I recently watched a video of Paul Grilley explaining the theory of yin yoga. It’s been stated here before but for what it’s worth, yin yoga is about working the connective tissue. When trying to work connective tissue, using the same techniques that you use to work muscle tissue can be dangerous. That’s why yin yoga tends to hold poses longer and employ gentle stretching.
When I first started yoga , Yin yoga was never mentioned it seemed to appear around the 90s , promoted through Paul Grilley , Sarah powers , or at least that is where I came across it ,Ive never fully understood it , In that I didnt understand what was new or different from what I had already come across which people called yoga , Is it really from china ?
I have Paul Grilley video but again thought it was fine but nothing that I hadnt heard before , except this was yin ? I have seen film of paulie zink , it looked a bit mad to me ,he seemed to be lacking kneecaps , certainly very flexible. , I have even met teachers who offer yin yoga but still im not getting something ,still confused.
I have never been to a yin class , but there are none where I am.
I have no bubbles or axes !
Some say the Yin is the oldest form of Hatha yoga. How’s that to stir the pot!
Yulaw,
I am curious as to the "no chinese yoga:. Can you explain? What I’ve read is that, of course Yin is chinese. That we know. Yin is opposite of yang. Yin is stretching deeper connective tissues. Yang is stretching more superficial. Isn’t Taoist or chinese yoga Yin in nature? And could you not say that Qi Gong is the modern Day version? I’m asking because I know very little of the history, especially Chinese. I know you have Chinese relatives if I’m not mistaken. It would help if you could clarify this! Many thanks!
out of interest Who are these some that claim yin to be the oldest form of hatha yoga ?
You changed your Avatar!
I honestly have few references for what I stated.
But to my point, in the Yoga Sutras, asan is only mentioned two times. It states, that asan should be sthira (steady) and Sukham (comfortable). Both are very much yin. Many in the Yin community believe that description of asan in the sutras is yin in nature. Thus making it the oldest of the Hatha yogas. I believe there is a yin website out there and perhaps it can clarify it better. Reality is we don’t have much to go on outside of carvings of people in seated meditation positions and don’t know how they prepared themselves for this. Asan and description came later. So, ???
Just thought I’d put out some food for thought with my comment. Curious to hear others chime in with what they know.
I agree of course that Asana should be comfortable and steady, how could I not , and of course Asana is little mentioned in the yoga sutras is a matter of record, I think that peoples interpretation of Sthira and sukham can vary wildly , I love hanging around on Bolsters , but I also find great steadiness of mind body spirit when for example a brave teacher takes me to those intense on the edge places where a deep transformation takes place , a breaking and reforging of deep negative patterns on all layers /sheaths ,into the fire ,this of course could be with words as much as asking me to perform poses for longer than the egomind thought even possible , the body was just waiting and yearning, and then I sit in asana and the steadiness and comfort is there . My first years of meditation I was probably more concerned with the pain in my body than the machinations of mind /ego , it wasnt until I had put in the hard yards to use American parlance, no doubt sometimes I was going up blind alleys with the hard yards and I had to find teachers who reminded me that yoga was about letting go. At its most unhelpful yin is used as an excuse to be lazy and not ignite the fires of yoga and at its worst a yang practice appeals to the grasping overworking gymnastic musclehead “a” type , all on the outside types. I once heard a senior teacher in a respected school of yoga say that yoga was all on the outside and nothing to do with the inside , I wondered what they had been doing for thirty years , it was quite sad really but we all have our dharma. As you have mentioned ying cant be there without yang , and im not sure that bringing in ying and yang into the terminology has been helpful for yoga , do we not have enough sanskrit words that give us enough to go with ? Having said that yoga is living and should not become fixed as we are evolving or devolving depending on your viewpoint, and our cultural conditioning might find the word yin helpful , I have not come across anyone saying that they teach yang yoga , im sure somebody out here is , or will see a marketing ploy .
My threepence as we used to say when I was a lad . Om shanti
Agree with your above.
All we do in this day and age is label and brand. Regardless of how and why yin started, it can be a useful and effective “accompaniment” to a regular yoga practice. My belief if those who only do a yin style practice miss out on so much. But it can definitely augment one’s practice thereby making it more comfortable and enjoyable. Giving them freedom from deep pockets of tension allowing eventually balance. The goal is a noble one. With that I rest my case!
Is that you or your alter ego?
The avatar is not me , Im glad to say , although I must have been drawn to it , I have others none are me .
Out of interest looked on Paulie Zink website , he said he invented Yin Yoga .
Glad to hear that! Your avatar looks like a gothic nobleman! Not quite sure what to think? I decided, no avatar. I am who I am. Can’t do much about it at my age!
And congrats to Paulie, inventor of Yin! I hope he sent all the millions he made to help eliminate hunger or something like that! But, yes, I’ve heard that. I don’t pay much attention. Like I said, if it benefits my students and we practice ahimsa and watch alignment issues I’m all for it, regardless!
[QUOTE=lotusgirl;47330]Some say the Yin is the oldest form of Hatha yoga. How’s that to stir the pot!
Yulaw,
I am curious as to the "no chinese yoga:. Can you explain? What I’ve read is that, of course Yin is chinese. That we know. Yin is opposite of yang. Yin is stretching deeper connective tissues. Yang is stretching more superficial. Isn’t Taoist or chinese yoga Yin in nature? And could you not say that Qi Gong is the modern Day version? I’m asking because I know very little of the history, especially Chinese. I know you have Chinese relatives if I’m not mistaken. It would help if you could clarify this! Many thanks![/QUOTE]
It is as Chinese as the Buick LeSabre is French. 
It is a name that is all. There is no Yoga that came from China there is no yoga that came from Chinese Taoists
It may have been a confusion as to what Daoyin was/is and it may have been a miss translation, I would not be the first time when it comes to Chinese translations into English. For example there is no, or was no, martial art in China that the Chinese referred to as Kung Fu nor is it used much by Chinese living in China. In China it is Wushu which is a generic label for Chinese Martial Arts. The problem came in translation. Someone heard Kung Fu and the name stuck. Kung Fu means hard work and Wushu means martial arts. It takes Kung Fu for good Wushu. Heck people are marketing Daoyin like it is something ancient that they just re-discovered and Daoyin is Qigong that is all, just an older term for it like Sanda is an old term for Sanshou. My personal belief as to why the name Yin Yoga or Taoist Yoga came into use is much more cynical however, I simply look at it as sales
I like what I read about Yin Yoga and I am thinking about trying it. Paulie Zink is a talented and inhumanly flexible guy and if the rumors are true he did not threaten anyone…his sifu did.
I talk with a Wudang Taoist from time to time and when I see him in the spring or summer I will ask him.
But…
My taiji sifu who was born raised and trained in China says there was never any Yoga in China. Chen Zhenglei (born raised, trained and lining in China) of the Chen Taiji family says there was never any yoga in China and my wife born raised and trained in China as a traditional Chinese medical doctor also says there was never any yoga in China. There is yoga there now but it came in after 1976 and it is not indigenous.
Taoist Yoga and Yin Yang Yoga exist today but they are not from China. I suppose it also could be someone looked at Taoism and Yin Yang Theory and combines it with Yoga and Bingo you have Taoist Yoga or Yin Yang Yoga? but it is a recent invention and not of China
Thank you Yulaw for explaining. It was quite helpful!
And yes, Yin yoga is a wonderful compliment to a more yang practice. I’m glad you are considering it as I think you’ll like it.
Wow, logged on after a prolonged absence and found I forgot to respond to everyone who so wonderfully answered my question.
I now LOVE Yin yoga. I’m very very tight, so it has been great in helping me open up, as well as wonderful with calming me down. I have a hard time sitting still and this class forces me too. Also I notice how my shallow breathing is getting much much better.
The essence is so simple. So many good posts here point to the means.
The end is to experience Yin and Yan - (call it by any name, let it have any heritage, approach it by any method, celebrate it with any accolade, prefer this over that etc) Like the invisible smell of hot & fresh coffee becomes our deep-rooted reality, one has to see the invisible “yin” and “yan” flowing. One needs to touch its current and feel its passivity or excitement through our own inner self.
After all in Yoga, self-realization is the only authority.
Why wasn’t Paulie Zink popular with his teacher?
No,Yin yoga is very different from Restorative yoga and can be much more intense.
In China people differentiate between soft styles and hard styles in martial arts. Yin yoga though is a completely nonsensical brand name. In hatha yoga, the yin and yang so to speak should be balanced in every pose. In a restorative pose, you do not completely slump like a couch potato nor should you forcefully move through vinyasas like a gymnast. You pay attention to alignment and you use the breath, gravity to assist you with equipose and ease. In essence, there is no yin yoga/ yang yoga or purna yoga/ apurna yoga. It is all branding, marketing, greed and misunderstanding that is at play. I am not a big fan of Paul Grilley, he relies too much on the works of Yogananda and Hiroshi Motoyama for his information on chakras, instead of more reliable literature like tantras and agamas. Yin yoga and Yang yoga are both dangerous. Yin yoga doesn’t place enough emphasis on alignment, reciprical muscular inhibition, joint stability and yang yoga (pseudo vinyasa) is also dangerous, because it forces people through postures they are not ready for in a random order. Yoga is yoga, you have to find balance within one practice and as you advance even in just one posture done perfectly. You do not need to compart mentalise everything.
[QUOTE=Sarvamaṅgalamaṅgalā;70260]dangerous, because it forces people through postures they are not ready for in a random order[/QUOTE]
As a yoga “teacher” or guide if you will, how does one force people through postures?
With traditional vinyasa people start out with easier poses and then gradually work towards adding more advanced poses to their sequences, but in so called yang yoga people simply follow the instructor/guide to do poses they are not ready for.
@Sarva,
If a teacher is good, they will not “force” any student into poses they are not ready for. Doesn’t matter if it is Yin, Vinyasa, Ashtanga, or anything more Yang in nature.
And while I agree with you that there is too much branding of styles (think Bikram) I don’t think the vast majority are motivated by greed.
There is always a forcing when you teach only yang or ying yoga. The entire attitude changes, because of the label yin or yang. The student is forced to stretch and relax in yin yoga, even when the student needs more stability, in yang yoga the student is forced to move through ranges of motion, even when they are not ready. It is not so much about how good the teacher is, if the yin or yang of the practice is already predetermined. It is about how good the student is, an advanced student can do a “yin” or “yang” practice without problem, because his body is already build to deal with the extremes of yoga poses. But a beginner needs a teacher that can properly adapt the practice to the individual or follow a program that is progressive like Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga. We can take as an example someone with hypermobility in the shoulder and hip joints, both yin and yang yoga will only worsen the condition. This student needs to build stability through isometric postures which are neither part of yin yoga or yang yoga.