Less popular than the forms of dynamic Yoga Vinyasa and Ashtanga, yin yoga, gentle and slow, invented 20 years ago, is however the most intense practice to fight stress and nourish its vital energy. Spring is the ideal season to discover this intimate practice, close to meditation, which never leaves indifferent.
What is Yin Yoga? What are its principles?
Yin Yoga, invented about twenty years ago, is not concerned with the aesthetics of posture, muscle strength or perfect alignment. He proposes to slow down and accept the sensations that are manifested in the present moment, without objective. At the crossroads of Chinese medicine, the slow approach to Taoism and Postures of Indian yoga, it is akin to a meditative discipline linked to deep breathing.
What difference with other forms of yoga?
Unlike other more dynamic forms of yoga (Vinyasa, Ashtanga), postures, which must be “held” on the ground between 3 and 5 minutes, call on concentration and relaxation. Stretching is therefore intense and solicit the deep tissues where sometimes old tensions are nestled, such as fascia, tendons, ligaments or bones. Thanks to this work of total abandonment, energy can circulate in the body freely.
This practice thus takes the opposite view from the accelerated lifestyle, by addressing the most intimate part of ourselves. It can also surprise engaging sports enthusiasts, such as skiing, running or even very physical yoga like Ashtanga, for which, once installed on their carpet, existing without doing anything is a sacred challenge.
What is the difference between Hatha Yoga and Yin Yoga?
Hatha Yoga and Yin Yoga have very different approaches, although complementary:
Hatha Yoga is a traditional practice that combines:
- Active and dynamic postures
- Alternation between muscle commitment and relaxation
- Breathing exercises (pranayama)
- Meditation times
- Sessions of about 2-3 minutes by posture
Yin Yoga is characterized by:
- Passive postures, mainly on the ground
- Total relaxation of muscles
- Postures held between 3 and 5 minutes
- Targeted work on deep connective tissues
- A more pronounced meditative approach
If the Hatha represents the balance between solar (ha) and lunar (Tha) energy, yin yoga focuses only on the Yin aspect, more introspective and soothing. The two practices are complementary: the Hatha to tone and strengthen, the yin to soften and refocus.
Yin Yoga postures
Among the postures practiced in yin yoga, we find the butterfly, the dragonfly, the installation of the child, the half-ceet, the lace, the plow, the bell, the sphinx, the seal, the dragon or the camel. Courses, accessible to all, use a number ofaccessories (cushions, bricks, bolsters, blankets) to find the comfort necessary to hold several minutes in the positions, help the body to relax, or more easily reach a posture (by placing its head on a block, rather than on the ground).
What are the benefits of Yin Yoga?
If yoga in general is recognized good for health, yin yoga is particularly interesting for manage stress,, go to sleep,, soften your back and the whole body.
On the energy level, the opening and stretching postures nourish the organs by following meridians of energy specific to traditional Chinese medicine. The immune system is reinforced. In the spring in particular, the solicitation of the meridians of the liver and the gallbladder makes yin yoga a practice of detox of choice.