5 Techniques for Yin Yoga Mastery

Yoga teaches that we all have three bodies. Firstly, our physical body made up of material substance. Second, our astral body comprised of emotions and desires. The third is our causal body, which is the thoughts and beliefs that define us and create our identity.

All three bodies are overlayed upon one another. Knitted and weaved together in a rich tapestry of flowing matter and energy.

Ancient energetic teachings of both Indian Tantric Yoga and Chinese Taoism both point to the same fundamental ideas of energy centres and channels within the body.

Both teach that to achieve optimal health we must bring balance to these energy centres along the spine, also known as chakras.

Yin and Yang are well-known symbols of opposites. Inner and outer, cool and warm, heaven and earth. For many of us in modern day life, our time is spent on Yang pursuits. The constant drive to do more, obtain more external material goods, overstimulated through media and technology.

All this excess of Yang energy is felt as tension. The tension that is expressed in the physical body, as tightness and pain. In the astral body as overreactions in anger, jealousy, fear and desire. Lastly in the causal body as lack of connection, perpetual seeking with no contentment or peace.

Traditional yoga focuses on bringing these two contrasting elements into balance. Hatha yoga literally meaning (Ha) solar and (Tha) lunar. It wasn’t until the late 1970’s that the International appeal of yoga skyrocketed with more dynamic forms such as Ashtanga, Vinyasa and Bikram.

Now more than ever it is important to learn and practice the contrasting methods of a Yin practice.

1: TIME OVER EFFORT

Yin changes the body in a very different way to typical Yang exercises. When running, weightlifting or doing a dynamic yoga class we rely heavily on our muscles to do the work. In contrast, Yin places the focus on the connective tissue, or fascia.

Fascia in the body is a new area of study, so its role in the human body is not fully understood. We do however know that it plays a role in the circulation of blood, information through neural pathways, and myofascial structure.

Comprised of collagen, elastin and reticular fibres. You can think of it as a net or matrix that wraps around the body, keeping its shape. When the muscles remain tight, the joints are pulled together closely, and fascia responds by tightening. Only when we relax our muscles, can the bones pull away from one another. This creation of space in the joint stretches the connective tissue and frees us of pain, tension, and tightness.

All this anatomy jargon is great, but what does it mean for my practice?

Put simply it means 3-5 minutes, 60% effort. Holding each pose for at least 3 minutes gives the muscles enough time to fully relax. Not overdoing the effort means again that you’ll be in a relaxed state to fully let go and release the muscles. Just remember that time is the prime catalyst for changing the fascia, not effort.

2: SUPPORT YOURSELF

The next technique to focus on is overcoming your pride. That’s what it looks like on an internal level anyway. Externally, it looks like grabbing the bolsters, blocks, blankets and other supporting props, and using them!

I have been guilty of being in a posture and thinking I’m flexible enough not to need a bolster to rest on, or a block to support. But this is to miss the point of yin practice. Already my modern yang mindset is trying to push harder than needed. To stretch more. And this active stretching will only engage my muscles more.

What we are trying to do is support the body so the muscles can undergo a phase shift. Imagine that your muscles are made of ice, tough and brittle. With sustained heat and pressure, the ice is gradually heated until it changes state entirely into water. With this fluid muscle, the joint is now free to be stretched, not the muscle.

I have always been minimalist in my approach to training, looking for ways to do more with less. And the idea of needing equipment always puts me off, however, the props used in yin are minimal in nature and almost always readily available. A cushion or pillow from the bed works as a bolster. Even a book can work as a block to support your knees or head.

3: NEW POSES

When I was first introduced to Yin, I was definitely confused. Why did we have many of the same yoga poses I knew, now with new names? Cobra has become Seal, Pigeon has become Swan, Seated Forward Fold is Caterpillar. Why add unnecessary confusion?

Paulie Zink when creating Yin yoga wanted to differentiate these poses because in Yin they had a totally different objective and effort. Keeping the muscles relaxed with little to no resistance over long periods of time.

While Yang exercises benefit from a variety of movement and many repetitions. Yin requires much less variety, the emphasis being placed on just a few poses for each category.

Forward folds are more calming and relaxing.
Backbends excite and invigorate the system.
Twists bring increased sensitivity to the heart and improve digestion.
Lateral flexion helps us find balance and expansion.

When moving between postures it is important to move slowly and gradually. The joint may feel vulnerable and weak after the muscles have released their tension.

I recommend learning 10-15 poses to begin and giving them time and attention. Better to dive deep into a few, than spread yourself thin over many.

4: GET LOW

Looking at the body as a whole, we can divide it into upper and lower. The upper body is characterised as benefitting more from Yang exercises. Less muscle mass on top means we benefit more from muscular exercise and see our posture improve as muscles are strengthened.

Alternatively, Yin greatly benefits the lower body. Spending more time focused on the groin, legs, hips, pelvis, lower back and spine will help balance out the muscular tension we store there.

When in seated positions or forward folds, sometimes our lower back and neck can be compressed too much. For this reason, it is important to activate a slight forward tilt of the pelvis. This is encouraged by sitting on a folded blanket or with your back against the wall.

The goal here is to bring the upper and lower energies of the body into equilibrium. Allowing the flow of prana to travel from the base of the spine all the way to the crown of the head uninterrupted by excess or deficiency.

This balance or homeostasis within the body ripples out into our external world. As our body changes, so too our energy flows differently and our state of mind alters.

5: BE MINDFUL

Yin requires a lot more stillness than other contemporary yoga styles. To focus more on observation than action. By letting go of our preconceived ideas of how our practice should be, or how our body should feel. We are free to perceive reality as it truly is.

Each posture provides us with an opportunity for investigation and curiosity. Noticing what is occurring both inside and outside the body. Noting every sensation without judgement or evaluation.

We can improve our level of physical relaxation through the training of the mind. The relaxation response in the body is triggered as our mind does two things:

Focus on a repetitive point of attention (such as the breath).
Consciously attempt to let go of all other thoughts

As the physical changes in the body take place such as lowered blood pressure, decreased heart rate and slower brain wave patterns. So too on a psychological level we feel the changes as our minds clear, hearts open and our sense of self expands.

SUMMARY

Look around your surroundings right now. What around you is beautiful? Perhaps a nice ornate piece of furniture, or a treasured plant? What often gives our surroundings its beauty though is the empty space within which everything resides. Without space, material reality would lose its form and aesthetic.

So too in our body, focusing on external goals and the shape of the body is good, but only while in relation to creating space and stillness.

You can incorporate more Yin methods into your practice today by

Permit yourself to stay longer in a pose, with less effort.
Support yourself with external props.
Change the focus of the pose, fewer poses are more.
Focus more on where the legs, hips and spine meet
Connecting breath and meditation to the practice