What is Yin yoga?

What is Yin yoga?

Yin yoga is type of yoga that is practiced in a slow and steady way, it is related with the traditional Chinese medicines and poses for the long term. It is a type of yoga that is considered especially beneficial for the connective tissues, it helps them strengthen and makes them more flexible. It is also beneficial in reducing stress.

Yin yoga was also taught by teachers like Paul Greeley and Sarah Powers in North America and Europe. As Giri and Powers teach, this does not mean that it should be a proper exercise but complements more active forms of yoga. However, the Zink approach includes a full range of Taoist yoga, Yin, and traditional yoga.

Relationship with Indian and Chinese yoga:

In Yin yoga, most of the postures are modified forms of the old and traditional yoga, from India and China. In India, it is named as Hatha yoga and in china, it is said to be the Taoist yoga. But many western martial artists either modified these poses into a better posture or they just used them as they are. The postures in the Yin yoga are specifically designed for the connective tissue’s strengths and to keep balance and calm in the body and mind. Thus, in most of the Yin yoga postures, you must not stretch your muscles to an extreme length and be in the posture for some time to make it more powerful and flexible.

Basic Principles Yin Yoga:

Yin yoga is based on the Taoist yoga principle of Yin and yang. While Yin is peaceful and calms the yang is the quiet opposite. Yang refers to mobility and movement. Despite abstract yoga or Yin yoga, there are many similarities and differences that help people who know traditional yoga. Conventional yoga has more poses then Yin yoga also Yin yoga started in 1970 based on the conventional yoga principles. The main principle of Yin and yang moves at the center of the Yin yoga.

Basic practices of Yin yoga:

Yin yoga is practiced in both Yin and yang postures, the person keeps on changing from one posture into another after couple of minutes. But from some instructors the want the students to keep performing the passive Yin yoga postures only leaving behind the yang postures. Most of these postures consist of your body in the air and your hips and thighs touching the ground. You stretch slowly and put pressure on the different muscles making them move and make you feel comfortable.

How it is Different from conventional yoga?

Yin yoga is different from the conventional methods of yoga in a way that its instructors never allow you to stretch more. They never say stretch, because it is meant to relax the connective tissues not to put pressure on them. Thus, it is different from conventional yoga practices. Many poses of conventional yoga are used in the Yin yoga and Hath Yoga, but they are used with a new principle in mind, and a new objective as well. Their focus is on the connective tissues.