no thanks, I don't want to sign up. Sign up to acess your free guide to the ultimate wellness weekend, our newsletter, and #revitalize2016! Yin Yoga, a less popular style of yoga in the west is an approach that some may have never even heard of. One that in my experience, takes many a few times to really warm up to and even understand. Initially called “Daoist” yoga this style of yoga targets the deep connective tissues of the body (vs. the superficial tissues) and the fascia that covers the body; this Daoist yoga is to help regulate the flow of energy in the body. Paul Grilley, who brought this concept to the forefront, accredits three main teachers for this concept, one of which is Paulie Zink, who taught him Daoist Yoga. Many teach Yin Yoga today, one of which is Sarah Powers, a student of Paul’s; although she teaches very different than Paul, while taking a Yin Yoga training from him in Chicago, he noted her credit for aligning the name “Yin Yoga” with this style.

Yin Yoga postures are more passive postures, mainly on the floor and the majority of postures equal only about three dozen or so, much less than the more popular yang like practices. Yorkshire Terrier Sale HungaryYin Yoga is unique in that you are asked to relax in the posture, soften the muscle and move closer to the bone. Toy Chiwawa Puppies For Sale In PaWhile yang-like yoga practices are more superficial, Yin offers a much deeper access to the body. Rollei Digital Camera PriceIt is not uncommon to see postures held for three to five minutes, even 20 minutes at a time. The time spent in these postures is much like time spent in meditation, and I often talk students through the postures as if they were trying to meditate. While in a Yin class you might notice similar postures to a yang class except they are called something else, on a basic level this is to help the students mind shift form yang to yin, active to passive.

So what exactly is Yin yoga?This intimate practice of yoga requires students to be ready to get intimate with the self, with feelings, sensations, and emotions, something of which I have noticed can be easy to avoid in a fast paced yoga practice. Yin yoga is often used in programs that deal with addictions, eating disorders, anxiety and deep pain or trauma. For me my first experience with yoga was when I was knee deep in an eating disorder. Not familiar with the difference in practices I did notice that yoga helped me, and I often equate my practice to saving my life. Now that being said, several years later I stumbled across Yin yoga and found that the recovery process I had been going through apparently needed some more work and WOW did Yin point that out to me. I often struggled with being alone, sitting with feelings and sensations (something addicts struggle with) and found it challenging to face myself and the rawness of what I was doing and who I was in that moment. This concept in practice, allowed me a greater mental stability something much of which is a benefit of meditation, basically “learning to sit still.”

Some of the benefits of Yin yoga are:Calming and balancing to the mind and bodyRegulates energy in the bodyIncreases mobility in the body, especially the joints and hipsLowering of stress levels (no one needs that)Greater staminaBetter lubrication and protection of jointsMore flexibility in joints & connective tissueRelease of fascia throughout the bodyHelp with TMJ and migrainesDeeper RelaxationA great coping for anxiety and stressBetter ability to sit for meditationUltimately you will have a better Yang practiceI really do believe that if you incorporate a little of both will create a more well-rounded practice as well as a better-rounded version of the awesome you!Photographer: Annemieke Vink via yogashala.nl Foam Rolling Exercises To Relieve Neck & Back Pain, Increase Flexibility & Restore Total Body Health The Perfect Essential Oil For Your Zodiac Sign How To Heal Adrenal Fatigue: The Food & Habits You Need For Optimal Health & Energy How To Balance Your Hormones For Glowing Skin, Deeper Sleep & Better Digestion

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A Greek Yogurt Beauty Bark That's Packed With Superfoods How Becoming A Yogi Made Me A Better Runner A Tantric Expert's Secrets To Loving Your Body No Matter What Eat Your Way Calm With These Anxiety-Busting Foods Save this article to: Send This Article To Your Friends Separate email addresses by commasNadya Lukic via Getty Images As we are moving into the summer, and try to slip into our summer clothes, many of us remember those New Year's Resolution. One of the most common resolutions we make is to lose those extra pounds.With the upsurge of yoga, people always ask me if yoga actually works for weight loss. We see the pictures of yoga bodies in attractive yoga clothing and start to wonder... If yoga actually works, how does it work?First off, there are many different yoga styles. You can practice from the intense hot & flow variety to the slower yin & restorative styles. We are taught that weight loss is all about calories -- decreasing calories intake and increasing calorie expenditure.

The styles of yoga that are more power-like, are obviously going to be greater calorie burners. After much research, it has been 'studied' that the average person burns 250-350 calories per 75-minute power class. Of course, this may vary depending on factors such as your current weight and intensity of your physical practice among others.In a slower class such as yin or restorative, the number of calories burned is significantly less, but the internal benefits may be more beneficial for long term weight lossSo how does yoga -- regardless of the style -- help you to lose weight? One of the main purposes of yoga is to calm the mind & body down for the purpose of meditation. Most yoga practitioners can relate to leaving a class and feeling better. Why do they feel better? People feel better for one main reason -- and that is because they are breathing better.So regardless of the number of calories burned, here is a list of four ways yoga can help you lose weight: 1) Breathing slower. When we breathe slowly and more relaxed, we actually accentuate the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS).

Amplifying the PNS actually increases blood circulation to the digestive tract and thereby increases metabolism.2) As we accentuate the PNS, we actually are more conscious. We chew our food slower, we are more conscious about our food choices and how much we eat. Another huge benefit is that we are more aware of how full we actually are. These actually help us to eat less but feel fuller.3) Certain yin and restorative yoga postures are excellent at increasing blood circulation to our digestive organs. As a result, we metabolize our food better, feel less bloated, decrease acid production in our stomach and feel lighter in our whole body.4) Practicing yoga regularly helps us to feel happier. When we feel happier internally, we will feel better about ourselves as a whole. This sensation of feeling better in our mind and our bodies has a positive impact on our mind-body connection. Feeling better about ourselves and increasing self-esteem is actually studied to help our bodies function better & thereby digest our food with greater ease.