Yin

Yin Yoga is a form of yoga that uses long-held floor poses that work wonders on the deepest tissues of the body. Unlike traditional “yang” yoga, which targets muscles, the long-held poses of Yin Yoga target the joints, ligaments, bones and the body’s deep fascia networks.

It can be described as a “passive” form of yoga, with the floor exercises involving postures that can be held for as long as 5 minutes. These exercises mainly focus on the lower body, including the hips, pelvis, lower spine, and inner thighs.

As well as being a fantastic workout for the deeper tissues, Yin Yoga is also renowned for its stress and anxiety bursting effects and for increasing flexibility and circulation.

Yin Yoga is a fantastic way for beginners to discover the joys of yoga. Even those who have less flexible bodies will soon begin to adapt and appreciate the “passive” pace of a Yin Yoga session, which gives time to perfect and practice the poses required.

Compared to the more demanding forms of yoga where poses are held for far shorter periods, Yin Yoga gives students the time to appreciate and learn the necessary poses and work on the details like posture and alignment.

For those wanting to learn yoga, Yin Yoga provides a great stepping stone from which a student can branch out in many directions.

Yin Yoga poses, or asanas to give them their official name, are long-held poses that target the deeper structures within the body. This physically strengthens deep-lying tissues, ligaments and bones. It also boosts mental strength and fitness by improving the energy flow within a body.

The poses mainly, although not exclusively, focus on the lower part of the body, which is especially rich in connective tissues.

Typical Yin Yoga poses include: 

• Low lunge pose
• Broken wing pose
• Pigeon pose
• Supported fish pose
• Supported Savasana

With poses held for a few minutes or more, Yin Yoga is an excellent way for beginners to get into yoga.

Yin Yoga is an incredibly versatile form of yoga that has many benefits, both physical and mental.

Physically, Yin Yoga is a fantastic way of strengthening and toning deeper parts of the body, including ligaments & tendons, bones & joints, and the fascia network. (fascia is the biological material that binds the body together)

The flexibility of a body is also greatly improved through regular Yin Yoga sessions. The longer nature of the poses means that this allows beginners and less flexible people to work on improving their flexibility without stressing about quickly having to change their pose.

It also improves and frees up the energy flow, or chi, within us. This can have a beneficial impact on organ health.

Mentally, this same improvement in energy flow helps to fight stress, anxiety, and depression. Yin Yoga can bring an inner peace that restores mental balance.

If you are just starting out on your Yin Yoga journey, then the thought of that first-class journey might seem a little daunting. Don’t worry, this is quite normal, and by the end of the session, any doubts or misapprehensions will have vanished!

Yin Yoga is a passive form of yoga, with fewer poses that are held for longer times. This makes it a perfect form of yoga for beginners looking to reap the huge range of benefits that all forms of yoga bring.

One of the major doubts that people have is whether they are fit or flexible enough for yin yoga. The short answer is yes! Our classes cater for everyone, regardless of their level of fitness.

In fact, because poses are held for as long as five minutes, yin yoga is a perfect stepping stone for those looking to improve their overall health and well-being.