Yin yoga - the mental and emotional landscape

As many of you will know, I’m a long time practitioner of yin yoga and, along with iRest® yoga nidra, it’s my teaching specialism. I was introduced to yin yoga by my first teacher over ten years ago and was really fortunate that she’d trained with Sarah Powers, one of the world’s most renowned yin yoga teachers, which gave me an amazing foundation in the practice. I’ve loved Sarah’s teachings since that time and was lucky enough to attend a number of workshops with her, but little did I know back then that I would eventually follow in my first teacher’s footsteps and receive yin teacher trainings directly from Sarah a number of years later.

To me, yin yoga is far more than a physical practice. That’s not to say that there aren’t physical benefits (there are!) but rather that the more I’ve practised and taught yin yoga, the more interested in the mental, emotional, energetic and spiritual benefits I’ve become. This is reflected in my classes and workshops which I design to work with not just the physical body but the mind, spirit and energetic body too.

On a mental level, yin yoga can help to improve concentration and calm an active mind. It can act as a gateway to meditation because the postures are held for a number of minutes (commonly 3-5, although it depends on the pose) rather than a number of breaths. With practice, this helps to prepare the mind for longer periods of quietness and stillness which many of us lack due to what may often seem like the constant busyness and activity life but which are crucial to greater ease and peace.

Yin yoga can also help you to engage with emotions in a non-judgmental and compassionate manner and to simply observe them as and when they arise. Witnessing, rather than becoming attached to, emotions, and not feeling the need to label them as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ or ‘positive’ or ‘negative’ becomes a pivotal element as you deepen your practice and take it off the mat into your everyday life.

I’ll talk about the energetic and spiritual benefits in a later post, but if you want to explore more about yin yoga, why not come along to my next workshop – it’s a soothing candlelit session where you’ll be surrounded by the scents and sounds of the festive season and have chance to take time out from the hustle and bustle. Join me on Sunday 16th December 4-6:30pm at Mandala Preston. Please get in touch for more information and to book your place.

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