The Day Yin Yoga Became My Therapist
“The quieter you become, the more you can hear” Ram Das
I can remember my first Yin Yoga class in detail. It was one of the most challenging 90 minutes of my life. I was at the peak of my corporate career and my life was fast paced all the way. A friend recommended a Yin Yoga class to “slow down” a bit - I honestly didn’t realise that I would come to a complete stand still rather than just slowing down. I kept on looking around as I was sure I missed the queue to move to the next pose. My nose was itching, my ears was itching, my skin was itching - I kept on telling myself all these little excuses to move. I avoided “being” at all costs.
Today, Yin Yoga has become my therapist. I fell in love with this deliciously deep, meditative and reflective practice in which floor-based postures are held for an extended period of time. Unlike a dynamic Yang practice that works the muscles through repetition, Yin works the deeper layers of the body such as the fascia, connective tissues, joints and bones. Yin is a deeply healing and nourishing practice with profound physical, emotional and energetic effects. During challenging times in our lives, our emotions can deplete our bodies of energy. The nourishing practice of Yin Yoga helps to restore that energy for overall wellbeing.
I fell in love with the true essence of Yin Yoga which is rooted in the ancient shamanic tradition of China, and in the Chinese Taoist philosophy of being at one with everything and in harmony with your own nature. Yin postures are based on the characteristics of animals and on the five alchemical elements contained in the universal life force all around us and through us. The life force, known as chi or prana, is the subtle yet very powerful energy that informs nature. It’s the pulsation of the Yin and the Yang, the feminine and the masculine, the ebb and flow of the universe.
(According to Traditional Chinese Medicine) The five elemental energies are Earth, Metal, Water, Wood, and Fire. Each of these energies expresses a distinct quality, such as stillness, hardness, fluidity, springiness, and lightness. Yin Yoga is about awakening your body and mind to the energetics of the posture you are holding. Flexibility is developed by growing into postures and allowing this chi or prana to circulate more freely and move into the deeper structures of the body.
I believe that the purpose of Yin Yoga is to restore our natural ability to move with fluidity. This in turn develops the flow of chi throughout the body. We should be like water, alive and whole and present. If we flow like water in our bodies and our consciousness, then we can more readily adapt to our circumstances and surroundings. We can move with more fluidity, power, and grace. And feel a more heightened awareness of the natural world, and more at ease within ourselves and in our bodies.
Yin Yoga continues to give me the necessary strength and courage to honour all the roles and responsibilities I have on my life's journey. I would like to invite you to try a Yin Yoga class, and to keep an open mind and heart. Through a Yin practice, we allow ourselves the space and time to touch base with who we truly are, beneath the stories we've created about ourselves. And discovering who we truly are is when the magic starts to happen in our lives. It is here where we can begin to live with more grace, authenticity, strength and courage.