We live in a very yang-dominated world. We are constantly on the go, we are multitasking,yin yoga teacher training maldives girlnotifications are always ticking in on our phones, our schedules are jam-packed, we have endless to-do lists, and we are always being encouraged to achieve more, make more money, buy a bigger house, work longer and harder, get more results, just do more… Always do more.
Our modern yang-dominated lifestyle desperately calls for balance. Daily stress is impacting our bodies, minds, and souls. Perhaps we keep going because we don’t know how to stop. We don’t know how to get out of the hamster wheel. We simply don’t know of any other way to keep up.
At the same time, we long for ease. To just be. We long for enjoying life just as it is, without this constant doing and achieving.
This is where yin comes in.
Yang is the action of doing, yin is the ability to receive.
Right now our world – and ourselves – is unbalanced. We are lacking the yin, the introspective. When looking at how we live our lives it is no wonder that stress and anxiety are on the rise. There is too much yang and much too little yin. Too much doing and not enough being.
That is why it is so important to consciously connect to our yin side. If we are to restore balance in the world and within ourselves incorporating yin practices into your life is essential. But the world we live in is never going to tell us this, we must consciously choose to connect to our yin side and embrace and cultivate the ability to sit and listen closely.
The Yin Yoga Therapy practice is designed to create space for just that. To unwind your body, clear your mind, and open your heart. To allow energetic healing and balance to take place.
Yin Yoga is more than just physical stretching and rejuvenation. Yin Yoga can be an art, a philosophy and a way of living.
But practising yin yoga is just one way you can connect to your yin side. There are many more yin practices you can incorporate into your daily life so you start to balance the yin and the yang.
A few yin practices we love:
Naturally, we love Yin Yoga. Practising Yin Yoga 2-3 times a week will not only help you with your body’s flexibility and stability, it will also give you a profound sense of calm and relaxation.
Go into nature. Nature is so healing. Get your feet dirty. Dance in the forest. Swim in the ocean. Hug a tree. Breath in the fresh mountain air. Watch sunrises and sunsets. Walk barefooted in the grass. Just connect with Mother Earth.
Dan Tien breathing. Breathe all the way into your belly. Allow your belly to expand gently on each inhalation, exhale fully, let it all go. By breathing deeply you activate the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) and you will start to notice how your body becomes more and more relaxed.
Turn off your phone. Yes, we need our phones for work and staying connected with our friends and family and just the world in general. But it is so important to also take time to disconnect and not be on your phone. Perhaps set your phone on airplane mode every night and don’t turn it on until after you have had a bit of quiet time in the morning to just be.
Be still. Just sit with a cup of tea and enjoy your life. No phone, no magazines, no music, no podcasts. Allow yourself to just be.
Create your own yin rituals. Sweeten that tea with a dash of cinnamon, put love instead of sugar. Drink it sitting on your favourite spot on the ground, rooting yourself while lighting a candle and applying your preferred aroma oil on your wrists.
Nourish yourself by mindfully preparing your food fresh, sprinkling some blessings over it.
We hope these practices will help bring some balance to your life. Remember, connecting to your yin side doesn’t have to be a big thing. It can be as simple as just sitting down and taking a few deep, nourishing breaths while allowing all your worries, cares and stressors to float away.
