Do you find yourself with aches and pains from overexerting yourself during sport?
Or do your muscles need to recover from all the weight training that you do?
If you answered yes to either of these questions, you could benefit immensely from Yin Yoga.
There are benefits both physically and mentally within Yin Yoga.
Let's start with the physical benefits first.
All tissues need stress to be healthy! Once we release the stress, the tissues recover and become stronger. So by stressing our connective tissues surrounding our joints, we begin to safely take them through their natural range of motion, regaining and maintaining their optimal health, therefore maximising athletic performance.
Paul Grilley says, "Athletes don't retire because of muscle problems, they retire because of joint problems. Bad ankles, bad backs, bad knees - these are the injuries that force athletes to retire and old people to shuffle around. Yin Yoga postures gently stretch and rehabilitate the connective tissues that form our joints."
As mentioned in my previous blog post Increasing Hip Flexibility, it is so important to maintain flexibility in your joints to prevent the connective tissues from shortening and tightening, which could lead to other muscles or joints to compensate, creating a ripple effect that you don't want.
It is also important to note whether the sensations you are feeling in a pose are due to tension or compression. (A topic I will go into more depth about in another post.) Tension being due to the tightness of the ligaments wrapping the joint capsule and compression being bone meeting bone so you can't go any further. By asking yourself what stops me? you can begin to differentiate between tension and compression and further deepen your practice.
Now let's move onto the mindful benefits of Yin for athletes.
Yin is such a special practice. Once you have found your edge in a pose and are comfortable to remain still, the magic of the practice begins to seep in. You begin to tune into your body, noticing the sensations that may arise, letting whatever comes up to just be and then letting it go. Even more special is the part where you begin to connect back to your Inner Self, you True Self. This is what I like to believe is the pure magic of Yin Yoga.
By incorporating the mindfulness aspect of Yin into your athletic (Yang) practices, you will start to become more in tune with your body. You will begin to notice the messages it sends you if you are over doing it or if something just doesn't feel quite right. This could help prevent injury and overexertion, as well as reaping the benefits of being in the present moment.
In the end it's all about balancing out the Yin and Yang energies. Having a Yang lifestyle (sports and exercise) paired up with a Yin Yoga practice, will bring you the balance that you need so that your body doesn't become overworked, injured or exhausted.
If you feel intrigued, please come along to one of my weekly Yin Yoga classes. :)
For class times click here.
Amy. x
*Disclaimer: If you decide to give Yin Yoga a try, please listen to your body. If at any point you feel pain, even a little tweak, please don't ignore it and safely ease out of the pose.
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