20 Minutes of Yin Yoga
Tis the season to be jolly...
I absolutely love this time of year; however, it's so easy to get wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of everything. Year end planning, work, shopping, family, holiday parties... When things get really busy, the first thing to go is my yoga and meditation practice, and to be honest, that's the thing I need the most.
Although we are all busy, I'm sure we can find 20 minutes to invest in our own wellbeing. And it's not selfish to do this. Yoga cultivates love and happiness, and that love and happiness radiates from us and is shared with everyone around us. And we could all do with a little more love and happiness around us, especially this time of year.
So today we are slowing things down with some Yin Yoga. This restorative yoga practice is designed to help you focus better, sit longer, and more comfortably by stretching connective tissue around the joints. It's a practice of mindfulness and is perfect for anyone who's active, does power yoga or those who have a busy job, life, or just want to go deeper in their yoga or meditation practice.
Yin Yoga involves variations of seated and supine poses typically held for 3 to 5 minutes, accessing deeper layers of fascia. It also connects with the meridian lines in the body to help promote healing. Today we will be holding a series of poses for 5 minutes focusing in on our adductor muscles (hips, lower back, and knees) to help:
- Open the hips, groin, and the back of thighs
- Provide a gentle opening to inner knees
- For women, stimulate the ovaries
Yin can be very frustrating for beginners. It takes practice and time. Not only are you training your mind to be still and calm, you're working through the connective tissues in the body to lengthen the adductor muscles. These are the muscles that often tug on the sitting bones, just like the hamstrings do, causing the top of the hips to tilt backward and making it hard to lean forward, especially for 5 minutes! Persistence is key, and props are your best friend!
A regular yoga practice will help you increase flexibility, strength, tone your body, and reduce stress. Try to get on your mat at least once a week, if not 2-3 times per week.
Let me know in the comments below (or on my YouTube page) if there's anything you'd like me to focus on and I will design a class just for you!
I will be posting a new video every month, so stay tuned for more, and if there’s anything you want to see please let me know in the comments below. And as always, if you like my content, please subscribe to my channel, like my video and share with your friends!
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