Yin Yoga – My Journey To The Yin Side

posted in: Yin Yoga, Yoga 9

This is the first of a three-part introductory series to Yin Yoga. Make sure to check out part two and part three.

In 2007, when I signed up for my first Yin Yoga Workshop, I actually had no idea what Yin Yoga was. I just recognized the teacher Paul Grilley from his Anatomy For Yoga DVD, which had completely changed both my practice and my teaching. So I just signed up. It was a weekend workshop that changed my Yoga practice and teaching forever!

That first dabble in Yin Yoga created a Yin Yoga love affair that is still going strong today. After that workshop, I felt amazing both physically and energetically. My body had a feeling of space and openness that I had never experienced before, energetically I felt a deep peace and quiet within myself that was completely new to me.

As a recovering  ‘Type A’ personality and a Yogini with some very tight muscles and fascia (from my previous life as a bodybuilder) Yin was exactly what I needed. I immediately bought Paul’s DVD Yin Yoga and began to practice with it 2-3 times a week in addition to my Hatha Yoga practice.

In 2010 I decided that I needed to learn more about Yin Yoga so that I could deepen my practice and offer this powerful practice to my students. So I signed up for my first of many 100-hour teacher training with Paul and Suzee Grilley.

I have now completed hundreds of hours of Yin Yoga teacher training with the Paul and Suzee (and plan to do much more) and I am honored to call them my teachers. The breadth of knowledge, compassion and humility of this amazing couple is unsurpassed in my books and is something that is difficult to put into words.

In the video below I talk more about this journey to the Yin Side.

Generally speaking, we live in a Yang dominated society and culture. All we need to do is look at the huge amount of stress-related diseases to see that this is true. Yin Yoga creates a window of peace and harmony so desperately needed in our fast-paced world.

In the comments below, let me know; have you tried Yin Yoga Yet? For those of you who are Yin Yoga lovers, what difference has it made to you and your life?

Peace, Love and Yin,

nyk

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9 Responses

  1. Heather Parsons
    | Reply

    Thanks for this post. I agree this culture is yang focused, and rewards speed and extroversion over stillness, slowness and introversion. I used to believe in those things too until I developed a lot of stress related issues.
    Yin has changed my yoga and my relationship to everything/ everyone in my life. It has taught me to value the slower things, including my own experience of the world, and to let go of my “getting things done” mentality a little bit. It has also taught me how to listen to my body more closely, respect its signals, and to be calm and stable through discomfort.

    • Nyk Danu
      | Reply

      Heather,
      Wise and hard earned lessons indeed. Some times the universe give us no choice but to slow down and learn the lessons, or so it has been for me. Good thing we found Yin!

  2. Pete Exner
    | Reply

    Nice story, Nyk.

    For me, the Yin yoga classes I attend provide a welcome opportunity to exercise without stress.

    Don’t get me wrong. I love the challenge and the workout I get from Hatha Flow class, but the Yin class gets to areas of my body that I find REALLY need it. And, it’s done in a passive way that allows me to slip into the pose, adjust and then endure and experience it.

    After a Saturday morning Yin class, I feel energized and needing to do something active. I’ve found that I play better golf after a Saturday class and that on Sunday, after doing some Yin back bends and sideways stretches, walking for 4 to 5 hours while playing is not a problem.

    Now, if you could come up with a yoga formula to reduce the number of strokes a golfer takes during a round, you would be a very wealthy person!

    Cheers,
    Pete

    • Nyk Danu
      | Reply

      Hey Pete,
      That’s awesome! I think Yoga is most helpful when it improves our life in general not just our hamstrings ;-). Sadly I have no Golf advice except enjoy the game ignore the score.

  3. New To Yin Yoga? Tips To Get You Started. | nykdanu.com
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    […] Yin Yoga -My Journey To The Yin Side October 22, 2014 […]

  4. Eric
    | Reply

    I am a HUGE lover of Yin Yoga. Interesting thing – for me I get either energized or relaxed when practicing depending on the time of day. Mornings is energizing… evenings bring peace and preparation for sleep. It’s a great practice for runners as it addresses hips and big muscles of the legs.

    I’m hoping to attend Paul’s teacher training in the very near future.

  5. Aika
    | Reply

    Great post! Some of the benefits of Yin yoga include calming and balancing the mind and body, regulating energy in the body, and lowering stress levels.

  6. Yin Yoga For Beginners | Students - Nyk Danu Yoga
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    […] fell in love with Yin Yoga in 2007 when I attended a Yin Yoga workshop taught by Paul Grilley. I had no idea […]

  7. Yin Yoga For Beginners (with practice video) | Students - Nyk Danu Yoga
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    […] If you want to learn more about my journey to Yin Yoga you can do that here. […]

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