Yin and Restorative yoga are deeply integrative practices. Like yogic medicine, they reach into the crevices of our being and heal us in a stealth and quiet way. No sweating, no pushing, no straining, in fact, quite the opposite of our “yoga culture” here in the US. Yin asks us to drop into something even deeper, go below the surface of the physical body, drop into the connective tissue, into the organs, into the subtle realm and then surrender into the complete unknown. Time is the change agent in this practice. One to three minutes is the first level of unraveling, we squirm, we may wiggle, realize how we are breathing, finally find a moment of settling, allowing gravity to draw us into a pose/place/feeling/moment and then, something may float to the surface in our mind/body.
Four to six minutes is a whole other world. Dramatic shifts and changes show up, like something that finally gives way, in our body, the breath and finally deeper into our Soul, essence, being, mind/heart arena. Now we are getting into something we had no idea was even there.
“Our issues are stored in our tissues” is a wonderful phrase to seriously pull our focus into what is showing up. Dropping into, arriving into, being in a yin asana for a period of time, with a breath of awareness is like having a deep therapy session without talking and with heart inquiry. Releasing what arrives, and extending our exhales heals our body, mind and hearts and with this release will increase our immune response.
Inflammation, a leading if not the leading root cause of disease begins to be witnessed and moved in this practice. Yin nearly “demands” that we be present to ourselves, it seems like it could be easy to drift into plans, thoughts and possible worries, and yet, holding a pose for many minutes will bring you into the present moment. Being present increases awareness, awareness allows us to see what we are doing with habits, food, drink, practices, and choices that create unhealthy imbalances which lead to illness and disease. Once we see it, we cannot unsee it. And now we have choice, to make better decisions.
Restorative yoga is like the kind and loving sister to yin. She welcomes us into her loving arms to be held and nurtured. Using pillows, blankets, bolsters and straps we fix the body in a completely relaxed pose and with breath we finally learn to let go. Hovering between the worlds of sleep and awake. Yoga Nidra, which works extremely well in this practice, is the creme de la creme of practices. Once we are completely relaxed, secure and safe in a pose and able to let go, a gentle guided full body relaxation or visualization begins. Yoga nidra means “yogic sleep”, where we are awake with the body fully in the parasympathetic nervous system response, rest and digest, all muscle tension released. The actual moment of yoga nidra is not the journey, the guiding words but it is the result of the journey. What happens at the end.
Done daily or at least weekly, the practices of yin, restorative and yoga nidra provide a cumulative impact, gather steam and begin to have profound and measured effects on your entire body, mind and heart complex. From poor digestion and gut microbiome issues, insomnia, anxiety, stress reduction, injury healing to mental and emotional instability, these practices will heal and reset your responses to life’s challenges. All ages, everyone can benefit from these practices and can do them.
Here are some links to studies to geek out on. Dive in and just do it!
Mood, Mind and Concentration Brain Scans
Please join me on Monday and Wednesday evenings for the full experience, Yin with Restorative and Yoga Nidra. Trust your experience, trust what you feel and what shows up for you. Classes are donation based and no one is turned away. I hope to see you on line, and send you so much love and joy!