Go Within -Sunday Yin Yoga
“The quieter you become the more you can hear. ~ Ram Dass
Welcome.
I believe that Sundays are made for Yin Yoga. Finishing the week with this meditative practice gives you time and space for quiet reflection and deep integration. Pausing to notice the quality of your breath and mind and tuning into the sensations of your body. Yin Yoga teaches you to listen. It teaches you to listen to the subtleties, which so often get swallowed up in our busy every day. Your body has its own language and there is always room in the body for a conversation you can listen to.
Coming together slowing down, breathing, integrating, the classes on Sundays are a a wonderful anchor and way to close the week more consciously and prepare your body, heart and mind for the week ahead, stepping into it feeling a little more present and centered. It´s like a reset, an emptying of your cup, so you can be open and present to however life is unfolding moment by moment.
Yin Yoga reminds us to take care of ourselves, and selfcare to me is like an antidote to the ever changing aspects of life. Knowing and understanding how we are and what we need in times of emotional, physical or mental distress is a north star.
Join me in May
Spring my friends. Yin Yoga is a wonderful practice to reverse some of the stagnation we still hold in our bones and skin from Winter. The classes are suitable for beginners as well as regular practitioners. Get in touch here if you have any questions or concerns.
Photo by Johannes Krupinski
Practice.
Yin Yoga is a wonderful slow-paced, almost meditative practice, suitable for any level of experience. It gives you time and space to tune inwards to notice both your mind and physical sensations.
A sequence can have a very similar effect on our energies as an acupuncture session, just without the needles :)
It incorporates principles of traditional Chinese medicine and Taoist principles, which believe there are pathways (meridians) of Qi (energy) that run through our bodies. By deepening ad softening into the poses, it can support the opening and release of blockages so that the energy can flow freely.
Yin yoga works deeply into our body with passive, longer-held poses. The practice targets the deepest tissues of the body, our connective tissues – ligaments, joints, bones, and the deep fascia networks of the body, rather than the muscles (which are the physical focus of Yang Yoga practices).
Because you stay in the poses for a longer period of time (2-5min or longer), the practice helps you stretch and lengthen those tissues while also teaching you how to breathe and be present through discomfort. It promotes flexibility, stillness, observing the body, and quieting the mind.
As for the poses themselves, many yin postures are either seated or reclined poses, since they require your muscles to fully relax.
On a more energetic level, Yin yoga improves the energy flow, enhancing the flow of chi in the organs, which according to Chinese medicine, runs through the meridian pathways of the body. It is suggested that these meridians are created by our connective tissue and that the improved flow of chi improves organ health, immunity, and also emotional wellbeing.
Benefits.
Yin Yoga can be a big contrast if you are used to more dynamic, heat-building practices or you are generally living a fast-paced life, but especially then it can be a wonderful tool to bring some balance into your life.
Learn to be still, be at peace, practice pain free.
The practice has incredible benefits for both body and mind. Here are just a few:
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reduces stress levels by activating your parasympathetic nervous system
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releases fascia and improves joint-flexibility and strength
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relieves stress
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increases blood-flow and circulation
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promotes sleep
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relieves tension and therefor reduces pain
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relieves PTSD
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balances the internal organs and improves the flow of Qi
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helps you to understand your own body's language
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encourages mindfulness and a meditative awareness