The most important benefits can be summarized by understanding the effect on the following tissues:įascia – With the long holds, we stretch and stimulate the layers of fascia in our body. What are the benefits of Yin Yoga? Physical benefits Restorative Yoga is all about supporting your body, allowing it to relax and heal.Īlso Read - Yin Yoga versus Restorative Yoga Yin is all about stretching and applying gentle stress to certain tissues. While both Yin Yoga and Restorative Yoga are slow-paced and stress-relieving practices, they are very different. You also get to use props and ease into the pose, which means you can take your time and not feel under pressure trying to catch up with the rest of the class. This means that Yin Yoga is great for beginners! Also, a Yin Yoga sequence requires an intentional, slow pace. A Yin Yoga sequence is a great practice if you are feeling stuck, stiff, or like you need to just pause and slow down. It must be noted that Yin Yoga works deep into the connective tissues and activates rejuvenation at a deep level. See - How to Practice Yoga Inversions Safely This is why incorporating a Yin Yoga sequence into your practice is crucial to your overall flexibility and agility. To have a healthy range of motion around our joints, we also need to stretch the deep connective tissue and our joints. To explain further, if you practice only dynamic forms of exercise you can gain muscle strength, but not necessarily a wider range of motion. That is why, if you don’t practice a few days, you see a big decline in flexibility and strength. Muscles are yang tissues they are quick to warm up and stretch but also quick to cool down and rebound. In these active yoga styles, the muscles receive the main load and stretch. Indeed Yin Yoga might seem a little boring to some, as it does not require the dynamic movement as found in more active styles such as Hatha Yoga and Vinyasa Yoga. What is the purpose of Yin Yoga sequences? When we take long, slow, and deep breaths we allow our body to relax, enabling us to be in a pose for a longer duration of time. The emphasis is on relaxed belly breathing. It is also very important to breathe correctly during a Yin Yoga sequence of asanas. As the poses are to be held for a longer duration, the use of props like cushions and bolsters is essential. Importantly, In Yin Yoga sequences the use of muscles is kept to a minimum. It's such a relief that you can learn how to use and practice a Yin Yoga sequence to complement your yang yoga practice.

When stretched regularly, a Yin Yoga sequence can increase the overall flexibility, circulation, and range of motion of the joints and fascia. Our yin tissues are less vascular (supplied with blood) and less elastic, and therefore need more time to stretch. Yin tissues are deeper tissues such as the tendons, fascia, ligaments, and the other connective tissues of the body. These are fundamental terms associated with Chinese philosophy of complementary forces. These Yin Yoga asanas stretch what we call the yin tissues. A Yin Yoga sequence is basically a series of passive yoga poses held anywhere between three to 10 minutes.

Printable beginner yoga sequence