What Is Yin Yoga And Why It Helps Your Wellbeing

Yin is a slow paced, quiet and mindful meditative practice, with long held floor poses, supported by the use of props to help reach a deeper release. The practice helps improve flexibility, targeting connective tissue and the more subtle energies, inviting us to explore a little more deeply.

It can be great for recovery, for athletes, for restoring and for people who feel they struggle with flexibility. It is available to beginners and experienced yogis alike. This practice is about restoring balance in our lives, an antidote to the busyness of our yang lifestyles and strong yang practices. Balancing the Yin and Yang of life is essential for our general wellbeing and health. The body heals itself most effectively when it is at rest, and this kind of practice, where we slow down, gives the body a great opportunity to heal.

The Yoga Sutras invite us, in sutra II:46, to find sthira and sukham, a balance between effort and ease, between yin and yang. These days we are so busy that finding the ease can be a challenge. This is where Yin yoga may support you.

Claire Lebek is our Yin yoga specialist having undertaken over 200 hours of training in just this field alone (on top of her 800+ hour yoga teacher training), and as a registered nurse, has a great understanding of the body's systems and how they respond to this type of work.

Here are 5 reasons you should give Yin Yoga a try:

It really helps with flexibility assisting to release the connective tissues of the body
It is meditative
It may help with stress
It can greatly aid the immune system, helping the body to heal
It can bring calm and balance to all layers of the body - physically, emotionally, mentally

So come along and have a go, use one of your make up classes. It is way better that a Friday night beer!

With Love.