Yin Yoga is a mindful practice
One holds passive floor poses for 3+ minutes with relaxed muscles so that our bodies deep dense connective tissues (our ligaments, bones & fascia) receive gentle traction & compression stimulating repair, renewal & enhanced circulation within these tissues.
Yin Yoga is based off Chinese Medicine Theory.
The deep poses also help stimulate & restore balance within our different meridian channels.
In this high paced active 'Yang' dominated world, taking time to balance out the body with a grounding ‘Yin’ practice needs to become a priority for if we are looking to take control of our health, happiness & levels of awesomeness.
Yang practices (which refer to anything active, such as biking, running, skiing, flow yoga...) increase our Qi mobility - these help us eliminate any Qi stagnation or blockages within our bodies. Fantastic that a bike ride can increase the free flowing qualities of Qi within our bodies.
HOWEVER if we do not complement our Yang activities with some Yin activities (which refer to anything relaxing e.g. Yin Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Qigong, taking a bath, napping), i.e. if we always stay on the go, our Qi will become weak & despite our efforts, after a short lived buzz that follows some yang activity, our energy levels may drop below awesome.
Incorporating both Yin & Yang practices is vital for optimal health, as they will enable us to both keep our Qi moving freely & of high quality strength for the long term.
Yin Yoga is great for elderly & everyone in between
Yin yoga helps slow down the body's natural aging process within our joints & bones by:
KEEPING THE JOINTS HYDRATED - The poses stimulate increased flow of hydrating hyaluronic acid within the joint capsule. "Juicier joints" help reduce friction & restriction, which helps us glide through life with less inflammation & more ease!
MAINTAINING MOBILITY - If we don't put our body through its full range of motion our ligaments shorten or "contract", and our bones are at risk of fusing together or "fixating" (especially our flat bones like the sacrum & our scapulars). We either 'move it or lose it'!
MAINTAINING THE STRENGTH AND DENSITY OF OUR BONES THAT OTHERWISE DETERIORATES WITH AGE (& in worse case scenarios develops into osteoporosis) - The traction & compression on the bones stimulate bone tissue growth & repair, offering a low impact alternative for obtaining the bone strengthening benefits of weight bearing physical exercise without having to pound the pavement!
The deep stretches within Yin Yoga can feel intense!
This provides an opportunity to learn how to become more comfortable with both mental and physical discomforts as we go about our daily life. A marvellous way to prepare for a deeper meditation practice, OR as I found, a marvellous way to prepare for the physical pain that can be experienced as an elite endurance athlete.
Yin Yoga is great for athletes
Yin yoga aids faster muscle recovery. The deep poses squeeze lactic acid out of our muscles reducing DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness).
Stretching helps create space within the body supporting bigger muscle growth & reduced friction within the joints that can cause irritation, inflammation & pain.
Lengthened muscles improves ones ability to avoid injury with a greater range of motion.
The deep relaxation on offer within the poses helps counteract some of the harmful impacts of regularly operating within a "fight & flight" SNS state when engaging in regular intense physical activity.
All of these benefits will allow for more consistent higher quality training supporting higher performance in the long term.