Private Yin yoga in Metro Manila
Floor postures held for three to five minutes at a time. Nothing in it is strenuous. The difficult part is staying still. The slowest of the four. Nothing is held by muscle, and nothing is rushed.
STYLE PHOTO
Vertical 4:5 — a Yin posture
mid-session, natural light
What Yin actually is
Yin works the other way round from most yoga. Instead of engaging a muscle you let it go, settle into a shape that props are holding up for you, and then stay there for several minutes. Holding that long is the whole point, because it reaches the denser tissue around a joint in a way that a thirty-second stretch does not.
Who it suits
For hips and lower backs that have quietly closed down, and for anyone who finds stillness harder than effort.
What a session feels like
Slow, and longer than you expect. A posture that is fine at thirty seconds is a great deal at three minutes. The sensation stays dull and spread out, never sharp, and props hold you the whole time.
Sessions run 75, 90 or 105 minutes. Bolsters, blankets and blocks. I bring them, and we usually use more than you would expect.
Questions about Yin
Is Yin just stretching?
Not quite. A stretch is usually short and active, with the muscle working against something. In Yin the muscle is deliberately switched off and the props hold the shape, so what you feel is much duller and takes longer to arrive.
It gets uncomfortable. Is that normal?
A dull, broad sensation spread over an area is what we are looking for. Anything sharp, electrical, or felt inside a joint is a sign to come out, and I would far rather you came out early than held on politely. Tell me and we change the shape.
How long are the holds?
Three to five minutes each, which usually means five or six postures in a session. I count for you and talk you through the first minute, then leave you alone with it.
Where I teach it
Sessions come to you. These are the areas I am in most often.