Ahhh, Yin Yoga. I heart you. I think I’ll rename you… Zen Yoga. zen-like pretty accurately describes how I’m feeling right about now.I went to take my yoga love, Amani’s Candlelight Flow yoga class tonight at Enlighten Yoga and let me tell you, it was the most perfectly perfect way to end my day/week. Especially after not feeling well this week. Not working out + just not feeling like myself has left me feeling a little irritable with all this pent-up energy.
Amani was playing around with her idea of combining a slow vinyasa flow and wrapping up the class with us on our mats, sitting in a handful of Yin poses to open up both the upper & lower body for a good 3+ minutes. Nothing but calming vibes in the studio as it was warm & toasty, lit by candles scattered all over the room + an awesome playlist of sexy, ambient tracks. I seriously could have just retreated to bed for the night right there on my mat. I definitely let Amani know afterwards that the class was brilliant! I loved the combo of starting with a slow flow and finishing class on the floor vs. an entire class of just Yin.
A little bit about Yin Yoga…
Physically, the super long holds magically work their way into your soft/connective tissues, ligaments & joints which makes this practice a beautiful, wonderful compliment to counteract all the other types of activity we do to beat ourselves up on a daily/weekly basis. For me, these things would be — running intervals, boxing, squats, lunges, strength training in general, ass kicking, super hot yoga classes, etc… everything I LOVE, feels awesome while I’m doing it & keeps me in the shape I want to be in BUT leaves me feeling tight and sore. The postures and holds in yin can help to increase your circulation and greatly improve flexibility.
Energetically speaking, these long holds are said to tap into your qi, the energy pathways running thru your body that lie deep within your connective tissues. This explains my zen-like feelings :) Practicing this type of yoga can improve your well-being, immune system and help to unblock some of that mess ALL of us have going on…mind, body, heart & soul. Overall, it just makes you happy! (like Pharrell)
So…the consensus after reading this post?? Go try Yin Yoga. Trust me, you’ll love it! xx
And I leave you with a song. Loved this during class tonight. Enjoy.
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