Yin Yoga Pathway

Yin Yoga Pathway

 

 

Yin Yoga allows us to create the freedom of movement in our joints, fascia and thus skeletal system that we once had as children. To do this does take time but the journey and the pathway we take to get there will be well worth it.



Always begin from where you are!

In his Yoga sutras Patanjali describes as asana as having two important qualities, which are “sthira” and “sukha”. Sthira means steadiness and alertness; Sukha means ease and comfort. Both of these should be used in yoga asanas. Always begin from where you are. If you have a stiff back, you have to acknowledge this is your starting point and work with the postures from here. Progress with steadiness, alertness, ease and you will remain in comfort. Your breath is the key link between your inner and outer body. Allow every movement to be led by the breath. Allow the body to surrender it’s tension using the breath and move further into poses during the out breath. 

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Yin and Yang

This Symbol (Yin-Yang) represents the ancient Chinese understanding of how things work. The outer circle represents "everything", while the black and white shapes within the circle represent the interaction of two energies, called "yin" (black) and "yang" (white), which cause everything to happen. They are not completely black or white, just as things in life are not completely black or white, and they cannot exist without each other.

While "yin" would be dark, passive, downward, cold, contracting, and weak, "yang" would be bright, active, upward, hot, expanding, and strong. The shape of the yin and yang sections of the symbol, actually gives you a sense of the continual movement of these two energies, yin to yang and yang to yin, causing everything to happen: just as things expand and contract, and temperature changes from hot to cold.

Begin Yoga From Where You Are

A yogi is an accomplished male student of yoga; a female is called a yogini. Swami is a title for a spiritual master. Guru literally means “one who takes you from the darkness to the light” and is often casually used to denote a teacher or master. A yogi disciple in India is called a Chela. Mantra means mind projection and is a yoga technique of focusing on an external or internal sound to create a personal transformation. Production of the vibration can become in tune with the universal vibration of energy. When your evaluation of self’ changes, when you feel differently about yourself, everything about you changes: your thoughts, feelings, emotions, and every aspect of your behaviour. As we move deeper we change and learn, often in unexpected ways.

Opportunity at the Edge:

The edge is the point in every pose when you are still within your capabilities but are challenging yourself to go just a little bit deeper. An edge is where we come right up against ourselves and what we can do and be, a place of comfortable discomfort - opportunities of transformation. Playing the edge can be a subtle shift – maybe holding a pose for a breath longer, stretching a few degrees more, or even trying a modified version of a pose. Sometimes your edge is learning to do less, to be more patient. Ultimately your intuition knows what you need. We need to listen to our intuition and ignore our ego. When you push the edge of your comfort zone you emerge from the experience with a new level of awareness and confidence. As soon as we breakthrough one edge a new one is created. The bar is ever raised. Here we see that yoga allows for a continuous natural lifelong process of constant growth.

Growth is the most important thing there is!

In order to heal you need to feel!

Don’t try hard try easy! 

May the (life) force be with you!

The ancient yogis were very aware of the universal life energy that all things are made of. They were experts of the use of vital energy that enters on the inhalation and called it prana. The exhalation produced energy which is named as apana. It’s the interplay between the prana and apana that keeps us alive by circulating the vital life force and eliminating the used up energy. What the Indians called Prana the Chinese call Chi! 

Yoga can teach you about the hidden energy centres within the body which according to Eastern Medicine are called Chakras. Chakras are vital to your health and Eastern Medicine recognises seven major chakras (as well as many minor ones) that interact within the body and an eighth chakra that connects all of them. When practicing yoga you recharge and balance your chakras by bringing circulation and prana (chi) to the nerve plexus at each of the chakras. So with yoga you not only improve flexibility and strength but also your energy   and the release of stagnant energy within the body. Yin yoga works with the modern meridian theory developed by Paul Grilley - stretching the fascia works also on the meridians.

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Yoga to grow...

A good Yoga instructor makes you feel good, it’s relaxing, it’s energising, it’s strengthening – you feel better at the end of a session than at the start. The transition will be smooth and easy much of the time (even unnoticed) because it’s so natural, but some of the time it may not be so comfortable – it may be hard and painful – but this is only because growth can hurt when you resist change and most of us prefer to resist change in an attempt to remain comfortable by maintaining the status quo. Yoga is a method by which to obtain control of one’s latent powers. Yoga allows us to turn our thoughts inward, away from the objective world. The real benefits of yoga are from following and learning its fruits to get more out of life in every respect..  

Part of getting older is the change that the body goes through – it tends to stiffen and tighten – we lose suppleness, strength and vitality. But with a yoga instructor you can dramatically reduce the effects of age. You can improve your balance, strength, flexibility and vitality. Yoga can take years off your face and years from your body, and add years to your life. Yoga helps the body’s machine function smoothly, efficiently, at peak performance. It encourages your body to derive every last possible atom of nutritive valve from the food you ingest, to get every second of refreshment and rest from your sleep, to attain regularity, relief from minor aches and pains, the ability to sleep deep and wake feeling alive, the difference from feeling good to feeling terrific.