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'!