For both beginning and experienced yogis alike, attending a yin yoga class can feel like a foreign experience: seemingly familiar poses have different names, you stay in a pose for what can seem like an eternity compared to a fast-flow class, you are encouraged to “find your edge” but still use props for support, you can feel new sensations in your body, and unearth emotions you weren’t necessarily trying to dig up.

And yet, despite that potential initial experience, I am here to tell you yin is the transformational yoga style you have been looking for. Yin yoga is its own unique experience where we aim to safely stress and stretch our connective tissues in a meditative practice that will leave us feeling more flexible in mind and body!

Lets break down the basics, shall we?

When students are new to yin yoga, I try to summarize this style into three key elements:

1. “Finding your edge.”

2. Stillness.

3. Time.

Finding your edge is always an important practice of yoga, both on and off the mat. This can also be described as “finding the point where you are challenged and putting forth effort, while still staying safe, balanced, and in control”.

Within the spectrum of yin yoga, we become intimately aware of our edge throughout our internal journey in each pose… when you tune into your body, are you fidgeting? Breathing hard and uneven? Desperate to get out of the pose? Conversely, are you experiencing any sensation, or could you fall asleep right then and there? What do you feel when you take a step back or take a step deeper? How does the sensation change when you add or take away a prop? What about changing your angle in the pose, or releasing a limb out to find your own comfortable variation of the pose? The ideal place to be is where you are feeling a stretch, but avoiding sensations of burning, stinging, stabbing, tingling/electrical, or anything else that makes you go “ugh!”. Ask yourself: where does your body want to go, and where does it naturally want to stop?

Yin is uniquely different than other yang forms of yoga in that we are targeting the connective tissue and not the muscles. Therefore, once we find this point of sensation, or our “edge”, we remain still. Sarah Owen, one of the leading yin yoga teachers in Australia, says “The more internalized tissues are best nourished when the muscles are not engaged but instead kept relaxed, and when the poses are held for longer periods.” One of these internalized tissues shes referring to is the fascia, which can be described as “a silvery-white material, flexible and sturdy in equal measure–a substance that surrounds and penetrates every muscle, coats every bond, covers every organ, and envelops every nerve.” (source) Fascia needs at least 90-120 seconds of sustained pressure to change and stretch, so by relaxing into stillness in each pose, we are giving ourselves the opportunity to dive deeper and deeper into our connective tissues, safely and slowly.

With many modern yoga classes aimed at “Beginner Flow”, “Power Flow”, or “Booty-Shaping-Yoga-Sweat-
Intensive” (okay, I made that last one up) where you are constantly flowing through a series of poses, its surprising to people who come to a yin class and find we stay in each pose for anywhere from an average of 1-10 minutes. Typically in my classes, I aim for a minimum of 3 or 4 minutes and a maximum of 8 minutes (with the exception of savasana), and give a cue halfway through to allow for adjustments and then time to settle back in. While this ideally gives us at least 90-120 seconds within each pose once we are properly propped and settled to target our fascia, hopefully more, this also allows us to experience a mini meditation within each pose as well. As we explore our relationship to our edge, how to do we explore our relationship with stillness? We are constantly moving our bodies and minds onto the next thing we need to tackle each day, so yin allows us not only a chance to tune into our body throughout the practice, but also our current inner mental and emotional self. What can we find when we stop rushing and just be?

I encourage you to track down a trained yin-yoga teacher in your area to fully experience this yoga style for yourself, along with picking up The Complete Guide to Yin Yoga by Bernie Clark, a fantastic book that gives a great introduction to yin. Yin is great for those looking to try something new, those looking for something to complement their active yang practice or sports activities, gosh it’s just great for almost everyone, so get to it!

For my Bozeman locals, I am currently teaching a Restorative Yin class on Sunday nights from 5:30pm - 6:45pm at YogaMotion Academy over on the north end of town. Drop-ins are welcome, and I’d love for you to join us!

Now, this is just a very-brief introduction to the wild-world of yin yoga, so stay tuned for more posts where we dive in further! Anything in particular your curious or confused about? Comment below!

“The real payoff of a yoga practice, I came to see, is not a perfect handstand or a deeper forward bend—it is the newly born self that each day steps off the yoga mat and back into life.” 

Rolf Gates

Last fall, I began attending a small weekly yoga class, run by a wonderfully kind and experienced yogini who converted her home into a working yoga studio. After about an hour long class (which ranges from yin to ashtanga style, and always includes laughter and helpful assistance), we settle in for savasana. Once our instructor Chris ensures that we are all comfortable and relaxed (she provides all props, including cozy blankets and hot massage rocks to lay on for sore muscles), she typically reads us an excerpt from an article or book. While completely surrendered in savasana, I felt the words met no resistance and poured directly into my soul. By what I am convinced is some sort of yogini mind-reading magic, she would somehow choose passages that spoke directly to my current situations. I recall one day that the passage was so timely and encouraged me to release my fear, and I found myself needing a few moments extra to wipe away a few tears as well. On the days that I was particularly moved, I would ask where the passage came from. Her answer: Meditations from the Mat.

Meditations from the Mat is a book by Rolf Gates, and I recommend it to anyone with even the slightest interest in yoga. Divided into 365 passages for daily reading, each chapter studies all of the aspects of the 8 limbs of yoga in a very approachable manner, with tips and insights along the way.

I like to have it close to my yoga mat each day, so that once I finish savasana, I can sit with my tea and read a passage. Here is a quote I came across today that I absolutely love:

“Love is not a thought, it is an action. And each loving action that we take infuses us with more energy for loving action in the future.” 

Do you have a favorite yoga book right now? 

"I honor the place in your where the entire universe resides... a place of light, of love, of truth, of peace, of wisdom. I honor the place in you where when you are in that place and I am in that place there is only one of us."

Mohandas K. Gandhi

If you've been to a yoga class (or probably even if you haven't), you've heard the term: "Namaste."

What does it mean?

In Sanskrit, the word ‘namah' means bow, ‘as’ means I, and ‘te’ means you, translating into “I bow to you.” Due to a varying language translations, there are many additional interpretations, but every translation contains the same essential intention:

The Divine light in me honors the Divine light in you.

Used by Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Sikhs, and other religions, it is commonly said with a slight bow and hands in prayer position either at the heart or raised to the forehead. It can be a greeting or a closing, or simply a way to acknowledge someone's blessed spirit.

So namaste, my beautiful friends, and may the light, love, beauty, power, gratitude, spirit, and strength in me honor that within you.

"Sun salutations can energize and warm you, even on the darkest, coldest winter day."

Carol Krucoff

Known in Sanskrit as Surya Namaskara, sun salutations are a common core set of yoga asanas that are great way to warm up your body, stretch it out, and give it a little work out before your day. Additionally, many yogis like to begin their longer yoga practice with sun salutations as well. I have found that even on especially sleepy morning, my initial morning sun salutes quickly help me awaken and center, so I often like to prolong my time on the mat and transition into a more in-depth practice.

Sun salutations are a great way to honor the brilliant sun, the earth, and the life that they forms, so this practice is a time to be mindful and radiate gratitude. During my most recent trip to the coast, I was so overwhelmed with gratitude for Mother Earth that I found it necessary to "stop, drop, and yoga"!

The following video illustrates my current favorite sun salutation variation. Given the loose sand, my practice is a little faster and less exact than usual (thus the slipping and sliding). However, when you are given the opportunity to stick your toes in the sand and connect with the natural world around you, you take it! Remember: it is a yoga practice, not a yoga perfect!

Note: Basic sun salutes do not include all of the asanas I have incorporated in this practice, such as three-legged downward dog, warrior 1+2, or triangle pose. I currently am working on a post that will give a breakdown of a common sun salutation, so stay tuned!

This was such a lovely experience, because what better way to remind yourself to maintain your "ocean yoga breath" than listening to the waves beside you?!

PS: If you look closely, you can see the dingo exploring the beach in the background!

Do you do daily sun salutations? Do you have a favorite variation?

For thousands of years, yogis have believed in the power of breath. To this day, yoga instructors even go as far as to say that if you lose track of your breathing during your yoga practice, you basically void the benefits of your asanas. Long story short: breathing is a crucial part of yoga!

Pranayama, or yoga breathing, makes you more connected to your breath. Although it is important to practice during your yoga practice, it can be beneficial to practice before meditation, right before you go to bed, right before you wake up, or when you just need to recharge. I have found that returning to my yoga breath can really help when I am stressed and need to reset my brain, like when I am hanging off of a mountain on a hard rock climbing route.

A technique that I love and have been using everyday is alternate nostril breathing (also known as Anulom Vilom). It is a great beginning pranayama practice, and can be done by everybody!

Alternate nostril breathing can be an extremely therapeutic and calming ritual. It cleanses your lungs and your mind, calms your emotions and your nervous system, encourages the flow of prana (energy), and can relax a restless brain and body. Doesn't that sound wonderful? Lets get to it!

Begin by getting into a comfortable seated position on your yoga mat. Sit up straight, with your neck, back, and tailbone stacked. Using your right hand, place your pointer and middle finger on your third eye (in the middle of your forehead just above your eyebrows). Take a few relaxed breaths until you feel centered and ready to begin.

Using your thumb, close off your right nostril. Slowly breathe in through your left nostril for a count of four. Hold breathe for a count of four.

Close off left nostril with your ring finger, and release your right nostril. Slowly breathe out for a count of four. Inhale though the right nostril for a count of four. Hold for four, then release through your left side as before. Repeat a few rounds of this alternate breathing and feel how your body responds to this gentle and nourishing practice.

Remember:
Never be forceful with your pranayama practice. If holding four counts is too much, try shorter increments until you can work your way up to it.
Health conditions, such as high blood pressure, might mean that you shouldn't participate or hold your breath. (Translation: Talk to your doctor.)
If possible, try to practice on an empty stomach or if has been a few hours since eating.

Do you practice pranayama? How do you use yoga breathing techniques in your everyday life?