Thursday, October 8, 2015

A Quiet Practice- Reasons to love Yin Yoga


The practice of Yin yoga gives you the time to really feel every part of the body that we are using, it gives us time to feel both physically and then emotionally as we are holding postures for a longer period time we can move on from all the physical sensations and start to work on a deeper level.  In a Yin practice we try to relax within the asana’s instead of a concentration on engagement or contraction and lengthening of the muscles we relax them, this then gives the prana; the vital life force a chance to move freely around our system and go right into the bone structure as well as tendons, ligaments and muscles.  We work on a deep cellular level where the cells themselves are breathing, turning the breath inwards as well as working with external breath through the lungs.  And then there is time to begin to forget the body and watch the mind, observing the thoughts coming into the mind, which lead onto another thought.  It gives us the opportunity to really slow down and be with ourselves and maybe work through a few issues we may be facing.  Actually practicing in a yin way was how yoga was always intended to be practiced: slowly so as to feel every part of our existence and giving us an opportunity to really know ourselves our needs and the areas of our lives that we maybe need to work on or simply accept and move forward.  However it is challenging, being still is not easy when we are used to running here running there, the mind here the mind there.   But when I am in a Yin pose and am simply breathing it really gives me the time to tune into my breath and allow that breath to carry me to another place, my mind slows down, and I can really feel things beginning to open within myself both physically and mentally and I always feel really wonderful after the practice, refreshed and ready for the rest of the day.  The Yin way to practice offers so much more than simply stretching, it gives us a chance to become still, to evoke patience, silence, gratitude and bring back balance and harmony to our whole system. It can bring us back to simplicity and bring us out of the fast paced world that actually everybody is desperately needing whether they know it or not.  When illness comes no matter to what degree it is because our prana is out of balance, our energy is out of balance and a slow practice allows that energy or life force to re-align itself or work towards that.  And as we give ourselves this chance to slow down to observe ourselves we might just find that we become less reactive and bothered by the things that normally bother us what could be better than that!  I love to slow myself down in a meditative practice, feel throughout my whole self and begin to feel complete again hmmmmm yes a yin practice is a delicious one so let us enjoy it!!
Wishing you all very beautiful days of self-discovery mindful over all our actions and enjoy every breath.
In stillness man and nature can become one.
Om shanti Om
Wishing balance and harmony to all living entities
Mangala / Nicky

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