I’ve been hearing buzz around Yin yoga and Yang yoga. I was wondering, does anybody know the difference between the two? It sounds as if Yin is more passive and Yang are more active poses but I am unsure.
Thanks!
Good Question Cher Z! I happen to teach a Yin/Yang Yoga class and it is my favorite! I’ve been teaching this class for about 3 years now.
Yin is passive and quiet. Poses are help upwards of 5 minutes depending on the students ability. It stretches the deep connective tissue that a regular Yang, or more active class does not. And most of the time it is done cold, meaning without warm up. There are sequences for Yin, but one does not have to practice this way. It works the muscles from the hips down. Although, I have on occasion, used a pose like Thread the Needle as a yin pose. Some teachers use yin after a yang practice, but most don’t. I start off my class with 2-4 yin poses that will assist in our yang practice. I have found that a quiet Yin practice before the Yang portion works best.
Yang, as you correctly stated is active and warm. Power, ashtanga, vinyasa flow, etc. It’s what you normally think of when one talks of yoga. Usually you begin with some warm ups and then proceed to a more active practice.
They are a beautiful compliment to each other in a practice and the Yin portion really helps the student with breathing, turning inward, meditating and focusing.
Have you interest in this type of yoga?
You need both. Balance is the key here…One is energetic and the otheer more meditative, holding poses for longer etc.Ashtanga V Iyengar is the good example for contrast…
Thanks everyone. I’m having a hard time getting back into yoga after a long absence and I like the “hold the pose” passive approach better than the active up and down poses. For some reason, I get a lot more benefits out of that.
Was going to try a yin class tonight so your posts help me understand. Thanks!
Don’t know what just happened to my post! I’ll try again!
Core is correct in that it is all about balance. But for now, your body is telling you Yin sounds good, and it is doing so for a reason. We should listen to our inner wisdom a bit more. It sounds like you have. Perhaps when you have some Yin classes under your belt you can add yang to it to further compliment and balance. It can be as rigorous or gentle as you need it to be.
Please let us know how the class went! Best of luck to you.
In my experience more spiritual, i.e internal, benefits are to be had from holding poses longer.
##Some thoughts Regarding Ashtanga Vinyasa, a more Yang type of yoga## V
I’m inclined to view ashtanga vinyasa as potentailly awakening your Kundalini prematurely because it uses the bandhas,conscious ujjayi breath,one-pointedness of mind and drishtis all in one with rapid repetitive movemets (To me this can mitigate forcing or grasping). with potentially too powerful techniques that either won’t work or could run the risk of prematurely opening the nervous system when it’s not quite ready. I speak from experience here. An intro. to hatha yoga if that’s the case here would ideally i feel be better met by a a more alignement-based form of hatha yoga- something like iyengar or more meditative like sivananda but you might need to shop aroun and try out for size…a good idea… …
As far as i am aware i have heard that ashtanga vinyasa was originally invented to keep over-active young lads ,i.e teenagers pre-occupied who were less inclined to still the mind.i.e designed for teenagers but that is not to say it won’t suit someone who is much older, relatively fit and strong and has no existing muscolo-skeletal issues. The thing with ashtanga is it tends to overactivate pingala,same with surya namskara. If you don’t have a meditation practice in there to calm things down a bit it might not be good.Also another thing with AV i think it tends to aggrandize the ego and i think that’s been stated more than once here before.You might feel supercharged but the mind can still be unruly.Holding the poses longer if possible you seem to derive deeper benefits.
These are just some of my thoughts on ashtanga vinyasa. It might suit some folk but maybe not everyone. And this may contribute to newcomers being intro’d to this style and then not returning because the yoga perhaps did’nt work. Also if you lack flexibility the you might need to compensate with reasonable upper-body strength. But you never can tell though because you do see women that can do the arm-balancing manouevres and they don’t ncessarily have toned or strong uppers.Perhaps some folk then may have reasonable poise and concentration instead…
You’ll see all kinds of style labels banded about but alot can depend on the experience, skills and depth of training etc etc of the teacher.
If you are curious i would suggest you check out David Swenson’s online videos on U-Tube.He offers you a set of options depending on the individual for more diifficult manouvres.
There is something called Yin yoga that Sarah Powers and also Paul Grilley have developed.It’s meant to work on the deeper connective tissues and cartilage i think.
Hi Cher,
Give the Yin a shot and you can always report back like dear Lotus says.
Is the question about that which is called Yin or is the question about the various natures of asanas, including but not limited to Yin?
If you are looking into the evolution of Yin Yoga the brand/style/expression then you can start by reading about Paulie Zink. I believe Paul Grilley studied with him for less than a year and then taught Sara Powers and so on, and so on…
The Yin approach to posture is wonderful when it includes alignment. When alignment is absent and a student remains in a posture over time (lacking the aforementioned alignment) the practice can be physiologically relaxing (just as a nap is) but detrimental to connective tissue.
If you are asking about the nature of postures, they have them just as each person has them. You can determine the nature of the pose in two basic ways; one you can study on an ongoing basis with someone very well-steeped or you can cultivate your own level of self-awareness so that you can discern the residue of the pose in your living.
It appears there is only one thing that rules everywhere. Its our language that makes them see different.
Is Yin yoga just and another name for “restorative yoga”?
The approach with Chinese medicine seems very interesting, as Yoga can be combined harmoniously with Ayurveda as it has been traditionally, allopathic medecine or other alternative therapeutic approaches.
For the rest, it sounds to me a lot like marketing or a rediscovering of the wheel a bit like “Power” Yoga which shows a lack of knowledge and understanding of classical yoga. It is like playing music derived from classical western music but changing the names of the classical notes, playing only on minor keys and with limited tempos. This comes probably from ashtanga vinyasa yoga which is a style of yoga, a specific application of yoga (designed at the origin for young, healthy male teenagers devoted to regular practice) and not a specific yoga by itself. To make a whole system out of a specific style is a restriction of the potentiality of Yoga. Moreover classifying in yin or yang poses does not make sense in classical yoga which is on this level coherent and complete by itself if properly taught. Talking about aggressive poses per se neither. It is obvious that asanas can be adapted, by the way there is no real need of new specific names for adaptations of classical poses. An asana done with a same breath ratio can have yin or yang effects according to the person. It is obvious.
Take sarvangasana with a breath ratio 10/5/10/5 x20, it can be either “yin” or “yang” according to the person though presented often as lunar compared to sirshasana.
To use words already in the yogic tradition, one can practise yoga on a lunar mode or solar mode. If we take terminology inspired from Ayurveda one can practice on langhana, samana, bhrimana modes while referring to the effect on the heart beat.
Philippe
I have thought about going to a Yin Yoga class more than once, since there is one close to where I live and I like what I read about it… but there are two things I need to say.
-
There is no Chinese Yoga no matter what anyone tells you. There was never any yoga that was or is indigenous to China and I have come across a few in Yin Yang Yoga and (of course) Taoist Yoga that make such claims. Which leads me to; there is no Taoist yoga that came from Taoists in China.
-
Paulie Zink, although talented and incredibly flexible there are some serious issues in the Chinese Martial arts world that have made him not so popular and one of those people he became not so popular with was his sifu (teacher)
Ok that was 3 things…
@ CityMonk
Restoratives are Yin (in nature) but they are not the only thing yin, obviously. So “yin” and “restorative” could be used together but not as synonyms. Though how people use words is an entirely different matter.
@Yulaw
He would not be the first student unpopular with his teacher 
[QUOTE=Philippe*;46994]For the rest, it sounds to me a lot like marketing or a rediscovering of the wheel a bit like “Power” Yoga which shows a lack of knowledge and understanding of classical yoga.[/QUOTE]
I kind of feel the same way about this. Can’t we just stick to yoga, instead of using these ‘cross-platform’ terms? Isn’t there a nice Sanskrit name for it?
[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;47061]@Yulaw
He would not be the first student unpopular with his teacher :-)[/QUOTE]
Very true… but if you can believe the rumor, this is more like unpopular with extreme prejudice that may or may not involve death threats.
City Monk. The studio I attend has both yin and restorative classes. The restorative classes tend to be more supine relaxation and deep tissue with a meditation at the end. The yen tends to be more sitting and forward bends held on bolsters and inversions. Hope this helps. :roll:
Yin and Yang - One cannot exist without the other.
Yin can and should be thought of as a way to prepare you for a yang practice. It is extremely beneficial for students who struggle with flexibility.
While I think one should have an understanding of “classical yoga” and it’s roots, yoga has evolved and has become more accessible to the masses. One cannot assume if someone practices 'Power Yoga" they have no understanding/knowledge. Power yoga is an offshoot of Ashtanga without the set sequences. Teacher/practitioner can be more creative in sequencing.
Yin addresses the discomfort that many have when sitting for long periods of meditation. Its usual concentration of below the hips postures aid in gaining the flexibility needed to accomplish this. A yang type practice targets more superficial muscles, which for many is fine. But there are students who are in need of releasing deeper connective tissues which in turn makes the yang practice more effective. Yin is very appropriate for these students.
The original premise of the physical aspect of yoga is to prepare you for meditation. Yin is in perfect alignment (pardon the pun!) with this.
If it helps the student on the path it shouldn’t matter. Labels shouldn’t matter.
My 2 cents!
Greetings Yulaw,
[QUOTE=Yulaw;47060]
- There is no Chinese Yoga no matter what anyone tells you. There was never any yoga that was or is indigenous to China and I have come across a few in Yin Yang Yoga and (of course) Taoist Yoga that make such claims. Which leads me to; there is no Taoist yoga that came from Taoists in China.
[/QUOTE]
Thank you for sharing your opinion, which is…just another opinion. Not that others may not share it, but when you assert some sort of authoritative posture, as in “no matter what anyone tells you” then I’d like to see you back up your assertions. Wikipedia is not error-free, but it seems very reliable in many areas, and so far, it still has an article about Taoist Yoga (I don’t have enough posts to embed the URL here - just search “Taoist Yoga” there) which contains supportive references, which your comment lacks.
Furthermore, other teachings from India flowed into China and evolved there and co-mingled with teachings already extant there, Buddhism, for example. Why couldn’t this have occurred with yoga?
This doesn’t necessarily undermine your point that what is being taught as “Yin Yoga” is not, as you appear to suggest, some sort of non-Chinese invention. But your statement, as I interpret it through my own reality tunnel, could use some clarification.
Your other point about (Zink’s) reputation based on “rumors” raises concerns about how you may have reached your other conclusions. Humans, even the greatest, most inspirational ones, can be found (by at least one person or another) to have flaws and failings. I don’t know much about Paulie Zink (less than you seem to, obviously), but I think many of us might know of a few teachers who remain inspirational and helpful, despite any scandals that might have cropped up around them–Osho, Chogyam Trungpa, Yogi Bhajan, and many, many others.
But again, you might have the makings of some sort of “valid point” - but I don’t think you make it well by supporting it with rumor and innuendo.
I would enjoy hearing more from you on this topic, particularly some supporting data for point #1.
Thank you, Yulaw.
Respectfully…
Prem
[QUOTE=Xochipilli2012;47201]Greetings Yulaw,
Thank you for sharing your opinion, which is…just another opinion. Not that others may not share it, but when you assert some sort of authoritative posture, as in “no matter what anyone tells you” then I’d like to see you back up your assertions. Wikipedia is not error-free, but it seems very reliable in many areas, and so far, it still has an article about Taoist Yoga (I don’t have enough posts to embed the URL here - just search “Taoist Yoga” there) which contains supportive references, which your comment lacks.
Furthermore, other teachings from India flowed into China and evolved there and co-mingled with teachings already extant there, Buddhism, for example. Why couldn’t this have occurred with yoga?
This doesn’t necessarily undermine your point that what is being taught as “Yin Yoga” is not, as you appear to suggest, some sort of non-Chinese invention. But your statement, as I interpret it through my own reality tunnel, could use some clarification.
Your other point about (Zink’s) reputation based on “rumors” raises concerns about how you may have reached your other conclusions. Humans, even the greatest, most inspirational ones, can be found (by at least one person or another) to have flaws and failings. I don’t know much about Paulie Zink (less than you seem to, obviously), but I think many of us might know of a few teachers who remain inspirational and helpful, despite any scandals that might have cropped up around them–Osho, Chogyam Trungpa, Yogi Bhajan, and many, many others.
But again, you might have the makings of some sort of “valid point” - but I don’t think you make it well by supporting it with rumor and innuendo.
I would enjoy hearing more from you on this topic, particularly some supporting data for point #1.
Thank you, Yulaw.
Respectfully…
Prem[/QUOTE]
You should never assume… you know what they say
um… not opinion… Not from Wikipedia… it is fact…sorry to burst you bubble
There was no Taoist yoga there was no yoga that was Chinese.
There was Qigong, there was daoyin which is…well… Qigong.
Want proof, contact Wudang or any of the monks that are around… there was never any Taoist Yoga…sorry about that. Look to legitamate historical sources.
As to Paulie Zink… I already said he was talented but there is a problem between him as his Sifu…sorry about that too.
You want to go with the sales pitch…goes for it…have fun… I am not going to waste anymore time trying to change your mind. Look to legitimate sources of Chinese history and then get back to me
There is no bubble to burst.
But thank you for your response.
It speaks for itself.
Volumes.