Having a Good Old Time

 

Yogapedia. It's like Britannica or World Book, except enlightened. According to this source:

Yin Yoga is a slower-paced, more meditative version of the popular physical and spiritual discipline of yoga. In Yin yoga, the poses are held for a longer period of time to target connective tissues rather than focusing on the muscles. As a result, the asanas are more passive holds, with little muscular engagement.

Yin Yoga has its roots in China and was founded on the Taoist theory of yin and yang – opposite concepts that, together, represent balance. Yin is stable and passive, while yang is changing and active. The yin poses, therefore, are passive and performed while seated or in a reclining position. The poses are held with the muscles fully relaxed, allowing time and gravity to deepen the stretch and target the fascia. The time spent holding these asanas is similar to meditation.

I started practicing Yin Yoga seven or eight years ago after my friend mentioned that she experienced so much healing for her chronic back issues with the slow stretching and breathwork. I was still in the habit of kind of beating up on my body back then and was having some knee issues. My kids were probably 14, 15, and 16 years old. I would have been 46 or 47. So many complicated ages in the same house at the same time! I had been attempting to start a meditation practice but wasn’t having much success.

I love fitness classes. It is an hour that I feel strong and successful, sometimes the only hour in a day back when I was living with three teenagers.

In a fitness class, nobody has access to me and nobody will be mean to me, a respite for my constantly vigilant mind. The instructor and I work as a team to take care of my body.

After my first hour of Yin, I was totally hooked. It is dark and quiet. The instructor speaks slow and gentle encouragement, and over time I noticed that the voice in my head became kinder as well.

"If your mind begins to wander, gently let go of your thoughts and bring yourself back into this room."

"This is your time, your practice. Nothing is expected of you here."

"You are not here to work hard. You are here to take care of yourself."

That room was safe and nourishing, offering me relief from my anxiety, and I craved going back each week. Over years, my body started to trust me, unwinding, loosening, and opening up. There were times that I was surprised by the tears that started flowing for no apparent reason. I have learned that unprocessed stress is stored in the body, and I know that Yin has helped to lighten and unburden me.

The instructor challenges us to let go and relax….and then relax some more.

"Separate your back teeth."

"Relax your tongue, like your tongue is having Shavasana inside your mouth."

"Relax the space between your eyebrows. Feel the space widening. Like your eyebrows are going to slide off your face."

She consistently reminds us to move slowly and mindfully. She used to tell us, “Move like you are one hundred years old.”

Then one morning, a lady in the front row said, “I’m ninety-six!”

She’s a tiny, little lady and she DOES move pretty slowly, so I guess the yoga instructor was offering an accurate simile.

The following week, the instructor upped our challenge:

"Move slowly, like you are one hundred and fifty years old."

It’s super cool to see people caring for their bodies when they are close to a hundred years old. My body has taken such good care of me for 54 years. It will be interesting to see how it ages.

Take some time to take good care of yourselves this week, my friends!

Thank you for reading!