Slow and gentle with yin yoga

YIN YOGA is gentle and slow but very effective at reducing stress and driving up energy levels. Invented about 20 years ago, it is not concerned about the aesthetics of a pose, muscular strength or perfect alignment.

It enables us to slow down and accept the feelings which appear in the present moment, without setting any objectives.

At the crossroads between Chinese medicine, the slow approach of Taoism and the poses of Indian yoga, it is a meditative activity with a focus on deep breathing.

Unlike the other more energetic forms of yoga, the poses, which must be held on the floor between three and five minutes, require concentration and relaxation.

The stretches are intense, reaching deep below the surface of the skin in connecting tissue, tendons, ligaments and joints, where there may be long-standing tension.

Once this tension has been released, energy can circulate freely in the body.

Yin yoga counterbalances our fast-paced lifestyles, targeting our inner being. Typical yin yoga poses include the butterfly, the dragonfly, the child, the half-shoelace, the shoelace, the plow, the bell, the sphinx, the seal, the dragon and the camel.

While yoga in general is known to be good for health, yin yoga is particularly good for managing stress, improving sleep, and stretching the back and the whole body.

On the energy front, the opening and stretching poses revitalise the organs by following traditional Chinese medicine’s meridians. Immunity is then strengthened.

Working on the liver and gall bladder meridians can also help with a detox. – AFPRelaxnews