YIN YOGA

philosophy

Yin Yoga is rooted in Taoist and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) philosophy and principles, and the concept of Yin and Yang. Together, Yin and Yang compose the whole of duality. All things, living and non-living, possess Yin and Yang qualities; individual people, animals, food, communities, ecosystems, countries, planets, the stars, and beyond.

Neither Yin nor Yang are absolute; nothing is either completely Yin nor completely Yang. Yin-Yang are dynamic because the nature of Yin & Yang changes and flows with time. Because the interaction of Yin-Yang establishes harmony, it gives birth to perpetual change and transformation.

The balance of Yin-Yang can be disturbed due to outside influences which creates:

Deficiency of Yang qualities

Deficiency of Yin qualities

Excess of Yang qualities

Excess of Yin qualities

Following Taoist principles, philosophies, and practices is a way to exist harmoniously with nature within the ecosystem of the universe, rather than fighting against it or trying to change it.

Yin Yoga works with TCM’s system of meridians (also known as nadis in Yoga) which are pathways of energy that travel in, around, and throughout the body, connecting all organs. The meridian system is similar to the blood vessel system, but it is purely non-physical. People may picture meridians as rigid lines, but they actually they flow like rivers overlapping all over the skin, flowing wider and smaller, irregularly, and next to each other. These invisible rivers of energy connect hundreds of acupuncture/acupressure points around the physical body.

Yin Yoga poses use tension and compression to target various meridians and acupuncture/acupressure points in order to purge stagnant energy that blocks Qi, strengthen and build Qi, and circulate Qi throughout all areas of the body.

All meridians are connected to their respective organ, their pair, and other organs depending on their energetic function. The meridians play specifics and important roles in overall health mentally, spiritually, and physically. While the body has 71 meridian channels, in Yin Yoga we focus on stimulating the 12 Principal Meridians.