Find Your Yin Within.

I have been passionate about finding remedy for the body through yoga and postures for many years. The practice of Yin yoga is a modern term and was founded in the 1970s by Paulie Zink, however it has been around for thousands years and is a system of practice integrated in "Hatha Yoga" and in the "Internal Alchemy" style developed by Taoist Yoga of ancient China where the "Yin Yoga" derived its name.

Recently there has been a reawakening with this form of practice. As the trend of Hiit training and explosive powerful exercise with all its benefits has become a regular phenomena in gyms, some may find the body starting to show signs of tightness, pain and over fatigue. Therefore it is important, as any professional athlete will tell you, to allow for recovery, release and balance within the mind and body. This is actually the time that the muscles will adapt, heal and grow stronger.

Yin yoga is not necessarily an easy alternative though and requires a tremendous amount of training the mind to push through barriers and sometimes emotions which are held within the muscles, and connective tissue. There can be two aspects to the practice where one focuses on improving mobility and range of movement by releasing tension, stretching and lengthening; the other is to strengthen the tendons and ligaments once the end range of movement has been reached. This can be achieved through sustainability, holding the pose/stretch for at least 3-5 minutes, allowing time for enough positive stress to trigger tissues to develop durability and strength. Tolerating this endurance will need to be gradually increased over time and even 3 minutes may seem a steep feat particularly for beginners, so usually 45 seconds to 2 minutes is introduced first.

The deep "loading" of Yin yoga also promotes self healing and patience . The meaning of Yin taps into a feminine side, taming the Yang qualities of tight muscles and connective tissue in which contribute to the restriction in flexibility, posture and mobility. If this is not addressed, it could lead to injury particularly when placing excessive ballistic force through the body in Cross Fit and Tabata or Power Yoga type routines.

If you would like to try this form of yoga for yourself then check out the Yoga section of my website where you will find details of my class and how to book a one to one Yoga sesssion in the comfort of your home.