Yin yoga and Vinyasa Flow are two yoga styles that can be seen as living on opposite sides of the energy spectrum – Vinyasa often working with yang (active) energy and yin working with, well, yin (passive) energy. Vinyasa Flow teacher Laura Gate-Eastley and yin teacher Sarah Lo believe integrating both yin and yang energy into your daily practice is deeply enriching. They’ll explore this during their daylong workshop in Soho on 21 July 2019. Laura shares a bit more around this idea and why it has evolved into a daylong retreat.
On Saturday evening I dragged my reluctant eight-year-old away from a computer screen to come and see the sunset. Although she did agree it was beautiful, I felt myself frustrated that she didn’t feel the “wow-ness” of the experience that I did. Then I thought, “Did I actually appreciate the beauty of nature in the same way I do now when I was eight?”
It got me thinking about how our tastes mature, and how much better we are at slowing down and really savouring the moment as we grow. That’s exactly what happened with my yin yoga path. Way back in my energetic ashtanga days, I was fortunate enough to study with renowned yin teacher Paul Grilley as part of my teacher training. I loved yin yoga, but mentally filed away what I was learning to practice when I “wasn’t feeling well”.
Like my daughter and the sunset – “Yes, great. Can I get back to my computer now please?” – I did not fully appreciate the gift I was being given.
With the wisdom of experience, age and inspiring teachers like Paul and Sarah Lo, I see how yin yoga has given my dynamic yoga practice more grace and less force. My cortisol levels drop me into a place of serenity and joy. Truly, I can’t imagine not having this addition to my yoga practice.
I am really excited about sharing the work Sarah does with what I offer to our students. During our workshop we will be exploring yin and yang energy, and how to incorporate both into your regular practice. We intend to leave you with that well-rounded and thoroughly re-set feeling – the one your have after a retreat, but without the hassle and expense of leaving town. Here are some topics we’ll be exploring:
How do yin and vinyasa integrate and enrich each other?
The workshops that we create are born out of a genuine way we both love to practise together in our weekly Tuesday classes at triyoga Soho. We have both come to appreciate that the yin and yang of our yoga practices can be adapted to suit almost everybody, if students are aligning their intention to what feels right to them.
Yin before yang or yang before yin?
Find out how you might have both yin and vinyasa as part of your practice. Students are often confused as to which should come first, yin or yang. Learn how you could weave both into your practice to feel that the practices give you energy rather than drain you.
Function and alignment
Whether we are instructing with alignment cues in vinyasa or the target area in yin, ultimately it is the function of a sequence of postures that helps to bring the body back to a sense of balance or homeostasis. The principals of both practices are to help nurture and support your body in any given moment rather than feeling we are following a set of rules.
Chi flow
Both yin and vinyasa work to enhance the mobility of chi in the body. The distinction is where in the body chi is infused. In yin we work at a deeper level in the connective tissues whereas in vinyasa, we are primarily strengthening the myofascia. It’s so important to have both for a strong, stable and mobile body.
