 This month we are 'Shining the Light' on all things Yin yoga. This very innocent and sometimes under-rated yoga practice has more to offer than one might think. One of the ways that Yin yoga, really packs a punch is the effect it has on our minds. In our modern age we are often in a constant low level state of 'fight or flight' which can affect our overall health. Yin yoga teaches us to be still so that we can activate our parasympathetic nervous system - the state where we can rest, digest and restore. Read on, as Ngila Bevan, one of the Yin yoga teachers at Kapiti Hot Yoga, explains how Yin benefits the mind.  This is probably the comment I hear most often as a yin yoga teacher. It always makes me smile, because this feeling indicates that the person is both fully engaging with the practice and receiving its many benefits. But how can this be? How can we lose track of time so easily and repeatedly when practicing yin? How can we be so sure that we have been awake the whole class yet also feel like we must have been asleep? What is happening in our body and mind for us to feel this way? And why does it feel so good?! There are complex and interrelated processes occurring in our bodies and mind when we practice yin, only some of which I can highlight in this short blog. But in the simplest terms we can lose track of time because we have surrendered to a meditative state - neither awake nor asleep, feeling but not thinking, simultaneously tuned out and tuned in. There are 3 common paths towards achieving this in yin, all of which are offered as part of a the yin classes at Kapiti Hot Yoga: Focus on the breath |
 | The parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) is our state of rest and digest, where our heart rate slows, our blood pressure drops, and our body focuses on rebuilding and recovering optimal health. The PNS functions in opposition to our ‘fight or flight’ sympathetic nervous system (SNS) which in the modern world is activated by stress (and for many of us chronic stress), with myriad consequences such as an impaired immune system, heart problems, and poor mental health.* |
There is good news though. The key activity that turns off the SNS and activates the PNS is breathing! Not just any old breath, but a slow, deep, even, yogic breath. The type that with each exhale you feel more relaxed, calmer, and in turn able to breathe even slower, and slower, until you can go beyond the breath and start expanding your attention to other parts of your being.
In even more amazing news, once the PNS has been activated it stays ‘on’ until it is met with a stressor (in a yin environment this could be a loud noise, sharp pain, or very negative thought). This is why we focus on the breath at the start of class, and why people are able to stay in this relaxed state and fall deeper into it as the class goes on, whether they are still breathing deeply or not. Coupled with other yin tools, such as paying attention and resolving to be still, we can enhance our experience of deep relaxation and replenishment that tapping into our parasympathetic nervous system allows.
In even more amazing news, once the PNS has been activated it stays ‘on’ until it is met with a stressor (in a yin environment this could be a loud noise, sharp pain, or very negative thought). This is why we focus on the breath at the start of class, and why people are able to stay in this relaxed state and fall deeper into it as the class goes on, whether they are still breathing deeply or not. Coupled with other yin tools, such as paying attention and resolving to be still, we can enhance our experience of deep relaxation and replenishment that tapping into our parasympathetic nervous system allows.
Pay attention
Cultivating mindfulness
An invitation to pay attention in yin, whether to our breath, the sensations in our physical body, the fluctuations of our mind, or our emotional state, is an invitation to practice mindfulness – awareness of present experience with acceptance.*
 | This is a skill to be practiced and can take a long time to master. There are many times in a yin yoga practice, maybe even in every pose, when we may feel uncomfortable. This may be due to an intense physical sensation, the arrival of difficult emotions such as frustration or sadness, or invasive and persistent negative thoughts. |
Our first response may be to ignore, or hide from what is happening, try and change it so the feeling goes away, or simply to run away and give up. These responses are common, even among the most seasoned and experienced yogis. However, when we chose to pay attention, observe what we are feeling and accept our circumstances, then we can make a conscious and informed decision about whether we alter the shape of the pose we are in, or simply ride it out and recommit to staying still.
Resolve to remain still
Becoming the eye of the storm
 | Committing to physical and mental stillness in each yin pose is the magic ingredient that can benefit us most mentally and emotionally. When we seek to remain still – enduring an itch or letting a passing thought simply float by – we are practicing finding our quiet, our place of calm, our eye of the storm, where the drama of the day and the building and sometimes challenging sensations in our body occur around us but not to us. |
Over time and with practice we can then utilise this skill in our everyday lives, stepping away from the noise and tapping into our place of calm – responding to problems with grace and wisdom as opposed to reacting emotionally or without thought.
All 3 of these paths are available to us in a yin class. They work together, compounding on each other and becoming more accessible the more we practice. The result is quiet and stillness. Being alive to the present moment not the future or the past. The feeling of letting go yet being safe where you are. Full relaxation. Being not quite awake but not quite asleep either.
*Thanks to Bernie Clark’s ‘The Complete Guide to Yin Yoga’ for clarification of these points.
*Thanks to Bernie Clark’s ‘The Complete Guide to Yin Yoga’ for clarification of these points.
Meet Amy, Ngila and Carol - our lovely Yin yoga teachers. Come join them on Thursdays at 7.30pm or Sundays at 6.30pm for Yin 60. And, if you want to 'bliss out' with a 90 minute class, the first Sunday of every month offers just that!
Thanks Ngila for 'Shining the Light on Yin'!
When we talk about yoga, we more often than not hear people refer to it as a practice: "I practice yoga; my yoga practice; I'm going to practice yoga". It is very seldom that we say "I'm going to a yoga class". A class is a class, a one-off event, like going to the gym or supermarket. A practice however, is something that you do consistently with discipline and patience and it's these three things that help us to experience the physical and well being benefits that yoga has to offer.
Here are some tips to help you create a yoga practice (and not just attend to a yoga class).
Here are some tips to help you create a yoga practice (and not just attend to a yoga class).
 | 1. START SMALL The first ingredient of creating a yoga practice is consistency, but more often than not, when we think consistency we think frequency. Sure it's great if you can get in a few times a week (three is the magic number after all), but guess what - once a week, every week - is consistency too! After having my Son and going back to work full time, my practice consisted of one class a week, Sunday afternoons Hot 90 at 4.30pm, it was non-negotiable and it was consistent! Over time, as life changed I was able to attend more, but in the beginning this one class a week was enough. It's better to start with one class a week, then schedule three and not turn up to any of them. So pick a class time that works for you and if all you do is come to that one class every-single-week, you are creating a yoga practice. Start small! |
 | 2. SCHEDULE, SCHEDULE, SCHEDULE Life can be busy, so we have to schedule and prioritise things in order to do them consistently. I schedule EVERYTHING! My daily to-do-list includes not only my work items, but also my personal items, my household items as well as those activities that nourish me like yoga. The world we live in is full of distractions that when I don't write things down I tend to skip out on them. Writing them down makes me accountable and I love the tick that I get to give myself at the end of the day! Of course writing things done on a list is one thing, to actually do them requires discipline particularly the things that nourish us, as they are always the first to go! I'm a big believer in prioritising the hard-stuff, so if your yoga practice is falling into the too hard basket, how can you schedule your life to make a class? If you are running on empty then you are no good to anyone, so schedule, prioritise and be disciplined. |
 | 3. BE A LITTLE SELFISH (& DELIBERATE) ABOUT YOUR CHOICES Before becoming a Yoga Teacher/Studio Owner I spent 20 years in the world of Financial Services Marketing, the hours could be brutal and the deadlines crazy. I wish I had the awareness then of what I needed to have a more balanced life. When deadlines or home commitments starts to close in, the first thing that we give up is the thing that is going to make us more productive, more patient, more balanced etc. How crazy is that! Sure there are going to be days when you simply cannot get away, but sometimes we have to be selfish about what we choose to do with our time. Next time you jump on the App to cancel a class that you have booked, stop. Take a moment to ask yourself what will serve you the most. Can you still make the class and finish the work task later that night, instead of being home for dinner, can you be back in time to snuggle with the kids over a bedtime story, I guarantee if it was a work task, it will take you half the time to do it after class than before, and if it was something to do with the kids, you will be far more patient and present with them after class! |
 | 4. GET UNCOMFORTABLE. Our life in the 21st century is all about comfort. Comfortable houses, cars, ergonomically designed desks and chairs, it's not very often that we put ourselves in uncomfortable situations on purpose! The 26+2 hot yoga practice is a challenging practice and at times it will get uncomfortable - even for seasoned practitioners - but as a visiting teacher said recently, "for the magic to happen, you have to step out of your comfort zone" because it's only when we step out of our comfort zone, that we can see what is possible. Some days it will feel easy, while other days it will feel like there is a literal brick wall that you just can't get past. Be patient with yourself during these times of uncomfortable, try not to get attached to the outcome of the pose or the class, instead be open to what the uncomfortable is showing you. Accept that some classes will be better than others and then come back. At times, life will be uncomfortable, so learning to be comfortable and patient with the uncomfortable in the hot room, can also help you navigate through the uncomfortable times outside the hot room. |
 | 5. SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS. Even though I have my own studio, I keep a stash of yoga clothes and a mat in my car! It's true. Make it easy to practice regularly. Keep your mat/towel and yoga gear in the car, it's one less thing to organise and there is no excuse. The occasional times that I do the 6am class , I have my yoga gear at the foot of the bed, and somedays I even go to bed in my yoga top, so its a quick change out of pjs, into yoga pants! Setting yourself up for success is also about being disciplined or deliberate about your choices. If you are booked in for the Saturday 8am Hot 90 Class, maybe be deliberate about the choices you make the night before. Every persons success looks different and what you do to set that up will also look different, but being disciplined and deliberate about your choices will go a long way. |
 | 6. BE PATIENT AND KIND. Creating a yoga practice takes time - so be patient with yourself and get in touch with your why's for practicing. My why these days - so that I can age gracefully and without too much discomfort and be around to watch my son's journey through life. Some weeks, it might be impossible to get to class, you might be sick, you might have to go away for work... and that's ok! But the more that you can start to see your yoga practice as just something you do on a regular basis for your health and wellbeing the more engraved it becomes in your life.. and that is when you literally start to crave getting into the hot room. |
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali says that the first qualification for the practice that it should be done for a 'long time'. There is no quick fix, just regular practice. And then practice should be down 'without break'. Not the occasional casual drop in class, but consistent and continuous practice. And the last qualification is in 'all earnestness'. This means with full attention of your mind and body. In other words, consistency, patience, and discipline.
Happy practicing friends, see you in the hot room soon!
Anj x
Happy practicing friends, see you in the hot room soon!
Anj x