Bikram Yoga Schottenring
Yin Yoga
Yin Yoga
What is Yin Yoga?
While "Yang" yoga focuses on your muscles, Yin Yoga targets your deep connective tissue, such as your fascia, ligaments and joints. It is slower and more meditative, giving you space to turn inward and tune in to both your mind and the physical sensations of your body. That's because you hold the poses longer than in other traditional styles of yoga.
Yin Yoga helps you to stretch and lengthen the rarely used tissues while at the same time teaching you how to breathe through discomfort and stay at peace with your thoughts. A Yin practitioner seeks to access the deeper tissues, and many of the postures focus on areas that encompass a joint (such as the hips, the sacrum and the spine, to name just a few).
How do you practise?
Since Yin Yoga is practised in an unheated room, you can do it anywhere and at any time. The key is to hold each pose for a longer period, usually two to five minutes (or even longer!). As for the poses themselves, many Yin Yoga poses are seated or lying poses, as they require the muscles to be fully relaxed. Think of the butterfly pose, the seated forward bend or the frog pose.
What are the health benefits?
Yes, there are many physical health benefits to practising Yin Yoga, but also many mental ones. Below are some of the most popular, from stretching the connective tissue to reducing stress and anxiety.
Lengthens the connective tissue
Picture your fascia like shrink wrap around your muscles and bones. When this connective tissue isn't used enough, it becomes less elastic, which can lead to pain and stiffness. "When you gently stretch the connective tissue by holding a Yin pose for a longer time, the body responds by making it a little longer and stronger – and that's exactly what you want."
Increases flexibility
Elastic fascia and mobile joints lead to better flexibility, which is one of the main benefits of a regular Yin Yoga practice. Since fascia needs to be stretched for at least 120 seconds to actually affect its elasticity, Yin – thanks to its long holding phases – is one of the most effective ways to improve flexibility and release tension in tight areas.
Improves circulation
By breathing in each pose and specifically working your deeper tissues and ligaments, you bring more oxygen into your body and your muscles. This helps to boost circulation.
Reduces stress
The calm you feel after a Yin class is very real – studies have shown that Yin Yoga has a significant impact on reducing stress. It activates your parasympathetic system, which calms your body and slows your heart rate (in contrast to the autonomic nervous system, which triggers your fight-or-flight response).