Stressed out, muscles tense... do Yin yoga tonight to relax your lower body

Do you often feel stressed at work, have tight muscles, stiff joints, lack of strength in the lower body, and are prone to edema? You might as well start practicing Yin Yoga tonight to make the parts of the body that lack elasticity and are difficult to exercise, such as the buttocks, pelvis, waist, and hind leg muscles, gradually become more elastic and have stronger muscles through practice. An American yoga master will demonstrate some basic Yin Yoga moves that everyone can practice together, especially the hips, pelvis, waist, and hind leg muscles, to help relax the body and mind, aid sleep, and increase body flexibility.

Yin Yoga is not a completely new product, but a yoga school that integrates the wisdom of Taoist philosophy, Indian yoga and Buddhism. American yoga teacher Paul Grilley, who has extensive knowledge of anatomy, Taoist yoga, and chakras, has practiced and integrated these knowledge for decades. Based on the existing ancient wisdom, he founded the Yin Yoga school in the 1980s.

Muscle tissue is yang, connective tissue is yin

In his new book, Yin Yoga, Paul Gurley states that all forms of yoga can be classified as "yin" or "yang," depending on which part of the body it affects. The focus of yoga practice is yang if it is on muscle training and blood circulation, and yin if it is on connective tissue. As we move and flex our joints in yoga poses, our muscles and connective tissues are stretched. Muscle is yang because it is soft and elastic, while connective tissue is yin because it is stiff and inelastic.

In the study of this book, "muscle" refers to muscles and tendons, while the term "connective tissue" refers to ligaments and fascia (connective tissue in a broad sense). Because dense connective tissue responds to rhythmic pressure differently than muscles do. Connective tissue resists brief stress, but slowly changes when appropriate stress is applied for three to five minutes. Therefore, Yin Yoga movements are mostly static, with each posture lasting about 3 to 5 minutes. Beginners can reduce the time to 1 to 3 minutes as appropriate, and use some auxiliary tools, including yoga bricks, yoga pillows, blankets, etc.

Do you feel stressed at work, have tight muscles, stiff joints, lack of strength in the lower body, and are prone to edema? You might as well start practicing Yin Yoga.

When staying in Yin Yoga poses, muscles need to be relaxed

In order to apply pressure to the connective tissue around the joint, the muscles must first relax. If the muscles are tight, then the connective tissue will not feel the pressure. You can experience this for yourself by gently pulling on the middle finger of your left hand. When your left hand is relaxed, you can feel the connective tissue at the knuckle closest to the palm stretching. As the left fingers clench and open, you can feel the muscles pulling against the knot, but the connective tissue is not stretched.

Here are 3 Yin yoga poses for beginners:

★Pentacle

Yin Yoga★Pentacle/Lie flat on the ground with your hands and legs open in a relaxed and non-guarded posture. Close your eyes and let your body sink toward the ground. (Photo provided by Business Weekly Publishing)

Effect:

After practicing a difficult pose, it will be easier to relax in Pentagram to feel the energy and blood flowing and filling a certain area of ​​the body. Even the discomfort we feel in our joints is a manifestation of Qi, and we can learn to perceive it objectively. This exercise is very helpful for directing the flow of chi during meditation.

action:

Lie flat on your back with your arms and legs open in a relaxed, non-defensive position. Close your eyes and let your body sink toward the ground.

The ideal mindset for practicing Yin Yoga is not to wait anxiously. Try to feel the pressure in different parts of the body caused by the flow of various qi, blood and fluids during the pose. The body posture described above is just a suggestion. Opening your body with your hands and feet and increasing the area in contact with the ground will help you learn to feel your body, but in fact, any posture that makes you comfortable will do. You can do Pentagram anytime for 1 to 5 minutes.

Half Butterfly

Yin Yoga★Half Butterfly/Sit with one leg straight and the other leg bent and tucked into the opposite groin.

Yin Yoga★Half Butterfly/Sit with one leg straight and the other leg bent and tucked into the opposite groin.

Benefit: Half Butterfly stretches the leg and straightens the back and spine on that side. This will help correct the uneven flow of Qi on both sides of the spine and also help reduce pressure on the spine. For a culture where 80% of the population experiences lower back pain, this pose is extremely valuable.

Movement: Half butterfly pose is done by sitting with one leg straight and the other leg bent and tucked into the opposite groin (Figure A).

Tuck your chin toward your chest, lean forward, and try to grasp your ankles or feet (Figure B).

Try gripping the balls of your feet to increase the depth of your stretch. The knee of the straight leg can be slightly bent at first, just enough to feel a stretch in the back of the straight leg. Stay in this position for 3 to 5 minutes.

★Half-Frog

Yin Yoga★Half-Frog/The body comes to the middle of the legs, and the groin on the straight leg side and the hip on the bent leg side will be stretched more.

Yin Yoga★Half-Frog/Straighten your legs, bend the other leg and sit with the sole of your foot close to your buttocks.

Benefit: Half frog stretches your hamstrings and groin. Because half frog thrusts the pelvis forward, it stretches the hamstrings and groin more simultaneously than half butterfly. Beginners will feel the hamstrings more than the groin, but as the body slowly stretches, the groin will also be stretched.

Movement: Sit with one leg straight and the other bent with the sole of the foot close to the buttocks. The ankle of the bent leg can be hooked or the instep can be placed on the ground.

Open your legs to a comfortable width and lean forward. If your torso is closer to your straight legs, your hamstrings will be stretched more.

If the torso comes to the center of the legs, there will be more stretch in the groin on the straight leg and in the hip on the bent leg. Be careful not to strain the knee of your bent leg. Stay in Half Frog for two to three minutes on each side.