Tag: Yin Yoga

Unexpected feelings

KathrinLeave a comment

We put so much focus on our physical wellbeing, but what about our emotional and mental? When practicing yoga, we do both, we work on our body and mind. I’m not referring to any yoga practice off the mat, for now it’s still about practicing asanas.

A way to recognize that we are working on other layers too, is when unexpected feelings pop up. Are you sometimes getting emotional during or after practice? No worries, you’re not alone! Sometimes all of a sudden we face certain reactions in class, that might feel strange. We feel tears running down our face, we get upset or sad… without really knowing why. As if a button was pushed and the doors are wide open for any kind of emotions to flow.

What happened? Well, yoga isn’t just a workout for our muscles! When we reach deeper levels, we do exactly this, we open doors. Particularly in yin yoga, when we’re working on the connective tissues and facia, it’s all about opening and release. Yin yoga is the art of letting go. When touching areas where we store our emotions, such as the hips, it can be really liberating, but same time we also face those emotions we’re about to let go.

Yoga works on different levels. And if you feel emotional, no matter what kind of yoga you’re practicing, it shows you, that something happens within and this is just stunning beautiful. Accept it, embrace it! Allow these feelings to be there, go into them, see, look at the details, feel, give room, be a mental observer, without any judgement.

Guide your breathe into this sections, take a deep inhale and exhale everything out that you don’t need anymore. Let it go. Try a little smile, enjoy what you are capable of! You’re pure magic!

Ashtanga yoga and Yin yoga are the same

KathrinLeave a comment

Ups. What? Ashtanga yoga and Yin yoga are the same.

Let this melt in your mouth, and even more, swallow it. Don’t reply darling, read first:

What we do in Yin yoga: we hold a posture, we connect, we tune in, we feel what we’re doing. We breathe intense, we relax. We meditate.

What we do in Ashtanga, a Yang yoga practice: the same. Really? Well, we don’t relax, but it’s about finding ease. We make our practice a meditation. Yes, when practicing Ashtanga, we move a lot, we sweat. And best case we find ourselves in a moving meditation.

If you look at the Yin/Yang symbol, you can see there’s a black dot in the white and a white dot in the black. There’s always both, there’s a little Yin in every Yang, there’s a little Yang in every Yin. It’s all about balance. Obviously not just in yoga, it’s everywhere, literally.

So, where exactly is the Yin in Ashtanga? Think about it. It might be different for you, but for me it’s this: when holding a posture for 5 counts (or more in the closing sequence). We connect, we aim for stillness, we are in deep ujjay breath, looking for steadiness as well as ease. That’s Yin! Even if we don’t relax, we get kind of soft in all our stability. We don’t close our eyes like we do in Yin yoga, but we practice drishti. A focus point that supports us to go internal. We tune in, we feel our body, we feel what we’re doing. Same as we do in Yin, right.

I like the idea of balancing. Doing some Yin to balance my Ashtanga practice, but also being aware of where there’s Yang in my Yin practice and of course the other way around, where I find Yin in Ashtanga.

Same objectives, same tools. Just such a different implementation!

Happy holidays

KathrinLeave a comment

Yogi!

Enjoy a wonderful christmas break, nourish your body with seasonal food and good wine. Don’t care about any rules, enjoy and have fun, your heart filled with gratitude.

While keeping your practice, maybe give yin yoga a try – this calm and deep stretching fits quite well into the season and not just your body will thank you, as it’s a great practice of letting go. Let the year go, with all it’s good stuff, with all the shit. Let it go, it’s past. Empty yourself and get ready for a fresh transition into 2017.

Take care, namasté

 

Be patient yogi

KathrinLeave a comment

A difficult word for me. Patience. I’m that quick type of person…. doing everything now, all at once… Injuries hit us usually the moment it hurts most, to get our full attention. Telling us to stop. Whatever we are doing.

On a physical level, it’s not just about stepping back, doing what is possible. Nope. It’s a sign to stop fully. Listen. Look. Understand. It’s about learning the tough way. There’s another level. An injury is never just physical, but also mental. Healing can’t just happen physically. And that’s the difficult part. Trying to understand, why. What’s wrong right now? What’s holding me back, what’s actually not good, not healthy in my life? What are the side effects of the injury? What movements are not possible? What about breathing? This tells us more about where to look at. What are the consequences? Do they matter? Eventually, there’s a person around mirroring? Ups. Be honest with yourself yogi. Once identified, let go. Detach. Say bye bye. What ever is required, do so. You need your health. You need your peace.

I’m back on the mat now, restarting carefully. Yin Yoga only. I miss my Ashtanga practice like hell, but even demoing in class is not good for me. I don’t stop trying to figure out what’s behind. I know there’s more, I know my body talks to me. I’m getting better in understanding. And I’m rebuilding my practice step by step, developing a practice of patience.

Listen to your body

KathrinLeave a comment

This morning, after 5 sun salutations, my body said clearly NO to my usual Ashtanga practice. As I’m currently quite susceptible to injuries, I didn’t question anything but switched to a soft Yin practice. I thought, I might turn some soothing music on to support going internal and release. Guess what, it made me nervous.

I changed the music. Rhythmic, fast, loud. That was it. My body started swinging, vibrating. I joined singing and my mind was quite. I moved into postures without thinking, my body guided me. I even forgot the time in some asanas. It all felt so right and my closing headstand was kind of purifying. No pressure at all, it felt so effortless.

Listen to your body, what fits one day doesn’t work the other. What’s good for others might not be good for you. Listen, your body will tell you what to do.

After practicing I walked my dog and my hips complained a lot. I started swinging even more. Asking them to release all the stored shit. To let go. To be easy and relax. I sent my smile to them carried by my breath. Arriving home, we were in peace.

It’s all about that, isn’t it. Listen to your body, work together, finding a way to take it easy, what ever is happening around you. Forgive yourself, forgive others. Release.