Why Yin?

YIN yoga is often described as the forgotten half of yoga practice.

Most people are familiar with the yang side of yoga — the dynamic practice that moves energy outward and uses breath in unison with movement to build strength and agility.

Yin yoga, on the other hand, is a slower practice more focused on moving energy inward to affect the deeper connective tissues — the ligaments and joints that surround and support the muscles. Yin and yang have very different intentions, and both are equally important for a balanced and healthy body.

Together, yin and yang represent a perfect balance, two parts that make up a complete whole — the sun and the moon, day and night, male and female, the two sides of a coin. One part cannot exist without the other.

Yang yoga is about movement — developing cardiovascular endurance and building stronger muscles. Yin yoga can balance the yang practice by holding poses in a gentle traction for longer periods of time while meditating on breath awareness. This way, yin yoga can slowly lengthen ligaments, break up deep fascia, and lubricate the joints.

We need both types of yoga to maintain a healthy balance in the body. Yin yoga has been around as long as yang yoga but somehow, Westerners are in such a hurry to get strong and move fast that the yin sort of got left out for a long time. Sarah Powers, Paul Grilley, Esther Ekhart, and Bernie Clark are among the pioneers who helped bring yin yoga back into our awareness.

As we age, it becomes even more important to incorporate a yin practice with our yang life style. Our joints and bones lose moisture and the bones become brittle as we get older. This physical process is not just due to aging. As we get older we tend to move less, and thus we neglect the tissues that are responsible for maintaining lubrication and flexibility.

Yoga can keep our bodies vibrant, but we must do both yin and yang. Yang yoga can strengthen our hearts and our muscles. Yin yoga can keep our joints and connective tissue supple and moist. It can also quiet the mind and nervous system through stillness and meditative breath awareness.

Both yang and yin yoga will improve anyone’s health and longevity, and both can be experienced at all levels of physical ability.

Yin yoga has an effect on the “life force” or prana flowing through the meridians, pathways that run through the entire body. When we stimulate the deep connective tissues in a yin yoga practice, we positively affect the flow of life force. This is another reason why yin yoga has such healing benefits.