Yin Yoga Basic Information
History of Yin Yoga
Yin yoga is a slow-paced style of yoga with postures, or asanas, that are held for longer periods of time—for beginners, it may range from 45 seconds to two minutes; more advanced practitioners may stay in one asana for five minutes or more. Its teaching in the Western world, beginning in the late 1970s, was founded by martial arts expert and Taoist yoga teacher Paulie Zink.
Yin yoga is now being taught across North America and in Europe, due in large part to the teaching activities of Yin yoga teachers and developers Paul Grilley and Sarah Powers. Yin yoga as taught by Paul Grilley and Sarah Powers is not intended as a complete practice in itself, but rather as a complement to more active forms of yoga and exercise.
"Yin yoga is an art form not an exact science. The purpose of yin yoga is to take us out of the systems of social convention, indoctrination, and mechanistic ways of thinking, not to reinforce them by demanding conformity to rigid, limited paradigms. The practice of yin yoga poses does not require scientific approval or validation. Intellectualizing the practice of yin yoga serves to obstruct a deeper understanding of its essence. The real power to authorize truth is contained within each and every one of us."
Master Paulie Zink~ the founder of yin yoga.
The art of yin yoga draws upon the doctrine of the five elements of Earth, Metal, Water, Wood, and Fire, and the principle of yin and yang used in Chinese medicine and acupuncture. Yin and yang are the polarities of a whole, the complimentary opposites of dark and light, cold and hot, soft and hard, female and male that allow all things to come into being.
They are the two sides of a coin. One cannot exist without the other. Yin and yang is the vibration of the universe, the
energy that informs all life.
Yin yoga is now being taught across North America and in Europe, due in large part to the teaching activities of Yin yoga teachers and developers Paul Grilley and Sarah Powers. Yin yoga as taught by Paul Grilley and Sarah Powers is not intended as a complete practice in itself, but rather as a complement to more active forms of yoga and exercise.
"Yin yoga is an art form not an exact science. The purpose of yin yoga is to take us out of the systems of social convention, indoctrination, and mechanistic ways of thinking, not to reinforce them by demanding conformity to rigid, limited paradigms. The practice of yin yoga poses does not require scientific approval or validation. Intellectualizing the practice of yin yoga serves to obstruct a deeper understanding of its essence. The real power to authorize truth is contained within each and every one of us."
Master Paulie Zink~ the founder of yin yoga.
The art of yin yoga draws upon the doctrine of the five elements of Earth, Metal, Water, Wood, and Fire, and the principle of yin and yang used in Chinese medicine and acupuncture. Yin and yang are the polarities of a whole, the complimentary opposites of dark and light, cold and hot, soft and hard, female and male that allow all things to come into being.
They are the two sides of a coin. One cannot exist without the other. Yin and yang is the vibration of the universe, the
energy that informs all life.
Key Characteristics of Yin Yoga:
🧘♀️ Long-held postures
Benefits:
🧘♀️ Long-held postures
- Poses are typically held for 3 to 5 minutes or more.
- This allows gravity and time to gently stress the deeper tissues to stimulate regeneration and increase flexibility.
- Yin Yoga encourages mental stillness and a turning inward.
- It cultivates mindfulness, patience, and awareness of sensation.
- The poses are believed to stimulate the meridians (energy channels), helping balance the body's energy flow, similar to acupuncture theory.
- Most poses are done on the floor and are not muscularly demanding.
- The intention is to relax the muscles and allow deeper structures to be gently stretched or compressed.
Benefits:
- Increases joint mobility and flexibility
- Supports emotional release and mental clarity
- Balances an active (yang) lifestyle
- Enhances circulation in the joints and fascia
- Supports a calm nervous system (parasympathetic activation)
Yin Yoga Key Poses
Historically most of the yin yoga poses comes from Hatha Yoga. For that reason, in the following list, I have also added those traditional sanskrit yoga asana names:
Anahatasana (aka Melting Heart) - Shishankasana (hare pose)
Ankle Stretch - Vajrasana with its variation (thunderbolt)
Bananasana - Kadaliasana
Butterfly - Titaliasana
Half butterfly - Ardha titaliasana
Camel - Ushtrasana
Cat pulling its Tail
Caterpillar - Pachimottanasana
Child's Pose - Shishuhasana
Dangling - Padahastasana
Deer - Veerasana & its variations including spinal twists
Dragons - Ashwa sanchalasana
Frog - Bekhasana & its variations
Happy Baby- Balasana & its variations
Reclining Twists - Supta Udarkrashanasana, Shava Udarkrashanasana, Jathar parivaratanasana
Saddle - Ardh Supta Vajrasana & its variations
Shavasana - same in hatha yoga
Shoelace - Gomukhasana & its variations
Snail - Halasana (Plough)
Sphinx and Seal - Bhujangasana & its variations
Square - Sukhasana & its variations
Squat- Pranamasana
Straddle (aka Dragonfly) - Upavista konasana
Swan & Sleeping Swan - Eka Pada Rajakapotasana sequence
Toe Squat - Utkatasana (Chair pose) & its variations
Anahatasana (aka Melting Heart) - Shishankasana (hare pose)
Ankle Stretch - Vajrasana with its variation (thunderbolt)
Bananasana - Kadaliasana
Butterfly - Titaliasana
Half butterfly - Ardha titaliasana
Camel - Ushtrasana
Cat pulling its Tail
Caterpillar - Pachimottanasana
Child's Pose - Shishuhasana
Dangling - Padahastasana
Deer - Veerasana & its variations including spinal twists
Dragons - Ashwa sanchalasana
Frog - Bekhasana & its variations
Happy Baby- Balasana & its variations
Reclining Twists - Supta Udarkrashanasana, Shava Udarkrashanasana, Jathar parivaratanasana
Saddle - Ardh Supta Vajrasana & its variations
Shavasana - same in hatha yoga
Shoelace - Gomukhasana & its variations
Snail - Halasana (Plough)
Sphinx and Seal - Bhujangasana & its variations
Square - Sukhasana & its variations
Squat- Pranamasana
Straddle (aka Dragonfly) - Upavista konasana
Swan & Sleeping Swan - Eka Pada Rajakapotasana sequence
Toe Squat - Utkatasana (Chair pose) & its variations