Yin Yoga. Have you tried it?
For me, as my body is still dealing with continual inflammation I’ve been pushed to ban my self from my beloved hot yoga practice. The heat and dynamic motion required of the practice activated flares. Long walks or short elliptical workouts produced the same. So here I am- chair bound & discontented. I’ve always been active. A child of the 70’s I spent my days outside; pushed out to play and called in by whistle at dinner. My first career of retail had me on my feet for 8+ hours each day. Climbing ladders and hauling armfuls of clothing was my 5 day/week workout. And I still worked out independently.
Times have changed. I sit all day in front of two screens. For this I am mostly thankful due to the physical issues I’ve had in recent years. But it’s time for me to move my body. My soul needs it. My body will benefit.
This had me returning to my bookshelves in search of gentle movement. And I rediscovered the bittersweet practice of Yin Yoga.
The focus of Yin Yoga is to work the deep tissues- ligaments and the fascial networks (fascia being the thin fibrous tissue that contains a muscle or organ). It is a practice that draws in those who are looking for stress reduction. But there are side benefits and challenges. Metaphysically understood, emotions are easily trapped within our joints, & fascia and Yin Yoga begins to excise them. What does this mean? Your body holds your emotions…. essentially your history. And if toxic, these emotions can aid and abet illness. This being said, when you practice Yin yoga and have that emotion rise to exit, you feel what is trapped as it does. This can happen in a standard yoga posture as well. I’ve had it happen several times over that I was in a posture and felt an emotion rise unexpectedly. But with a Yin practice this can become more common and as you hold postures for upwards of 20 minutes (sometimes more) you have the time to really process what arises.
Ever wonder how young children can experience deep upset and let it pass when adults hold on to it as if it were an exclusive prize? Flexible fascia. They have it- we adults generally do not. And sure I have a fascia blaster tool and it can help..but nothing will excise emotions like Yin Yoga.
This emotion was the reason I put the book on the shelf some years past. The emotions were intimidating. But now I wonder if these emotions are what is holding the inflammation. And how many are thoughts of my own making, untrue as they might be but held as truth within. I’m all for affirmations but you have to feel the words for your body to learn to believe them. And I feel that my body has learned to believe the words I wish it hadn’t. So back to Yin.
I’ve only attempted a couple postures and each time I prayed for time to be up. And to be frank I reversed out of the posture mere moments after entering. And I avoided further attempt. Not only is there physical discomfort (as it can be in any “workout”) but my gut- solar plexus really, had waves of something pulse through it. Almost emotion…. almost butterflies…. all most unsettling.
But I am committed. Emotional discomfort or not. Physical discomfort or not. It might be only one posture each week and maybe only a time or two but my body needs to release what is trapped so it can heal.
If you are stuck somehow in emotion, dis-ease….life, you might also do well to look into what Yin Yoga might help you heal through.
Inner Calm 