21T.E. What is your favorite yin yoga pose?
G.D. I always seem to come back to the dragon pose. I love it because of its
challenge, and I love it because it's a direct gateway into our hips. Our hips are
our largest joint in our body. There are a few different variations we can play
with to access different parts of our hips and hip flexors. But to close the eyes
and to settle in for five minutes and to just watch the phenomena and matrix of
all of these different aspects of ourselves just dancing with each other. I find it
absolutely fascinating to watch the miracle of human life manifest and express
itself and expose itself, all through a hip stretch. [laughter] Just a simple hip
stretch.
T.E. Do you have a least favorite yin pose?
G.D. The one that maybe brings up the most, is the traditional yin-style child's
pose, which is where the knees are together. The feet are together. It's a real
tight and compact child's pose. I find when I'm in that pose, because it's so
tight and compact, I find it very difficult to breathe. When I find it difficult to
breathe, it can bring up a tremendous amount of anxiety and fear. On some
level, it’s a great practice because it forces me to slow down and really connect
with the breath even that much more.
T.E. Do you have any last “yinspiration”?
G.D. There is a quote by Gandhi that relates to yin yoga; it is “In a gentle way,
you can shake the world.” Sometimes less is actually more. The practice of yin
is so still and chill, and it’s not fancy, but it’s so powerful.