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. It is pretty common in today’s Yoga world for practitioners to mix these two styles, especially because a big portion of regular Yoga students still choose rather dynamic and performative practices as their consistent routine and opt for more relaxing classes only now and then. The practices should be named for what they offer in a correct manner so the students rip the benefits out according to their own needs. More Yang Yoga styles help stretch the muscles and maintain the body fit and healthy, however more gentle Yoga practices bring a more inwards quality: a reshape of our tissues and ligaments as well as a reset of our minds and nervous systems, in an active relaxation. Ultimately, a well structured and complete physical practice includes a combination of Restorative, Yin and Dynamic flow as each style brings its own benefits.
To offer a definition of each of the two styles, we could say the following:
Restorative Yoga: It is a Yoga practice that focuses on deep relaxation through floor-based poses, mild in intensity and supported by props. Props are used to create a completely effortless experience of long-held postures.
Yin Yoga: The primary purpose of Yin is to stress the connective tissues through long deep holds in specific poses, with the alignment that feels right in that moment. Even if it is a passive practice, Yin Yoga is not supposed to be easy. Poses are held for several minutes, with as little muscular effort as possible, but with deep sensations of stretch. Apart from students with joint injuries, Yin Yoga is available to all students with healthy functioning bodies.
In Yin Yoga we come into postures that stress the body while maintaining a somewhat extended time and using props optionally to sustain the target area, whereas a Restorative Yoga posture supports the body in the effortless experience of prolonged rest by using a lot of props. The naming of the poses differs as well, since Yin Yoga is a more modern approach to Yoga, with specific poses that shift from the conventional naming of traditional Yoga. Ideally, students who seek Yin Yoga practices are benefiting from strength, flexibility, an improved posture, healthier joints and a minimum of movement for someone that leads a more passive lifestyle. On the other hand, Restorative Yoga is extremely beneficial for stress release, so for example students that experience a lot of stress on a daily basis, need a safe and relaxing environment and find it difficult to unwind from work or schedules.
The philosophy behind the two styles is also very important to understand, since Yin Yoga is based on Taoism or Buddhist philosophy of Zen, of interconnection between nature, beings and energy, as well as on TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), that deals with meridians (energy channels) and the five elements in nature. Playing and using the energy of the physical body in an optimal way is also a focus of Restorative Yoga, however the aim is to calm down our nervous system and bring it into Rest and Digest (Parasympathetic Nervous System activation). With its roots in Iyengar Yoga, that focuses a lot on alignment, this approach is brought into the peaceful state of simply being and resting in the poses, with effortless ease. Blankets, bolsters, pillows, eye pillows, blocks and straps are used to prop the body for deep rest within each posture. There is a quality of Savasana in each of the poses, as the body sinks deeper into a state similar to sleep but still present, aware.
On the contrary, Yin Yoga is more about the exploration of the pose, finding first the right edge to remain still for 3 to 5 minutes at least, respecting our range of motion, then marinate in that stillness for as long as it is needed. It is also a practice that targets the fascia, the web of interconnected tissues, ligaments, joints and bones of the body, so any of the poses is experienced with minimum muscle engagement. Yin Yoga is also characterized by small moments of recovery between the poses, so called rebound moments, helping the blood circulation and energy flow better. Moreover, alignment is not that crucial in Yin practices, since it is more about the feeling behind each posture, so a rounded spine, a relaxed neck and surrendering to gravity are all accepted. Props are welcome in order to make the poses more accessible to all participants or to ease the intensity of a pose.
Temperature is also different for the two practices. Yin Yoga is usually performed in a non-heated space, allowing time and patience for the ligaments and fascia to become more mobile, without putting any strain and through slower, gentle holds. On the contrary, most Restorative practices since they encompass only a few postures within one class, are done in a comfortably warm room and a cozy welcoming environment that promotes deep rest (think about candles, a smooth light, blankets and socks).
Lastly, the poses in Yin are more catered to students with functioning bodies and minimal injuries, since anyone with a risk of injury could not benefit from a deeper stretch of the pose. Students with some limitations or injuries can still join a Restorative Yoga class, after discussing with the teacher the possibilities and options as well as the desired focus to restore the student to the optimal condition, since flexibility is not the main goal.
So far, we focused mostly on the differences, but are there any similarities between the two styles of Yoga? Both of them aim to promote a certain amount of relaxation and a reset of the nervous system in the class. Both can be seen as meditative, slow, receptive and mindful practices, with an inward focus. Most importantly, they both promote a certain degree of healing and inner healing, by allowing time and space to listen deeply to the physical and emotional needs and to connect deeply to our breath. In both practices, it is recommended to pause and step out of the pose, if the student experiences any pain or discomfort, so the idea is to develop a safe and supportive space for everyone involved. During both classes, coming to a place of stillness in the body as well as the mind can actually be a much stronger practice than many imagine, so why not try it for yourself?.
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