Yin&yang yoga☯️
- Johanna Hämäläinen
- Oct 19, 2023
- 2 min read
It’s best to do yin&yang yoga in the early evenings because of the sleep-ready yin. Now, this goes for me at least, who is in a go-go-go! -mode during the day. I can’t even imagine doing yin in the afternoon.
Although…now it sounds like a challenge.
Yang, though, might be a bit more energetic for the day. That’s why it’s called yin and yang, because like in so many other things: yin&yang means two opposites. You know the symbol!
Yin is a feminine energy: subtle movements, slowing down and resting+relaxing. In the body, yin is all of the lower intestines and the heart. The resting places of blood and fluids, for example.
Ok, I know that this isn’t Gem Medical! But that knowledge comes to yoga. Now, you can focus on lower chakras (energy points) and qi (chi-traditional chinese medicine life force). Yin is the night – energy is the lowest and it’s dark.
Yang is a masculine energy: action oriented, being very awake like just having 5 espressos, building muscle, power! Etc. Ya get the point. Yang is a day. As soon as you wake up in the morning, yang energy begins to rise. It’s the upper chakras.
Might I remind you that all of the chakra-things relating to yin&yang are only basic, just to give you a kind of a scratching the surface on the matter.
No way I’m a TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) pro. You’d pretty much have to be a TCM expert/yoga teacher to have more of this information.
Alright, back to simpler things.
It is best to strive for the balance of resting+relaxing yin and the power of yang. Imagine doing action-packed moves at 9pm or deep-breathing, getting to your prolonged deep tissue stretches at 11am. Yeah..and don’t question my dislike for yin in the afternoon! Although, at the moment that I’m writing this, it’s about 9.30pm, so Yin would sound good now.
In one class that I did of yin&yang yoga, we started on the power part, the yang part. Anyone who’s done/doing vinyasa, astanga or bikram f.e, then you know what I’m talking about!
After an hour or so of yang, the yin began. And after a long time, asking the body for power, suddenly it all calmed down on the mat. And slowly the deep-streches ensued and the breathing calmed.
X Johanna
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