Yang Yoga tends to
have a more directed approach and be more active in nature – it’s typically
quicker and of greater intensity than Yin Yoga and also hotter in temperature.
While Yin Yoga works on the body’s joints and deep, dense connective tissues,
Yang Yoga is focused on blood flow and the muscles, building stamina, strength
and flexibility.
However,
in the philosophy underpinning yoga, nothing is inherently yang or yin: they
can only be defined in relation to each other. In each yoga class there will be
elements of both, which will shift and move in reaction to each other.
Choosing Between a Yin or Yang Yoga
Class
While
we may be drawn towards one practice over another, it’s important to bear in
mind that both practices promote the movement of prana (energy) throughout the
entire body, opening the body and helping to remove emotional and physical
blockages.
Longtime
yoga practitioners such as life coach Isis Monteverde understand
that neither Yin or Yang can exist without the other, and finding balance
between the two is key to harmony.
The Benefits of Yin Yang Yoga
Yin
Yang Yoga combines the benefits of standing postures and dynamic sequences
(Yang Yoga) with passively held asanas (Yin Yoga) into a single practice,
therefore fusing the external, intense, warming upwards qualities of the former
with the internal, slow, cooling, downwards qualities of the latter.
A
Yin Yang Yoga class may begin with Yin Yoga to work on the joints, prepare the
muscles, and calm the mind. Or it could start dynamically with Yang Yoga and
end with Yin Yoga to help participants relax and calm the nervous system. How
classes are sequenced has a powerful impact on participants’ energy levels and
how they feel after the session.
How to Get Started with a Yin Yang
Yoga Practice
Those
interested in trying Yin Yang Yoga may wish to do so from the comfort of their
own home. It’s a good idea for the practitioner to choose a few of their
favourite standing poses and deep stretches to start off and follow this with
several standing asanas that move with the breath. To round off the session,
finish with two or three floor-based poses.
