yin yoga yin yoga
Space for stillness
Seldom in today’s busy-ness do we find the time and space to go
inward and explore our innermost thoughts, feelings, emotions, and
sensations, gradually stripping these away, breath-by-breath into the
unknown, mysterious realms of the spirit, while offering the space for
‘silence, stillness and solitude’ which the late spiritual luminary and
author John O’Donohue prescribes as essential for the inner work of
the spirit, soul, or ‘atman’.
“To create a space for all our words, drawing us to listen inward
and outward. We seldom notice how each day is a holy place where
the eucharist of the ordinary happens, transforming our broken
fragments into an eternal continuity that keeps us. Somewhere in us
a dignity presides that is more gracious than the smallness that fuels
us with fear and force, a dignity that trusts the form a day takes.
So, at the end of this day, we give thanks for being betrothed to the
unknown and for the secret work through which the mind of the day
and wisdom of the soul become one.”
John O’Donohue, To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of
Invocations and Blessings
Anatomically, the yin practice also offers many of us much
needed softening and reintegration, hopefully mild and beneficial
stretches and stimulation to the myofascial body, while promoting
parasympathetic stimulus and the overall rebalancing of the
interrelated systems of the human body. Great care however needs
to be adopted when stretching and stimulating our body tissues.
Ligaments in particular have a vital role in the integrity of our joints
and joint complexes and over zealous forceful practices can lead to
joint instability. Those very flexible individuals amongst us less so
need to exercise caution and intelligence when practicing asana that
address the body’s joints, in particular the hips, shoulders and spine.
For example, too much pressure directed toward an unwilling hip
joint can result in the adjacent sacro-illiac and knee joints receiving
an unhelpful and unintended influence. Pre-existing conditions,
known or unknown, can be triggered in the same manner as within
an overly intense yang practice. In my earlier days of more rigorous
yin practice I certainly further destabilised by right SI joint, and such
conditions are not easy to mend. The lumbar spine can be vulnerable
to excessive rotation, while static backbends such as supta
virasana/vajrasana, sometimes called saddle pose and its variations
need to be practiced with caution to avoid unhelpful pressure in the
L4-L5-SI sections of the spine. Flexibility must always be balanced by
stability and the general anatomical guidelines to avoid torsion and
joint de-stabilisation consistently honoured in all asana practices. I
have noticed over the years that there is a widely held view, and in
the east in particular, that the quest for greater flexibility is lauded
as a litmus of yoga prowess, and yet if you were to look around the
streets and studios of many eastern countries you might notice that
knee and other joint instability is often naturally evident already in
many bodies, especially knees, elbows and spine. Here I will often
emphasise the cultivation of good postural alignment, strength and
stability rather than flexibility in a yin-yang practice and promote a
greater awareness toward the gentler and more internal approach to
yin yoga practice. This is sometimes met with a degree of resistance,
but integrity and intelligent practice is ultimately a more rewarding
and safe approach. Our yoga practice must not contribute to ‘wear
and tear’ but rather assist in the cultivation of ease, longevity and
overall physical wellbeing or balance.Deeper undertanding
More than ever before the research and growing understanding of
the roles and responsibilities of our ubiquitous connective tissues
has increasingly offered yet another direction of attention and
research within the world of yoga. While our yin-yang practices inEngage the masculine,
as you embody the feminine,
Provide a space inside yourself
for creation to occur,
and you will be eternally reborn.
Encourage the sun,
as you engender the moon.
Become an accurate reflection
for the whole world
of beauty and potential
within human nature.Inspire stillness
as you employ activity.
Practice peace
as you extend energy.
Share yourself endlessly
as you keep close to your Source.Dorien Israel.
Intuitive translation from verse 28, The Book of the Tao“Anatomically, the yin practice also
offers many of us much needed
softening and reintegration, hopefully
mild and beneficial stretches and
stimulation to the myofascial body.”