For me, the key benefit of Yin yoga is allowing our bodies to rest and relax. As crazy as it sounds, a lot of the time we get out of the habit and just forget how to actually let go and allow our bodies the chance to rest and repair.
Having a strong yin practice builds so much resilience, both physically and emotionally. If you're interested in some of the more detailed benefits, I've listed some here for you to explore:
Increasing Flexibility:
Holding poses for extended periods helps lengthen and stretch connective tissues, enhancing overall flexibility, especially in the legs, hips and spine.
Soothing and Improving Joint Mobility:
By gently stressing the joints on a regular basis, yin poses help to maintain and improve each joint's range of motion. Overall, a lot of stiffness and join pain can be relieved through the deep stretches we do in yin.
Helping Adapt Posture:
Regular yin practice can help bring awareness to posture imbalances, as well as allowing you the space and time to work on them. For me, my rounded shoulders and 'closed heart' position has been hugely helped by poses like reclined butterfly and saddle, so I always add these into my practice. A lot of poor posture is caused by tension in the fascia and connective tissues, so yin is a dedicated time to release them off...
Reducing Stress and Lowering Heart Rate
The meditative aspect of yin with its deep, slow breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system. This tells your body that it's time to 'rest and digest' - it's safe to slow down and relax. My heart rate always drops in a yin class, and it's such a cliche phrase but I feel like I can literally feel the tension and stress melting away with every exhale.
Cultivating Resilience
As I mentioned in my 'what is yin yoga' post, a lot of this practice is about mental and emotional resilience as well as physical challenge. We are not conditioned to sit and embrace discomfort in our society. A lot of the time, the default is to get up and run (fight or flight). Yin can be a safe way to build capacity for challenge - finding and honouring your own edges and limitations.
Improving Sleep:
Lots of people find that after a yin practice, their sleep is so much better quality and they feel incredibly rested the next morning. A lot of this is to do with the way that yin yoga lets our nervous system wind down, setting us up for the process of growth and repair that happens whilst we are asleep. I especially like to do yin in the evening as it soothes me into the ideal headspace for sleeping.
These are just a few of the 'highlight' benefits of yin, but there are so many intricacies I could go into. People have been practicing yin yoga style movements (in some form) for thousands of years and reaping the benefits. We are only just catching up and learning how to 'validate' the practice with Western science.
I'd love to hear your stories of how yin has helped you, both emotionally and physically. Send me a message or email hello@strengthinfeathers.com