Yin, Yoga for Lazy Days

What is Yin Yoga? I’d say it is the easiest way to enjoy the benefits of yoga and exercise without sweating and exerting yourself! I found yin yoga.. well, developed deeper understanding of yin though teacher training with Dhugal Meecham online during the pandemic.. a time when we couldn’t get that in-person contact that we’d like when doing a yoga class.

And it was a gift. I actually embark on all of the trainings, jumping head-first after at least a decade of practicing different styles - first into Kundalini, then Hatha, then Yin. What our body craves for, changes over time - it fluctuations on your hormonal cycle, age, and energy level.. even your mood. Personally, I'm experiencing a need to SLOW down in order to FEEL more. And that is not an easy task, but a continual process.

When our minds are so busy with work, family, and the every day demands from technology and societal pressures to be a certain way.. yin became my way of relaxing. Don’t get me wrong, it can be really challenging too! That’s what I like about the approach I learned - that it is less about perfecting a pose (which won’t happen anyways since we all have different bone structure, makeup and abilities), and more about BEING with what we are and what we have. Our bodies are amazing, and have an incredible ability to heal ourselves.. if we just slow down enough and LISTEN to what it actually NEEDS.

My ego in the past was more consumed with learning the ‘fancy’ stuff, which looks great on Insta but not achievable or accessible to the average person. Things like hand balances and inversions are still something I’d love to do well and are as much of a mental challenge as a physical one. So what I love is the acknowledgement that we need to find our BALANCE of yin and yang. Yang are the things that feel like exercise - it is associated with doing, with heat, with striving, linked to the element of FIRE. It is our more extraverted and masculine side that society and modern life encourages. Yin, on the other hand is associated with yielding, with coolness, with going with the flow, linked to the element of WATER. Through practicing more Yin we nurture our reflective, introverted and feminine side. And of course this changes, and we need both. You’ll notice a tendency or preference for one, and sometimes that means you need more of the other. What do you need to cultivate more of in your life?

There’s no right way, just your way. In my sessions, I offer you the opportunity to experience both yang (e.g. Qigong, Kundalini, Hatha) and yin (yin yoga, breathing and meditative) practices. I show you different ways to reset your nervous system and support your mental and emotional health through these somatic (body -based) practices. Cultivate a fun, curious side to your relationship with your Self.. which is more beautiful and Infinite than you know.

Lastly, we relax. We relax in the poses of course (that is the aim to let go of ‘holding’ and tension both mentally and physically WHILE we are in the poses, which might seem like a paradox). But many people may skip or graze over the savasana - or fall asleep! But this ‘corpse pose’ is essential. In fact, it is actually meant for ‘practicing death’. In death you realise everything. You have renewed perspective. You stop focusing on things that don’t really matter. Or it can just be time to integrate, to heal, to recover or if you fall asleep it means this is what your body needs. I hope we cross paths and I can share more and be part of your journey.

Namaskar

Lokeshvarii