The Slow Medicine of Yin Yoga
/Dear Yogis,
Happy cooler Friday! Tonight is our fortnightly Restorative Yoga wind-down session! I have been introducing a few minutes of myofascial pressure-point release in the stretchy classes for the last few weeks. One yogi said the session was like a £70 massage!
Yin is slow medicine. It is the absolute opposite of (yang) Ashtanga and I wish I had studied them both at the same time. The patience of Yin might have counselled against the ego-encouragement of the Ashtanga practice and the almost inevitable injuries that come.
Our Friday evening practice will stretch out that rigidity and stiffness that accumulates on a daily basis with the Yin Attitude of stillness. We cultivate greater flexibility in the joints, a calmer heart rate, and—the key to yoga practice—a quiet mind.
And here’s the key perspective that can inform a wiser approach to Ashtanga: non-attachment to the results of our effort. In Yin/Restorative yoga, we embrace surrender, acceptance, patience, and non-striving. It is mindfulness with kindness towards both the body and the practice.
How lovely! Please join us.
Classes
And then, quite the opposite to yin, on Sunday morning I have Ashtanga with push-ups and weights. You know that the body needs more than one type of sport, eh! Friday evening will have a candle-lit atmosphere. Sunday morning, not! Come and have fun.
By the way, my business bank account details are different now so if you are using the Metro one, please let me know. I will send you the new details.
Mon, Tues & Wed evenings = Stretchy yoga at 7.00-8.00pm – this is the popular one.
Friday morning = Ashtanga at 8.30-9.30am – this is the more ‘dynamic’ one.
Friday evening = Yin and Restorative Yoga – 6.30-8.00pm – A proper unwind – fortnightly.
Saturday morning = Ashtanga at 8.30 – 10.00am – this is the longer ‘dynamic’ one.
Sunday morning = Yoga-For-Strength at 8.30 – 10.00am – this is Ashtanga with push-ups and weights.
And, by the way, you can post a google review of my classes here.
Yoga in the News
ITVX has: Seated yoga group is 'godsend' for people with neurological conditions. Yoga teacher Deborah Hopkinson "welcomes those creaks and cracks" to her class. She said: "If you can breathe you can do yoga. Anything you can do in yoga can be adapted to be done from a seated position in an ordinary chair or a wheelchair. You don't have to be bendy, you don't have to be really flexible. This is where we all creak a bit."
The Telegraph has: Prince Harry gets down with the kids at goat yoga. He was told to “feel the freedom and presence” of the goats and to “channel the spirit” of the animals, mimicking their bleats and looking into their eyes. “Feel that goat in you,” said Rosie, the activity leader. “Embody the balance of goats.” Instead of the common yoga pose known as the “downward dog”, there was the “downward goat”.
Cosmopolitan has: Want to get abs? This one easy yoga move is better than 100 sit-ups, according to experts. (This article is written by someone who has never done Boat Pose!). “There are few exercises more synonymous with getting abs than the humble sit-up – but, according to some experts, you might be better off swapping your sit-ups for an easy yoga pose instead.” Ha ha ha!
Come to class!
Stay Hydrated!
