Yin Yoga

As conceptualized in the Taoist and Dharmic traditions, the sequences of postures are meant to stimulate the channels of the subtle body, known as meridians in Chinese medicine and as nadis in Hatha yoga.

Yin Yoga poses apply moderate stress to the connective tissues of the body—the tendons, fasciae, and ligaments—with the aim of increasing circulation in the joints and improving flexibility.

Yin Yoga is taught across the world, encouraged by its teachers Paul Grilley, Sarah Powers and Bernie Clark.

As taught by Grilley, Powers and Clark, it is not intended as a complete practice in itself, but as a complement to more active forms of yoga and exercise.

Zink's approach includes the full range of Taoist yoga, focusing on animalistic movements and the balancing of Yin and Yang energies.

[4] Taoist priests taught long-held poses, along with breathing techniques, to Kung Fu practitioners beginning 2000 years ago, to help them fully develop their martial arts skills.

[5] The practice of a series of long-held floor poses was introduced in North America in the late 1970s by the martial arts champion Paulie Zink.

[12][13][14][15] In his first years of teaching, many of Zink's students were martial arts practitioners who had developed strong but tight muscles, and he taught them only beginner level Taoist Yoga, focusing on long-held yin poses to alleviate their lack of flexibility.

[19] In 1989, Grilley met Hiroshi Motoyama, a Japanese scholar and yoga practitioner,[16] who had researched the physiology of Traditional Chinese Medicine and written on it extensively.

[30] In the body, the relatively stiff connective tissues (tendons, ligaments, fascia) are considered yin, while the more mobile and pliable muscles and blood are called yang.

For example, in Seal pose, in which a practitioner lies face down and raises the trunk, the upward movement is gradual and entirely supported by the arms, while the legs are relaxed, whereas in Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose), the practitioner actively curves the spine upward in an arc using arms and lower back muscles, and reaches back with the legs strongly.

[16] During the long hold times of the yin asanas, teachers usually give "dharma talks", informal monologues that often explain the physiology and anatomy of poses, including the meridian lines being affected.