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There's a wonderful old saying, “Tension is who we think we should be, but relaxation is who we are.” We can carry that wisdom with us to our yoga mat. Relaxation is integral to supporting our whole self wellbeing and key to a beneficial Yin Yoga & Meditation practice.
In Yin Yoga, we’re invited to let go of the work of the muscles to allow the stimulation of the poses to move more deeply into the body. In this way, we exercise the yin side of our body helping to keep our soft tissues hydrated, strong, and healthy.
This muscular relaxation also aids the release of myofascial tensions within the fascial network woven throughout the body. These fascial tensions can restrict our tissues' natural range of movement, cause fatigue, constrict the nerves and blood vessels running through it, and even lead to pain.
As our body relaxes, the mind and heart can relax more too, and energetic tensions can dissolve. Relaxation in one layer supports relaxation in the other layers. By relaxing all layers of our being, we create such lovely and loving space to inhabit our sensing self.
This deep release infuses the whole of our Yin experience with rest so we can encounter our innermost landscapes with welcome and wonder on the mat.
But relaxing isn’t always easy! Thankfully, incorporating the relaxation tools of the time-tested practice of Yoga Nidra can help.
Scientifically proven to activate the rest-renewal-healing response, Yoga Nidra techniques offer us an accessible and effective way to experience whole-body relaxation even while encountering the sensations of the Yin postures.
If you enjoy weaving Yin Yoga and elements of Yoga Nidra together in your practice or teaching or would like to begin exploring the possibilities, I wanted to share with you that I’ve released a FREE Yoga Nidra practice that is available for you to download. You can access it right HERE ✨
In this 30-minute Yoga Nidra guided meditation, you’ll be invited on a calming journey within yourself to where the deep waters of the mind meet the shoreline of the heart. It can be a wonderful support for an extended savasana experience at the end of your Yin journey as you trail into transcendent stillness, or portions could also easily be used on their own to arrive to the Yin mat, settle into the experience of a Yin posture, or during counterpose rest periods.
This practice, “Reconnect with the Calm Within,” is from my newest book, The Book of Yoga Nidra Meditation Scripts. My first book, Yin Yoga & Meditation also contains many versatile Yoga Nidra-Inspired techniques you might enjoy adding to your yoga toolbox. Both are available on Amazon. I hope they serve your teaching and practice well!
