HISTORY OF YIN YOGA It is a common misconnect that yin yoga was founded by a famous martial arts expert and Taoist yoga teacher, Paulie Zink in 1970s. Paulie zink teaches a method derived from his martial arts background which was called Taoist yoga and yin and yang yoga. The real developer of today’s modern yin yoga is in fact Paul Grilley. So What is Yin Yoga? Let us find out.
The basic roots of yin and yang yoga: The basic roots of yin and yang yoga are from India and China. Postures which are held for a longer period are used in both Indians (Hatha yoga) and Chinese (Taoist yoga). For instance an Indian yoga instructor Supta Virasana recommended recycling hero pose for 12 – 15 minutes. Western yoga experts also recommend long-held postures like gymnastics. In addition to that Tao priests also taught breathing techniques to their students along with the long held postures and this additional technique helped them to master their martial arts skill. Paulie Zink He introduced the practice of a series of long held floor poses in the 1970’s in North America. He taught the hybrid of Taoist and Hatha yoga and it also included the insights that he had himself developed. He taught basic techniques to his students who were also martial arts students who had tight but relatively strong muscles and later as more students came to this art he taught them more advanced techniques. His teaching was based on 5 basic components of the Chinese medicine
which are Earth, metal, water, wood and fire and these correspond to calmness, strength, fluidity of body, springiness and lightness in their respective order. Paul Grilley: Paul Grilley is the founder of modern day yin yoga.He studied the basic techniques of paulie zink along with anatomical aspect of the body and then merged the principles of yin and yang yoga with modern anatomical aspects studied. WHAT IS YIN YOGA? Yin yoga is basically a slow paced yoga which is composed of two components i.e the traditional Chinese medicine with some asanas ( postures).In yin yoga the beginners usually hold their pose for 45 seconds to 2 minutes and the advance learners usually hold their pose for up to 5 minutes usually. The main purpose of these postures is to stimulate the channels of the body that are subtle and these channels are called meridians. YIN YOGA’s EFFECTS ON TENDONS & LIGAMENTS Yin yoga is mainly concerned with the deep connective tissue (ligaments, joints, bones, and deep fascia networks) of the body as compared to yang yoga which is concerned with the superficial muscles only. Mild physical stretching causes the rehydration of muscular fascia and deep tissues of the body like tendons ligaments and fascia which surrounds the muscles.it can be understood with the help of a simple example of sponge. When a sponge is dry it can easily be torn with by stretching but when it is hydrated its tensile strength increases enormously and it can withstand stretching When tendons and ligaments are underused they undergo atrophy and their size, length and strength decreases. But when they are stretched moderately they undergo hypertrophy and their size, length and strength increases. It is done by the production of extra myocytes as well as more mitochondria and some other organelles to provide extra ATP and fibrils to provide strength.
Yin yoga is concerned with the mild stretching of these ligaments till a mild and constant pressure is perceived by the brain and the pose is held for a few minutes and then released slowly.so tendons and ligaments regain their original shape slowly and the stretch produces its effects without damaging or causing injury to tendons and ligaments. Note: Excessive stretch is harmful to tendons and ligaments. SOME POSES OF YIN YOGA Ankle pose: it is concerned with the ankle compression at the back and tension at the front. Advantage: it helps with stomach and spleen channels. Contraindication: ankle injury Snail yin yoga pose: It is mainly concerned with the upper part of the spine Advantage: it mainly targets the urinary bladder water channel. Contraindication: it is contraindicated in pregnancy Cat tail pose: It is a great pose to help relieve tension around the lumbar area Advantage: it targets mainly gallbladder channel and the stomach spleen meridians Contraindication: it is contraindicated in herniated disc Caterpillar pose: It decompresses the spine and targets the hamstrings along with thoracolumbar fascia. Advantage: it replenishes the energy and targets urinary bladder. Contraindication: it is contraindicated in herniated disc OTHER ADVANTAGES OF YIN YOGA The main advantages of yin yoga include:
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It targets connective tissues which includes fascia bones and joints It increases circulation in the deep tissues of the body It hydrates the tissues of the body It also helps to balance to the internal organs of the body and consequently improves flow of prana • It also encourages mindfulness and meditation BOTTOMLINE Yin yoga is a daily dose for an individual to be fit and healthy. It is helpful in relieving the aging effects shown by the body. As it is well known that excess of everything is bad. Daily half an hour session of yin yoga is a secret to a healthy life.