Yang mountain – Yin river

Yoga promotes the flow of energy in the body through both stimulating energy release (especially in the active yang practices) and through removing deep blockages to the energy flow (especially in the more passive yin practices).
When we become imbalanced and stray from our ‘centre’, we unconsciously tend to adopt more Yin and less Yang, or vice-versa. Yin and yang are relative terms: they describe two separate aspects of existence, yet cannot survive one without the other.
Generally, Yang refers to entities that are higher and brighter, exhibiting forceful and dynamic actions such as mountains. Yin refers to entities that are lower and calmer like rivers, which exhibit passive and yielding traits.

Yin Yoga

Yin yoga targets the connective tissues, ligaments, joints and synovial fluid. Most poses are practiced while seated or lying down, making Yin Yoga accessible even for people with a very limited range of movement or other limitations. In order to get into these deep tissues, the poses are held anywhere from 1 to 10 minutes, during which time the muscles stay relaxed with the help of props such as blocks, straps and bolsters. It is the practice of silence and letting go, guiding you into a state of simple being. Practitioners learn how to focus on the moment, thus reducing anxiety, tension and stress. The gentle opening of the joints in connection with a harmonized energy flow in the body makes this practice especially beneficial for competitive athletes and active people. However, due to its calming effect on the cardiovascular system, Yin Yoga is a very helpful practice for everyone looking to heal or reenergize his or her body. Yin is active in awareness. It is the work that develops a deep knowledge of your own body and mind, helping to bring balance to our Western yang ways of life.

Yin Yoga & Athletes

No one knows your body better than you, but getting to that point of self-awareness can be a challenge. Desire in balance will guide along the path to understanding yourself, and your body. Together, we will target many areas with a special focus on:

Regeneration
The long held poses have a positive effect on our autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for our vital functions such as breathing, regulating blood pressure as well as our metabolism. Therefore, yin yoga is of great use for the regeneration of our inner organs. Furthermore, the energy flow in our body becomes harmonized which enables our bodies to heal any injures with an appropriate blood & oxygen supply that is also key for a proper regeneration.

Performance
Through the gentle opening of the joints, an increased flexibility is achieved and any blockages in our bodies, emotional or physical, can be released. That way, the athlete acquires a greater range of motion and proper form. In addition, yin will enable you to have a better understanding of your body as a whole and the deep breathing will teach the ambitious athlete how to stay calm and in the moment at all times.

Injury prevention
Since the focus of yin is on the deep tissues, it is possible to experience a deeper healing. This way small, unnoticed injuries are being taken care of before they get the chance to get worse and make us stop competing for an uncertain amount of time.

Yang Yoga

The term Yang is used when referring to the style of yoga that works on strengthening a superficial layer of the body, the muscle tissues. Yang yoga includes Iyengar, power, or vinyasa, to name a few styles of the hatha branch, one of the six branches of yoga. During this practice, the student works through different poses, referred to as ‘asanas’, which can also be combined into a sequence or flow. diB teaches a style of yang which is highly influenced by Forrest Yoga. This hybrid style of yoga encourages students to connect to their core to not only get strong, but also centered and balanced. As Ana Forrest, creator of Forrest Yoga explains herself: “Forrest Yoga is based in the rich practice from the East, but applied for the Western lifestyle.” In comparison to the Yin tissues in our body, the Yang parts of us are about changing the world, rather than accepting the world for what it is. The Yang in our bodies often dominates and is therefore embraced without our conscious effort. This affects elite level athletes perhaps more so as they tend to be extremely driven individuals. Frequently undisciplined and “free-running”, excess Yang can do our body, mind and soul more harm than good, which is exactly where our work together begins: Revealing and merging the yin and the yang, the healer and the warrior, to achieve a harmonious balance.