The difference between YIN YOGA and RESTORATIVE YOGA
Nowadays, more and more people are suffering from chronic stress, due to the quality of our everyday life dropping. Yoga overall can help with this, especially through its gentle, slow and mindful practices, like Restorative or Yin Yoga. But are these practices similar or rather different? And if so, in what do the differences consist of?
Yin Yoga and TCM: Summer & Late Summer season- elements, organs and emotions
Yin Yoga in the summer, with its longer holds and stretch of the deeper connective tissues, can immensely help balance the season's Yang energy with a more grounding and introspective approach as well as a deeper connection to the body's natural rhythm, so it is recommended to do more Yin flows or slower gentle practices during this season than any other.
Yin Yoga and TCM: Summer season- meridians and postures
In Yin Yoga, summer's association with the Fire element and its related Heart and Small Intestine meridians can be addressed through poses that open the chest and heart and promote grounding, such as Thread the Needle, Twisted Child’s Pose, Open and Closed Heart, Banana or Crescent Moon pose and Melting Heart. These poses, when held for extended durations can help with improving digestion and calming the fire of the heart.
Yin Yoga and TCM: Spring season- main element, organs and emotions
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Spring is a season of rebirth and growth, a season everyone is longing and waiting for, after the heavy depth and coldness of winter. However, it is also a season of transitions and changes, which bring a lot of instability and uncertainty that require a sudden adaptation and flexibility. By understanding the qualities of Spring and following TCM’s recommendations for a harmonious life, we can tap into the season’s energy and wisdom to enhance physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
Yin Yoga and TCM: Spring season- meridians and postures
Our Western way of living, full of overstimulation can impact in a negative way the Qi/energy of both the liver and the gallbladder. When the liver and the gallbladder are imbalanced, one might experience high levels of stress, frustration, anger. Balancing the liver and gallbladder Qi can help cultivate calm, patience, a greater ability to deal with the day-to-day stress and to express oneself more freely and creatively.
Yin Yoga and TCM: Winter season- meridians and postures
In TCM, the state of nature reflects what quality our everyday life should have in order to be in harmony with the energies. Winter is therefore the perfect time for introspection and introversion, time to ask the right questions and find the real answers. Time to breathe more and create more space in our minds and hearts. It is a time for slower, gentler practices, where one can really go within.
Yin Yoga and TCM: Winter season- main element, organs and emotions
Stagnation, laziness or a general heaviness in moving and thinking are downsides of this winter period. The death of nature around us as well as lack of stimulation and excitement, in comparison to the rest of the seasons, make one prone to feelings of loneliness, depression or isolation. However, it doesn’t have to be like this, if we can mindfully switch this perspective into allowing more space and dedication for more inner work, connecting to ourselves more and finding the necessary time to do the healing.
Yin Yoga and TCM: Autumn season- meridians and postures
Autumn season represents the transition between Yang and Yin, from the expansive and solar energy of summer, to the more introspective and slow one of autumn and later winter. Summer energy might be the best season to juggle many things at the same time, but Autumn is definitely the time to harvest the fruits of our actions and also narrow our focus to one thing at a time, finding a balance between doing and resting.
Yin Yoga and TCM: Autumn season- main element, organs and emotions
An important component to autumn is the feeling of letting go, associated also with this period of acute changes. Autumn is a wonderful time to reflect on what is no longer needed and to let go of what no longer serves us. This can translate into something big like letting go of a person, a home or a situation, but can also refer to letting go of a belief, way of living or material possessions for instance. It's natural for us as humans to resist change or uncertainty, but once we understand how life itself is made entirely of change and uncertainty, then we might come to an understanding and acceptance of this in the long run and offer space for new beginnings and growth.
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