t doing it, your personal yoga practice might be seriously suffering!
To learn more about why this yoga style is so essential, keep reading!
What Is It?
Yin yoga is a slow-paced yoga style where we hold static poses and track our time in them with our breath or an actual timer.
In the beginning, each pose is held for 3-5 minutes but when students become more advanced, these poses can be held up to 10 minutes or even longer.
By giving our bodies an abundance of time, we allow the stiffest parts of our bodies (ligaments, tendons) to go into deep relaxation and this acts as a very therapeutic form of recovery.
This style is all about putting the mind and the body into recovery mode with less movement, more stillness, and flexing that patience muscle A LOT.
Who Is It For?
Technically everyone needs to be doing at least some Yin Yoga, but people who are suffering from back pain and other types of discomforts related to posture are especially in need of this practice.
People who are also very active in their other sports and experience muscle fatigue or soreness also need to incorporate this practice into their weekly regime. Otherwise, students trying to combat stress and are looking for a way to relax would find the relief they are looking for in this practice.
Even if you are curious and just want to try out yoga for the first time, yin yoga can be a gentle introduction to the yoga world! Great for both beginners and yoga pros - yin yoga truly is for everyone.
What Is The Purpose?
The ultimate goal of Yin yoga is to allow yourself to experience absolute stillness. Slow movements and meditative postures are practiced in each yin yoga session to achieve that goal!
You can expect to spend multiple minutes in each posture to find that inner stillness within you. Relax, take deep breaths, and enjoy taking those moments all to yourself.
Benefits?
The main benefit of this style is recovery, especially for the muscles. You experience muscle recovery even in one lesson. After several lessons and regularly incorporating the practice into your life, you receive fantastic flexibility.
This flexibility also contributes to better alignment and posture in your daily habits which increases overall health, improved sleep, clarity of mind, and improved balance and the benefits continue to snowball for you and accumulate like compound interest.
Of all the benefits that I receive from practicing yin yoga, the most important are mood regulation and patience. As usual with yoga, you experience the physical benefits first and when you become more advanced you receive the mental benefits. It’s a long journey and also a beautiful journey.
Looking to try out Yin Yoga? Lucky for you, I am currently offering virtual yin yoga sessions every Sunday at 10:00-11:00. Since it’s online, you can even try it out from the comfort of your own home!
If you’re interested in booking a lesson to try out yin yoga for yourself, check out this link! https://www.kelseyhopper.yoga/book-online