Yin Yoga  Weekly class on Monday evenings!  No pre-registration required!

Bringing new depth to your yoga practice...

What is Yin Yoga?
Imagine in ancient times (or contemporary times), those yogis who could sit for hours in meditation!  Although you may practice yoga regularly and feel the benefits -- increased strength, flexibility, and energy -- perhaps the idea of sitting still for any length of time still seems too much of a challenge.  Remembering that the original purpose behind Yoga asana (postures) was to prepare the body for meditation, one might consider the benefits of adding a Yin Yoga practice to your usual routine.   A Yin Yoga practice consists of postures selected to gently stretch and release connective tissues around major joints, and put slight pressure on the joints themselves to promote their mobility.  Postures are performed with muscles held as relaxed as possible, using your own body weight for leverage, and are held for longer periods of time than your ordinary yoga class -- anywhere from three to ten minutes.  You will find many of the postures are simple floor poses that focus on opening the hips, strengthening the lower back, and developing healthier knees and ankles. As a complement to a "yang" yoga practice (your usual Hatha Yoga class) that traditionally focuses on the muscles, Yin Yoga can be a powerful addition to anyone's practice.

This practice also incorporates the Taoist concept of Chi (or Qi) and, from Chinese medicine, the concepts of Meridians as channels of energy flowing through the body.  These classes are meant to open up these passageways and enable the energy to flow more freely, with the intention of moving towards wisdom and compassion.  

Stillness isn't easy!  Because of the intensity of this practice, we recommend that students have at least 3-6 months of a yoga practice before incorporating the yin style; students should maintain their "yang" practice while also taking yin yoga classes.