Have you given yin yoga sequences a try yet? Yoga has been around
for 5,000 years, at least. There's a reason why it remains so popular to this day. When you start a yin yoga practice, you're signing up for all kinds of different
health benefits. It improves your muscle tone and strength, adds to your flexibility, helps reduce stress, and much more. Wondering what yin yoga sequences will do for you? In this guide, we'll answer all your questions so you can decide if yin yoga is right for you. Keep reading to learn about the yin yoga magic!
What is Yin Yoga?
The concept behind yin yoga involves the idea of yin and yang, which
comes from Taoism. According to Taoists, yin is the hidden, stable, unmoving side of things, while yang is the part that moves, changes, and reveals. This translates to the body during yoga practice. The stiffer tissues that connect different body parts, like ligaments and tendons, are yin. Flexible muscles and moving parts like blood are yang. In a yin yoga series, you'll usually do several passive poses on the floor, holding each one for a long time. These poses mostly focus on the lower body parts, such as the pelvis, hips, lower spine, and inner thighs. There are many connective tissues in this area, so the yin focus is important. Expect to hold poses for as long as five minutes or more.
Are Yin Yoga Sequences Right for You?
Yin yoga is great for anyone who's tired and needs a way to boost energy. It's also a good way to heal an overstimulated, overactive mind and help you find peace and relaxation. Today's world involves near-constant stimuli that we access every day on our smartphones and computers. This can lead us to never switching off in any meaningful way. We might clutter our minds with information without ever giving ourselves the time to process it. It doesn't matter whether the information is garbage or high-quality: our minds still need to find a way to work through it all. After a while, we can get used to this kind of sensory overload. We might even start to seek it out when things get to quiet. We forget how to be still and stay in the moment. However, it's much more healthy to enjoy those gaps in stimuli. Our mind needs that time to recover. Yoga helps us manage this stressful overstimulation. Your mind can become calmer since the exercises are relaxing. But because they also require focus, our minds get the stimulation we crave in a much more healthy way. Yin yoga sequences aren't intended to replace the better-known, dynamic yoga practices. Instead, they can be a healthy supplement that helps to soothe and relax you when you need it most. Is yin yoga for you? The truth is, yin yoga is good for everyone. No matter how much you cut back on screen time or live a minimalist life, you can't escape the pressure of overstimulation completely. Yin yoga benefits all of us.
What Does Yin Yoga Do for Your Body?
Yin yoga doesn't just help the mind - it also helps your body. The primary focus is on the connective tissues. These tissues gain more from a slow and steady holding of poses, which is why yin yoga poses take so long. Holding the pose gives the tissue a gentle stretch, so the body gradually makes these tissues stronger and longer. When you put mild stress on any tissue, the body responds by making it stronger. Yin poses can also help balance the internal systems and organs in the body. The muscles around the connective tissue get stretched and relaxed in the process. This means that not every traditional yoga pose is suitable for yin yoga, so you should start with trained guidance, not on your own. The poses actually have different names for when you do them in yin style.
What Does Yin Yoga Do for Your Mind?
To stay still in a pose for such a long time challenges the mind as well as the body - in a good way. There are plenty of quiet gaps for your mind to grapple with, which is something most of us aren't used to. Many different feelings can come up when we give out mind this space. Some of those feelings will be positive, but others can be negative. Chances are good, and you'll find that you use daily business to suppress a lot of your feelings. When you practice yin yoga, there's suddenly time for your to experience all of your emotions in full. Many thoughts and feelings might unexpectedly rise from the shadows of your mind. Most of the time, your yin yoga instructor will encourage you to permit every feeling to enter without letting it take over. They'll guide you through observing, rather than reacting. Simply allowing your emotions be present with you can give you a huge release. When we suppress our feelings day by day, it can become exhausting on the subconscious. With yin yoga, you'll clear your mind of emotions that aren't serving you well, and become aware of things that need more of your attention. This helps you work through mental blockages and find more peace.
Yin Yoga Tips
To get the most out of your practice, work on getting into the pose gradually and gently. Don't push your body to the limit right away, and avoid stretching to the point that it's painful. Try to hold still for the entire duration of the pose, without moving or fidgeting. You might start by holding the poses for a couple of minutes each, and gradually work your way up to the five-minute goal.
Give Yin Yoga a Try
If you've never tried yin yoga sequences, it's not too late to start. Adding this practice into your
yoga routines can give you the balance you need in mind and body. To learn more about the benefits of a regular hot yoga practice, check out
this post.
