Benefits of Yin Yoga

Benefits of Yin Yoga
 By Lyra Radford       Courtesy of livestrong.com

Stretch and strengthen your joints as well as your muscles.
The yin and yang practices of yoga complement each other with their opposing natures. Yin yoga conditions you in a way that allows you to stretch and strengthen as well as achieve the complete relaxation conducive to effective meditation that yang yoga alone cannot help you reach. The benefits of yin yoga are rich for the mind and the body.

Stretching Connective Tissue
The poses associated with yin yoga primarily stretch and strengthen the joints as well as the surrounding connective tissue as opposed to muscles that are primarily worked in yang yoga. Connective tissue can be found all throughout the body but is concentrated mostly in the joints. Yin yoga supports the stretching and relaxation of the hips, knees and spine, which are not areas most people are mindful of working on. Doing so, however, promotes better circulation as well as flexibility in otherwise inflexible areas of the body. Long, gentle stretches are held for at least three minutes and often longer.

Benefits on an Energetic Level
The prana, or life force, which is said to reside in the tissues throughout the body often becomes built up. It’s as if the joints and tissues act as a dam to the natural flow of internal energy. Yin yoga poses, which are thought to act similarly as Chinese acupuncture, encourage the release of this blockage. Energy channels referred to as nadis are said to have control over things such as emotional well-being and the immune system. Strengthening these channels is one of the motivations behind many of the poses in yin yoga.

Mental Balance Through Meditation
Meditation is a way to become in tune with yourself. Doing so is a freeing act and you will eventually develop a heightened sense of comfort and control within yourself. Quieting the mind and body and becoming still for the purpose of knowing your internal ongoings are characteristic of both yin yoga and meditation. Meditating after yin yoga practice is helpful, as you've become mentally prepared by the latter. Yin yoga allows for physical preparation for meditation as well. It works to improve the flow of inner energy and physically opens the hip area, allowing for proper positioning when meditating.

Additional Benefits Regarding External Sources
Internal balance and harmony affect how one reacts to external forces. With the clarity gained through yin practices and meditation, external stressors take less of a toll on your mental and physical states. The physical and mental training of holding uncomfortable positions for long periods of time translate into endurance in other aspects of daily life. As yin yoga instructor Sarah Powers stated, "It trains you to become more comfortable with discomfort instead of becoming alarmed." You'll have the discipline to better endure either physical or mental discomfort.