Yin Yoga Benefits

[TracyQ]

I had rotator cuff surgery for a massive tear in November. The recovery is going much slower than I or my surgeon had hoped. I am able to spin, do Pilates, gentle Yoga and Cathe lower body workouts with a weighted vest (no weights yet) and I walk daily (walking is for my mental health).

Recently I have been experiencing pain in my left knee, lower back and wrist. It’s very discouraging trying to find the balance of keeping up with my workouts which I love and look forward to everyday and recovering from surgery and now all these aches and pains.

The other morning I got a You Tube notification for a Travis Eliot Yin Yoga class. I’ve done Yin before and didn’t really enjoy it much. I was so achey that morning I decided to give up it a try. It’s long (an hour and a half) but I felt really good after doing it and to my amazement the next day I woke up pain free. It may be a fluke but I’m going to keep doing it.

Here’s a link in case it can help someone else.

https://youtu.be/0cL2qThH0lk

[Joni O]

I love Yin Yoga. It’s sometimes called Restorative Yoga. I enjoy holding the stretchy poses for the 3+ minutes. It has helped me with lots of aches and pains. I really like Kassandra’s Yin Yoga.


https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX3...ENrhOXdZjWWtMA

[TracyQ]

Originally Posted by Joni O

I love Yin Yoga. It’s sometimes called Restorative Yoga. I enjoy holding the stretchy poses for the 3+ minutes. It has helped me with lots of aches and pains. I really like Kassandra’s Yin Yoga.


https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX3...ENrhOXdZjWWtMA

Thank you for the link. I’m looking forward to checking it out. I’m shocked at how good I felt after doing it. My pain is all connected to my shoulder surgery/recovery. I hurt my lower back doing Classical Stretch when I lifted my arm in an awkward way trying to get my shoulder into a position it wasn’t ready for. Then I did a leg workout with a sore back which caused my knee to hurt

[warriorprincess]

I too love Yin Yoga. It keeps me very flexible, and always makes me feel better.

[toaster]

Originally Posted by Joni O

I love Yin Yoga. It’s sometimes called Restorative Yoga. I enjoy holding the stretchy poses for the 3+ minutes. It has helped me with lots of aches and pains.

Putting on my yoga teacher hat - yin yoga and restorative yoga definitely get confused, but they are actually completely different!
(I'm certified in restorative and currently taking an online yin certification training.)

Yin yoga is designed to provide stretch of the connective tissues. It's usually done cold (no warm-up), because you want to bypass the muscles. Poses are are held a long time so that your body can settle into the stretch. You are not going to your maximum; you are looking for the "just right" stretch by creating a tensile load on the tissues. However, you are also aware that the shape of your bones can cause compression, so yin postures look different on every individual body, and props can be used for access.

In restorative yoga, you do NOT want to stretch! The goal is to be completely supported (props are almost always used, the more the better) so that you can completely relax into the postures. Poses are also held a long time, often even longer than in yin (my restorative YTT teacher recommended 20 minutes each). Although restorative is NOT yin, if you are talking about yin vs yang styles of yoga (passive vs active), restorative would be more yin in style.

I love both!!!

[yogapam]

Originally Posted by toaster

Putting on my yoga teacher hat - yin yoga and restorative yoga definitely get confused, but they are actually completely different!
(I'm certified in restorative and currently taking an online yin certification training.)

Yin yoga is designed to provide stretch of the connective tissues. It's usually done cold (no warm-up), because you want to bypass the muscles. Poses are are held a long time so that your body can settle into the stretch. You are not going to your maximum; you are looking for the "just right" stretch by creating a tensile load on the tissues. However, you are also aware that the shape of your bones can cause compression, so yin postures look different on every individual body, and props can be used for access.

In restorative yoga, you do NOT want to stretch! The goal is to be completely supported (props are almost always used, the more the better) so that you can completely relax into the postures. Poses are also held a long time, often even longer than in yin (my restorative YTT teacher recommended 20 minutes each). Although restorative is NOT yin, if you are talking about yin vs yang styles of yoga (passive vs active), restorative would be more yin in style.

I love both!!!

Yes they are definitely NOT the same. Great explanation Beth! I enjoy both, but yin is my favourite.

[toaster]

Originally Posted by yogapam

Yes they are definitely NOT the same. Great explanation Beth! I enjoy both, but yin is my favourite.

Thanks Pam! I go back and forth depending on what I am craving.

[yogapam]

Originally Posted by toaster

Thanks Pam! I go back and forth depending on what I am craving.

Actually a class that includes a mix of both is nice too.

[bzar]

Originally Posted by yogapam

Yes they are definitely NOT the same. Great explanation Beth! I enjoy both, but yin is my favourite.

i'm not a yoga instructor, but that's my observation from a user's standpoint.

Barbara Benagh is the best example of what i consider restorative yoga - her Yoga for Stress Relief - it uses a lot of pillows, bolsters and blankets as props.

TracyQ, i'm glad to hear that Travis' yin helped you with your rotator cuff. i will keep that in mind. i'm a big Travis fan.

[Joni O]

Interesting about Yin and Restorative being different. I mistakenly said they were the same because I was told that when I called our local YMCA to ask what their Restorative Yoga was like. Their description sounded like Yin and they said it was basically the same when I mentioned Yin. Hmmm. Someone there is confused. (I didn’t take the class.). Now I know better. Thanks!