A Journey Into Yin Yoga

218 A JOURNEY INTO YIN YOGA

outward stimulation. Where will it get that external stimulation? Your phone!

It’s too easy. Part of the power of your yin yoga practice is that you are

retreating from technology. As we have explored, it is necessary to engage

your parasympathetic nervous system, but you can’t properly do that if you

are looking at your phone or computer or watching TV. Don’t make me send

the yin police to your house if you violate this rule!

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it

for a few minutes, including you.” —Anne Lamott

Frequency and Length of Practice

Determining how often to practice is a personal choice. Everybody is unique.

On top of that, each person’s bodily requirements change day to day and even

moment to moment. Deciding how often to practice is an intuitive decision.

The greater your consistency the greater your results, but you can overdo

anything, even something as incredible as yin yoga.

Keep in mind that Taoism is all about balance. If you are an athlete who

is training hard, then you should strive to balance your hard efforts with a

yin yoga practice. This will give the body the important time it needs for full

recovery. If you are working hard within your career, then the same advice

applies. If you work hard, then also rest hard. Too much yang energy will lead

to an imbalance and it never feels good to be sidelined with injury or illness.

For most people, I recommend practicing yin yoga about every other day

or three times a week. If you follow this plan, you should experience big

shifts within the first month of practice. This could include reduced physical

tension, less stress, and an overall sense of wellbeing. Of course, something

is better than nothing, so even if you practice once a week, you will see

positive changes. During certain times in your life, you may have more time

for practice. Take advantage of these opportunities. I’ve had many students

who have been laid off from a job and they see it as a great opportunity to

practice more yoga. Practicing yoga keeps them in a clear and positive space

until the next job opportunity comes along. When they get the new job, they

are happy about their finances, but somewhat sad that they won’t have as

much time for yoga practice.

When you start a yin yoga practice, I recommend that you cycle through

the yin practices offered in this chapter. As they say, variety is the spice of

life. It is beneficial to focus on different body areas or themes each time you

practice. This will keep your interest high and help you avoid overstressing

certain areas. Look at it like a yin style of cross-training.

As you cycle through the sequences several times, you will start to become

more accustomed to the various poses and practices. At some point, it will

make sense to check in with your body to see what it needs on any given

day. If your hips feel tight, then you can do the healthy hips sequence. If