Tired of running through your days from the moment you wake up to the moment you finally get to lay in your bed late in the evening? Finding it a challenge to nurture your body and let go of any mental, emotional and physical sensations which may be arising within your body? Are you an avid participant in many yang activities such as running, group fitness classes, running after your toddler, and rushing through most of your daily activities? If you answered yes to any of the above then your mind, body and spirit will THANK YOU for taking time out for yin yoga.
Yin yoga incorporates yoga postures held for long periods of time in a relaxed manner that stretches the deep connective tissues within the body. This is unlike many yang forms of yoga (power, ashtanga, etc.) that is muscular movement in nature, bringing forth strength and power. Yin yoga is always practiced with the muscles in a relaxed manner enabling the connective tissue to gradually release stress and tension over time. While practicing yin yoga the student begins to tune into sensations which are arising in the body and to release any thoughts which may be holding you back in each movement. The more one learns to let go physically, emotionally and mentally in a posture the more stress and tension will begin to melt away. Each posture in a yin class is held for approximately 3-5 minutes in length in a very relaxed manner, remembering to always respect your body and moving into each posture only as far as the body wishes to that day. Yin yoga is as much a mental practice as it is physical. Remaining in a posture for 3-5 minutes can be quite challenging for most of us who spend our days moving from one activity to the next. Taking a mental and physical time-out may seem foreign to some, which brings forth fidgeting and movement while relaxing in a yin posture. The mind is then challenged to become still as you let go of any thoughts and relax the body fully into the posture.
I look forward to seeing you at one of our Yin Yoga classes soon. What are you waiting for? Relax, restore and relieve the mind, body and spirit of any tension and stress.
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