We are all battling stress, tension, and mental challenges. Yin yoga is the theme for this month and in this second part (of four) you will learn more about how you can reduce stress and tension in your life. I, like most people, have a long list of tasks to accomplish every day and many roles to juggle. Let me educate, guide and inspire you to a more balanced life with where yin yoga plays an important part.
This is a part of our four week yin yoga theme in BEYOGA365, with the purpose to guide you to a more relaxed and balanced month of December. Read the introduction of the month here!
Week 2 (of 4) - Connection, stillness and the art of releasing tension
I run my own company; I’m the mother of two small children (whom spending a lot of time with is important to me), I work as a yoga teacher, writer, lecturer, coach, and dramatist. I teach yoga and meditation to groups and to individuals; and I conduct trainings and workshops and coordinate various events. But in between, I try to just to be still and be me. I constantly reflect upon how I can reduce tension and stress in my life. And I have, together with my family, made many conscious decisions in order to achieve greater space so I can stay attuned to what life has to offer. I want to actually live and be a present parent, wife, human being, and yogini, and not have my life be solely about tasks and mastering them.
Most of us spend nearly every waking moment connecting to the world around us, as experienced through our five physical senses of taste, touch, sight, smell, and hearing. As we grow up and move through life on this physical plane, we identify more and more with this physical mode of existence, defining ourselves by how we look, what we wear, where we go. But we are so much more than this.
In yoga, we deal with aspects of tension through a wide-lens objective. We understand that if one part of a person is tense, other parts are too. If the mind is tense, so is the stomach, and if the stomach is tense, then the whole circulatory system is too. Therefore, yoga empasizes the importance of releasing tension. Inner tension can manifest in unhappy life chaos and disorder in the social life, as well as in aggression and warfare between cultures and nations.
Yoga claims that peace can only be achieved from within. I would say this is accurate, since we have tried for thousands of years to achieve peace in the world through religion, law, police forces, armies, and governments, and it still eludes us. In order to create a more peaceful world, we need to learn how to relax and balance our bodies and minds.
Dive deeper - further reading
To continue reading and learning more about connection, stillness and the art of releasing tension read the entire text in this separate blog post.
This week's challenges
Continue to practice yin two times this week. Do the one you did last week once and the other one, or one from the video library (where you'll find both longer and shorter sequences) once. Follow up with the recommended meditation right after. The other days work on balancing this class with some stability, flowing or strengthening classes.
I also invite you to ask yourself and inquire around the following questions during the week when you have a moment before, during and after your practice:
- Is my life very yang – oriented? Can I start to find a daily space of 20 minutes in silence, with a cup of tea just reflecting about my life?
- Can I do something kind to myself daily?
- Can I help someone?
- Can I take 5 minute "longer than I use to" Savasanas? With no music?
Video recommendations
Yin yoga sequences
Yoga with
Meditative yin - let's focus on the needs rather then the wants, with Ulrica Norberg. (English)
Yoga with
Embodied yin class letting you explore the different meridians, with Satu Tuomela. (English)
Check out the video library for more yin classes, in English, Swedish and Finnish and different length.
Guided meditations
Meditera with
Visit every little corner of your body with Simon Krohn. (English)
Stability, flowing and strengthening classes
For those days you need some movement. If you wish to combine the yin sequences with these yang sequences, remember to start with the yin classes as you should not warm up to better connect to your fascia.
Yoga with
Feel more steady or get rid of anxiousness and nervousness with Sarah Platt-Finger. (English)
I wish you the best of luck this week and see you on the mat and here on YOGOBE next week!
This text in its entirety has been inspired by content from my book: Yin Yoga – An individual practice. If you like what you read you can buy it here.
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