What is Yin/Yang Yoga?
Monday, June 25, 2012
Nancy Gross

An Innovative Synthesis of Traditional Yoga, Meditation & Eastern Approaches to Healing!

The two inspiring motivations to practice yoga regularly are-

    •    To daily draw your attention inward to learn how to live in our bodies in a wholesome way developing an attitude of consciousness and kindness within us. Patterns of neglect and self-abuse manifest in habitual ways.
    •    To daily practice inward-drawn attention accelerates our ability to help, heal and naturally love others, freeing us from our tensions and reactive habits that deplete out vitality.

 

Yin Yoga activity is slow, steady with a sense of core softness and surrender. Yang activity is mobile, builds to an apex before calming down and maintains a core strength that requires appropriate effort. The main difference between these styles of engagement is a matter of degree and more about how we practice determines whether we target the yin or yang tissues more directly or indirectly.

 

Three main principles of Yin postures are-

    •    Slowly and mindfully entering the pose using the breath to stimulate the flow of chi(energy) and remain highly focused on the sensations promoted by the pose.
    •    Help nourish the joints by remaining still and allow gravity to have us.
    •    The lengthy posture steadiness allows one to develop yin qualities of surrender, similar to a long acupuncture session. This allows the full nourishment of the meridians.


The focus the length, depth and direction of the breath activates the flow of prana (the body’s life force) throughout the body.  The practice of Yin Yoga allows one to understand the physical, energetic, emotional and mental qualities of the poses on the  six yin/yang pairs or organs.


Yang Yoga is the active dynamic practice that keeps the body’s functionality and mobilizes the energy body to refresh the body’s vibrancy and maintain health. The combination of Yin/Yang yoga allow for setting up inner alignment, creating the foundation for outer or postural alignment.

Article originally appeared on ziawellness (http://www.ziawellness.com/).
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