11/06/2024
Yin Yoga - the first yin class I ever practiced was with Paul Grilley, the godfather of Yin Yoga. Previously I practiced vinyasa, asthanga or dynamic. The faster, harder, more sweat the better. I practiced these yoga styles almost with self flagellation - and was self punitive when I couldn’t get in to certain poses (which I still can’t 🤣). Yin changed this. It profoundly transformed my understanding of yoga, what yoga is and what it could be. I had a light bulb moment and it changed my teaching, the way I thought and the way I practice. Yin is the yoga maverick, in a world where ‘busyness’ and perfection and ‘bigger, better’ things are pursued at whatever cost (mental, physical, emotional and spiritual), Yin stands quietly and does not judge, welcomes all abilities, allows the pose to land in to the body without the assumption that there is a perfect pose to aspire to. There is no such thing as the perfect pose! Yin is about how it feels, not how it looks. The contradiction of the yoga poses - to allow you to feel the pose but also your hands must be at 12 o’clock and your back foot at a 40 degree angle and elbows tucked in- yin shows 2 fingers to this and it is all about how it feels in your body. You can then become the master of your practice, not a teacher tells you stand with your feet together because it looks better that way …. Yin is about slowing down in our fast paced modern world - and yes it’s hard to slow down because then we are confronted with ourselves …. But when we sit with ourselves we may become also our own best friend. Come to YIN Wednesdays at 2pm Chelsea.