The ancient symbol of yin/yang in Chinese philosophy is the combination of opposites, and through these we can bring balance back into our lives. Yin is the black side with the white dot in it, and yang is the white side with the black dot in it. In ancient Chinese philosophy the yin refers to the shady side of a mountain. Yang refers to the sunny side. As the sun moves from one side to the other it moves from light to shade, shade cannot exist without light and light can only be light when compared to shade. We can consider this theory in all aspects of our lives, for example how do you know what hard is without soft, fast without slow, happy without sad?
With a flow to yin yoga class we combine both a more dynamic style of yoga, (yang) followed by some gentle yin poses. The first half of the class is devoted to standing poses, flowing from one pose to the next in a more dynamic style. The second half of the class is ‘yin’, a slow stilling practice where all the poses are either seated or lying down.
If you want a workout and time to be still, then this class is for you.
Everything has both yin and yang aspects, that is to say that each is complementary, one cannot exist in balance without the other, and the two parts are greater together than they are on their own. Yin is characterised as slow, soft and yielding, whereas yang is fast, hard and solid.
In our daily lives, especially here in the western world, we lead a ‘yang’ style of life, fast paced, with little to no time to stop to just ‘be’. We rush from one thing to the other, whether that be from breakfast, to work, to lunch, school run, tennis, football or cycling, we are often on the ‘go’ and many yoga classes are ‘yang’, ashtanga yoga, vinyasa flow yoga, hot yoga.
Yin allows us time to ‘be’, to be in the moment, still, present, it allows us a moment of peace, tostop and listen.
While faster, more muscular (yang) types of yoga emphasise internal heat and the lengthening and contraction of our muscles, yin yoga targets the deeper connective tissues – the ligaments, bones and joints. So by combining both the yin and the yang into one class we have the advantage of bringing together a well rounded balanced practice into our lives.
Join the class with Eleanor on Thursday mornings at 9.15am. You’ll find it on the timetable and you can book there.
While faster, more muscular (yang) types of yoga emphasise internal heat and the lengthening and contraction of our muscles, yin yoga targets the deeper connective tissues – the ligaments, bones and joints. So by combining both the yin and the yang into one class we have the advantage of bringing together a well rounded balanced practice into our lives.