What Yin Yoga is and the top 5 benefits

Yin- Yang is everywhere

Yin - Yang's(derived from Taoism) concept can be found in life and everywhere we look. A good example of the principle is observing the Sun & Moon, White & Black, Stone & Water, Cold & Hot temperature, Awake & Sleeping, Female & Male, and as you can see they are polar opposites. In activities of the body and mind, a physical activity is considered Yang and more meditative state of being is the Yin. 

Yin Yoga, developed by Paulie Zink, is a martial artist and philosophically, has his beliefs on Taoism and Yoga. With a combination of both personal practice and beliefs, he crafted out a new form of approach of practice. He didn't develop this to be a religious ritual, however, just laying Taoism as a universal principles to the session that is, to embody harmony with the mind and body. Ever since Paulie's development of Yin Yoga, there has been a widespread of teachings and practices which doesn't necessarily be taught by Paulie himself. As Yin yoga sessions are a wide variety which can include meditation, breath works, PNF or Contract Relax(more for MSK geeks) to see how wide it can be. Yin yoga classes can also be changed and suited to personalise a session for those coming in for certain goals(eg knee pain, emotional trauma, etc). Yin yoga, just like any other yoga lessons lends the same conceptual idea that nothing is different and that we need to learn how to live in harmony and not disturb the flow of life, but to be with the flow of universal energies around us. The session can be broken down to suit the crowd that is walking in, from meridians stimulations, kinetic chain releases, visceral organs, the five elements(water, fire, ether, space and earth) and so much more. Having an emotional release is also known to happen during lessons. Props such as bolsters, cushions, pillows, blankets, blocks, and any form of material that allows help to support your limbs may be used in some classes.  

"If you can find Zen in sitting, you can be Zen doing anything" - J.W

If pain is all you can think, pain is all you can feel

Yin Yoga and pain
One of the biggest myth of Yin session is that you have to "feel" the stretch/ discomfort to have an effective session. Yin yoga is one of the most gentle yoga session and should not cause any discomfort unless you're doing a gymnastic class or you already have an acute injury or chronic pain that you need to sort out, otherwise it should be relaxing enough for you to doze off or be in a deep meditative state of mind. A slight discomfort of the body is usual and perfectly fine, but not pain where all you can think about is "this is uncomfortable" throughout the 60 minutes. Allow yourself to start with whatever range of motion that is comfortable and work from there onwards. Indeed, if you have pain, you should be informing the teacher with it and he/ she may help you adjust accordingly throughout the class to ensure you are always perfectly positioned. 

Why should i even consider Yin yoga as a session? 
There are heaps of reasons why you should consider Yin session today. From work-related stress, improving relationships, increasing tightness in the body, recover from workout soreness, finding yourself, personal manifestation and so much more. Most of us think we are relaxed but in actuality, we are far from that, not being aware of our body and it's reactions to many subtle impressions and always one day closer to burning out. We have listed the top 5 reasons below why you should even consider Yin: 
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1. Clear and relax your mind and body
2. Recover / manage pain
3. Decrease inflammation in your body
4. Clear past/ emotional trauma
5. Finding Zen, in everything you do.

Who is this suited for? 
As it is, Yin session varieties lie within the teacher and the studios themselves. We must admit that it's not everyone's cup of tea and that you have to know your intentions of joining it and what does it cater towards as some are expecting a movement based and least do they know that it can be quite a quiet one. Most of what we do here at MSMC with Yin is a deep meditative state of mind session. If you want to learn how to relax your body with simple meditation exercises you can do by yourself to practice, then you would love it with our Yin Yoga lesson. Our lessons are catered to both extreme of beginners and advanced practitioners as our meditation & asana guide is one of Singapore's best in the industry. 

Whatever your physical abilities are, the current state of mind you have, young or in your golden years, as long as you have the capability to listen and be aware, you are welcomed to join us for a lesson. 

"Peace, Love & Joy cannot be found on the outside, only within." - J.W

Try a Yin yoga lesson