Day 12: The relaxing Yin
Date : October 12th, Saturday
Day : 12
Desperately needed this class this weekend. Went out with a couple of friends last night and realized that my clock starts telling me it's time to sleep at 11 PM automatically irrespective of whether it a weekday or weekend. After a few drinks and random snacks, we went to a friend's place for a few more drinks and then I called it a night at 1 pm finally and called for a taxi home.
I had booked for the 11 AM Yin class at Orchard and Anton was taking it. I think it's usually Deb's class, but Deb is on leave. I woke up in the morning, just in time to read the news, make myself a cup of tea and get dressed in my yoga clothes and head out. The streets next to my apartment are always crowded on Saturday and Sundays because of the Church next door. And I must admit, it gets on my nerves sometimes, especially when I am running late for the class and trying to navigate a huge crowd. Anyway, I reached the class just in time and picked a mat.
Now, let me tell you about Yin. It is a completely different class in thought and practice. The idea is to relax your muscles and not work them like you do usually in yoga asanas. It helps you loosen the muscles and stretch out the connective tissues to increase flexibility and circulation in the joints. Each asana is held for a period of 3-5 mins. It is also a form of prolonged meditation and has been practiced in ancient Hatha yoga as well. But as with every other form of yoga, it was popularized in the West before spreading out to the rest of the world.
Stretching of this type has been practiced in China for a long time and is called Dao Yin.
Yin yoga is based on the Taoist principles of Yin and Yang, opposite and complementary principles in nature. According to Wikipedia, Yin can be categorized as the more stable, immobile, passive, feminine, cold and downward moving. Yang is known to be mobile, changing, active, masculine, hot and upward moving.
The sun is considered the Yang and the moon, the Yin.
In the body, the relatively stiff connective tissues are Yin, while the more mobile and pliable muscles, and blood is yang. More passive asanas in Yoga are called Yin and the more active and dynamic asanas are called Yang, because they generate heat and stimulate muscles.
The Yin classes in Hom are non-hot and are the only classes that have music in them. The teachers speak very softly and as little as possible and the entire feel is very meditative. The poses are similar to what we already do in the regular hatha class, but sometimes have different names. Of course you have to hold them longer and make sure that you find a comfortable position to stay in. You don't want to be in pain for 5 minutes!! It might sounds like a very short period of time, but when you are in an incorrectly aligned pose, 5 minutes can be a very loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong. The idea is to close your eyes, and be as still as possible and also release with care. The whole class is beautiful and leaves with with a very restful feeling, almost like your body, mind and soul are waking up from a very relaxing and deep sleep. The class today was focused on the back and spine and twists. And I was so so so completely relaxed that I didn't feel like getting up from my savasana :)
I love a Yin class. But I think it is more effective after you have done a hot or yang focused class prior to the Yin session. You can actually feel your tight and tense muscles relaxing and opening up in Yin. But I wanted my Saturday and Sunday to be relaxed and usually only do the Yin on these days. And of course, I had to get home to cook for a potluck dinner with friends tonight!
Can't wait for my Yin class tomorrow. Also by Anton.
Namaste
Day : 12
Desperately needed this class this weekend. Went out with a couple of friends last night and realized that my clock starts telling me it's time to sleep at 11 PM automatically irrespective of whether it a weekday or weekend. After a few drinks and random snacks, we went to a friend's place for a few more drinks and then I called it a night at 1 pm finally and called for a taxi home.
I had booked for the 11 AM Yin class at Orchard and Anton was taking it. I think it's usually Deb's class, but Deb is on leave. I woke up in the morning, just in time to read the news, make myself a cup of tea and get dressed in my yoga clothes and head out. The streets next to my apartment are always crowded on Saturday and Sundays because of the Church next door. And I must admit, it gets on my nerves sometimes, especially when I am running late for the class and trying to navigate a huge crowd. Anyway, I reached the class just in time and picked a mat.
Now, let me tell you about Yin. It is a completely different class in thought and practice. The idea is to relax your muscles and not work them like you do usually in yoga asanas. It helps you loosen the muscles and stretch out the connective tissues to increase flexibility and circulation in the joints. Each asana is held for a period of 3-5 mins. It is also a form of prolonged meditation and has been practiced in ancient Hatha yoga as well. But as with every other form of yoga, it was popularized in the West before spreading out to the rest of the world.
Stretching of this type has been practiced in China for a long time and is called Dao Yin.
Yin yoga is based on the Taoist principles of Yin and Yang, opposite and complementary principles in nature. According to Wikipedia, Yin can be categorized as the more stable, immobile, passive, feminine, cold and downward moving. Yang is known to be mobile, changing, active, masculine, hot and upward moving.
The sun is considered the Yang and the moon, the Yin.
In the body, the relatively stiff connective tissues are Yin, while the more mobile and pliable muscles, and blood is yang. More passive asanas in Yoga are called Yin and the more active and dynamic asanas are called Yang, because they generate heat and stimulate muscles.
The Yin classes in Hom are non-hot and are the only classes that have music in them. The teachers speak very softly and as little as possible and the entire feel is very meditative. The poses are similar to what we already do in the regular hatha class, but sometimes have different names. Of course you have to hold them longer and make sure that you find a comfortable position to stay in. You don't want to be in pain for 5 minutes!! It might sounds like a very short period of time, but when you are in an incorrectly aligned pose, 5 minutes can be a very loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong. The idea is to close your eyes, and be as still as possible and also release with care. The whole class is beautiful and leaves with with a very restful feeling, almost like your body, mind and soul are waking up from a very relaxing and deep sleep. The class today was focused on the back and spine and twists. And I was so so so completely relaxed that I didn't feel like getting up from my savasana :)
I love a Yin class. But I think it is more effective after you have done a hot or yang focused class prior to the Yin session. You can actually feel your tight and tense muscles relaxing and opening up in Yin. But I wanted my Saturday and Sunday to be relaxed and usually only do the Yin on these days. And of course, I had to get home to cook for a potluck dinner with friends tonight!
Can't wait for my Yin class tomorrow. Also by Anton.
Namaste
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