Yin yoga can be a beneficial practice for athletes as it complements more dynamic forms of exercise by targeting the connective tissues in the body, such as ligaments, tendons, and fascia. It involves holding poses for an extended period, typically 3 to 5 minutes or longer, which allows for a deep stretch and stimulates the flow of energy (chi or prana) through the body.
The Three Tattvas /Principles of the Yin Yoga Practice
Yin Yoga just from an appearance sake seems to look like a “simple” practice. As my Yin Yoga teacher Bernie Clark always says, “its a simple practice, but it’s not easy.” With knowing the principles also referred to as tattvas, it can help you understand and know how best to practice this style of yoga (1).
One quickly learns that the practice isn’t easy from their first experience of a Yin Yoga class. As time comes into play, you soon realize it’s hard to hold postures in stillness.
Winter Time is the Most “Yin” Time
Winter time is the the most “Yin”, time. The days get shorter, we start to live more in the dark literally, less sun time, especially if you are where I am in the northern hemisphere. The temperature outside gets colder, we want to retreat indoors, slow down, sleep more and drink warm drinks, even cozy up next to a fire or under a heated blanket to gain heat we are losing.
We go inside in a literal sense and a figurative sense.
We move inwards.
The Subtle, yet Powerful Effect of Yin Yoga. My story.
I’ve been practicing yin yoga for over 5 years now, teaching it now for 4 years. When I first started the practice I thought it was so hard. Being still (relatively), holding postures which were mostly floor based for a set time. Even though the practice looks simple, as you don’t really move dynamically from pose to pose, instead you’re holding postures in what appears to be “easy” positions where
Top 5 Yoga Podcasts to Listen to in 2019!
If you’re not listening to the following 5 yoga podcasts, where have you been?! I think they are must adds to your listening yoga needs, as they are inspiring and educational.
Since, I’m an avid listener I’d thought I’d share with you this list, so you too can enjoy all the great content out there!
You may be thinking, what makes me qualified to suggest which yoga podcasts are worth listening to?!
Firstly, I love podcasts as I’ve been listening to them for the last 3 years, which has given me plenty of time to observe what is actually worth your precious time to listen to. Secondly, I consider myself to be a weekly podcast junkie, as I listen to podcasts frequently, including on my walks to work, or when I’m working on simple tasks, cooking, driving or generally when I don’t feel like listening to music and want to absorb new ideas and information. I average about 25-30hrs of podcast listening on a weekly basis, that’s an average 5hrs per day. I love learning on the go and hearing differing perspectives and how we can just listen to information, or be guided through a meditation for any mood. Truly sharing ideas, information and learning in the process via audio recordings.