Complete Elemental Cycle Yin Yoga - Metal Element - Shoulders and Inner Arms

Welcome to week four of the complete Elemental Cycle of Chinese Medicine through Yin Yoga.

This week will focus on the METAL element. Yin Yoga is an ideal way to create an overall tuneup for our energy system. Over the next few weeks, we will hit the complete elemental cycle through each sequence.

Complete Elemental Cycle Yin Yoga - Earth Element - Inner Thighs And Groin

Welcome to week three of the complete Elemental Cycle of Chinese Medicine through Yin Yoga.

This week will focus on the EARTH element. Yin Yoga is an ideal way to create an overall tuneup for our energy system. Over the next few weeks, we will hit the complete elemental cycle through each sequence.

3 Things A Consistent Yin Yoga Practice Will Teach You

Bitter Practice, Sweet Result

Your first Yin Yoga class is going to be challenging. Possibly very challenging.

After a lifetime of distraction, the simple act of slowing down is bound to be a struggle.

This is compounded by the challenge of the physical sensations that you will feel in the poses.

It’s our instinct to want to move or fidget at the first sign of discomfort.

Over the years, in the face of this struggle, I've seen a small handful of students walk right out in the middle of class. In one of the most extreme examples, I even had a student get up and start doing Vinyasa flows by herself in the middle of class!

To each their own.

And yet, despite the challenges, by the end of class, most students will start to get it.

Maybe it’s the calm they feel in a resonance pose. Or maybe how they feel later in the day after class.

When they see the results of simply slowing down and taking their time, it can feel as if an immense weight has been lifted off their shoulders.

As my teacher Josh Summers says of Yin Yoga: "Bitter practice, sweet result."

But even better is what you will see and learn after 10 classes - or 100 classes or more. Like so many things, the fruits of the practice will only blossom with more time and consistency.

Here are just three of the many things that a consistent Yin Yoga practice will teach you:

You'll Learn How To Truly Play Your Edge

The average person is almost entirely unaware of what their body is capable of. They don't know when to stop or when they can push.

The essence of Yin Yoga is learning to become comfortable with discomfort and knowing the difference between discomfort and actual pain.

While many new students tend to overdo it, experienced practitioners know right where their line is. They know just when to back away and just when they can push a little deeper.

This has tremendous crossover benefits. It will help you in other styles of practice, but also in any other activity that you use your body for.

You'll Be Practicing Covert Meditation

Yin Yoga IS a form of meditation. It's just one where we work with our body along the way.

Instead of just sitting, we pay deep attention to what we feel in our bodies in each pose.

So, just as with more traditional meditation, if you practice Yin Yoga regularly, your senses will sharpen. You'll learn to notice the finest details in each pose you practice.

And you'll also learn how to cultivate profound equanimity.

Poses like Dragon or Swan are bound to stir up resistance in the mind. At first, you may try to fight it or distract yourself, but this is a losing battle.

Instead, you will learn the power of letting go. You will learn to rest with challenges instead of pushing back against them.

This will give you a massive edge when facing the ordinary struggles of your daily life.

You'll Learn The Real Meaning of Balance

Most people are stressed, overworked, and unable to relax their bodies and minds.

Yin Yoga provides a powerful antidote for both.

By allowing yourself time to truly slow down and tune in, you'll be better prepared to face the challenges of your daily life.

Your Yin Yoga practice will become an invaluable oasis in the desert of your busy life.

The most exciting thing is that the busier you are, the more you'll benefit from the practice.

You'll start to learn just how important it is to slow down.

Start Now, Repeat Infinitely

I've taught thousands of Yin Yoga classes and done thousands of Yin Yoga practices.

However, after over 15 years, I am still learning from the practice.

It is an irreplaceable skill that you will carry with you for your whole life. The practice becomes even MORE intriguing with more time invested.

So, if you already have a regular Yin Yoga practice, awesome! Keep up the excellent work, and notice how you relate to the main points of this article.

If you are new, start now! While it may be challenging initially, I promise that the rewards are absolutely worth it.

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Follow the links below for opportunities to practice with me:

If you'd like to practice with me right now, check out one of the dozens of free classes on my YouTube.

For live classes, either in-person or online - see my latest class schedule here.

To make the most optimal progress in your practice, contact me to schedule a one-on-one session.

And if you haven't yet, subscribe to my newsletter for regular insights about practice and life - 

Complete Elemental Cycle Yin Yoga - Fire Element - Shoulders and Outer Arms

Welcome to week two of the complete Elemental Cycle of Chinese Medicine through Yin Yoga. This week will focus on the FIRE element. Yin Yoga is an ideal way to create an overall tuneup for our energy system. Over the next few weeks, we will hit the complete elemental cycle through each sequence.

Head to Toes Yin Yoga - 30 Minute Full Body Yin Yoga Class

This week's Yin Yoga class will cover the whole body from head to toes! We will work through the whole body starting from the feet and working our way up. From your head to your toes, you'll experience a deep release and relaxation.

Do Nothing Yin Yoga - Yin Yoga For Letting Go Of Effort

Have a rare chance to Do Nothing with this week's Yin Yoga class. When we do less, we can tap into a deeper sense of stillness. There is nothing to hold on to. Nothing to get stuck on. Join me for this relaxing practice!

Yin Yoga for Qi Circulation: Full Body Yin Yoga Class To Circulate Your Subtle Energy

This week's Yin Yoga class is all about Qi Circulation. My targeting the energy channels of your body, you will free up blockages and stagnation. Qi is the vital force of the universe, and this class will help with it's circulation and distribution throughout your whole body!

Quiet Time Yin Yoga - 30 Minute Yin Yoga Class With Minimal Cues

Sometimes, you need some quiet time. And Yin Yoga is the perfect place to find it! This 30-minute class will have minimal cues, so you can spend as much quiet time as possible in the poses. During these quiet periods, you can meditate, notice your body, and unplug. Join me today for this relaxing practice! Sign up for my mailing list to get weekly insights on Yoga, Meditation, and Life: https://www.robphillipsyoga.com/newsletter

Yin Yoga For Inner Thighs, Hips, and Groin - 30 Minute Yin Yoga Class

This week's Yin Yoga class is a simple sequence emphasizing the inner thighs, hips, and groin. Many of us hold a lot of tension on our inner thighs, and the long holds of yin yoga can be a powerful way to release them. Join me for this simple practice. You'll need two blocks and a blanket.

30 Minute Yin Yoga For Shoulders and Spine | Heart Meridian | Fire Element

Today's class will be a 30 minute Yin Yoga class for the Heart Meridian within the body and Fire Element within the Chinese 5 Element Cycle. Yin Yoga provides a great place for targeting the meridians of the body, through it's use of longs hold the focus mostly on the deepen connective tissues. Fire is the second element in the Chinese Five Element Cycle. It is associated with the Summer Season and its peak Yang energy. Physically this sequence will work primarily on the shoulders and spine.

The Four Principles of Yin Yoga

Today we will learn some of the essentials of Yin Yoga by studying the Four Principles of Yin Yoga practice. By mastering these fundamentals, you will be better prepared for all types of sequences, and better able to take care of your body during Yin Yoga practice.

I learned these Four Principles from Josh Summers and Terry Cockburn at the Summers School of Yin Yoga. You can find them here: https://joshsummers.net/school/

Where The Heck I've Been - What I've Been Up To!

They say that time flies when you’re having fun, so if that’s the case then I must have been having a blast for the past two years! Without even thinking much about it, I realized that it’s been almost two years since I moved from Boston to Washington, and so much has happened in that time.

I’ve been really fortunate to settle into a regular teaching schedule at a few great studios including: Dragon’s Breath Yoga, Circle Yoga, and Past Tense Yoga. I also got my Personal Trainer Certification through the American Council on Exercise. And most recently, I’m beginning my 500hr level Yoga Teacher certification through the Summers School of Yin Yoga in just a few days!

Carrie and I are loving life in DC. I don’t think that there’s any better city in the country (or possibly the world) with more amazing culture per capita. There’s always a new free event or museum exhibit to check out! We’ve been keeping super busy for the past two years, but there’s still tons that we haven’t even gotten to see yet.

I’ve also made the conscious decision to be more proactive with my web presence, so be on the lookout for much more content coming to this page and my Facebook in the near future.

In the meantime, I hope that I can see all of you on the mat very soon! Please check out my Schedule Page for where you can find me.

Yin Is In - What Yin Yoga Is & Why You Should Practice It

Let’s get right down to brass tacks here - Yin Yoga is probably my favorite asana practice. Something about truly relaxing deeply into long-held poses and just slowing down is like crack to me. 

And yet, I’m often surprised at how little-known this practice tends to be. It’s relegated to a few weekly classes at some (but not all) studios. And I often have to give a detailed explanation of just what it is. That is just a damn shame as far as I’m concerned! This post will serve to demystify the practice, clarify any questions, and hopefully by the end you’ll be ready to sign up for your first Yin class yourself.

The Basics

If I had to give a basic summary of Yin Yoga, it would be something like this: 

In Yin Yoga we use passive holds of 3-5 minutes to access the deepest tissues of the body. There is no rushing physically or mentally, and the body is completely relaxed. You’re encouraged to pay attention to each moment, listen to the sensations in the body, and work gradually through each pose. Since the technical practice is quite simple, this also opens up an opportunity to learn the principles of mindfulness.

But really, that is just a basic synopsis that barely scratches the surface of what this practice can accomplish. There is much more to it than that.

There Is No ‘Perfect’ Pose

Yin Yoga is all about listening to your body and working with it rather than against it. Often our yoga practice becomes a battle against our own bodies in order to reach our deepest edge or do the strongest variation of the pose we have been offered. We see pictures on Instagram or Yoga Journal of super-yogis doing super-poses and we strive to recreate these results ourselves. 

But the reality is that one’s ability to do many of the most challenging Asanas may have more to do with their individual anatomy than simply with their amount of practice or dedication. The harsh truth is that for many of us, certain poses may never happen with any amount of practice - and that’s okay! This is also not meant to downplay stronger asanas nor the people who practices them. There is definitely a time and place for physically demanding asana, but it’s important to be realistic about one’s true limits. 

In Yin Yoga we embrace our own physical limitations rather than simply try to fight against them. We work with the body just as it is, and that in and of itself is an amazing thing. Each person will look quite different in each posture. There is no ‘perfect’ pose nor perfect alignment. In fact, even the same practitioner may approach each posture differently depending on how their body is feeling during any given practice.

I even imagine that some alignment-minded teachers might look at some of the shapes that I allow in my classes with a look of fear or disgust. I welcome their criticism, because I know that bodies are not meant to be forced into perfect geometric shapes! There are infinite variations to each person and each pose. And what’s far more important than how we look is how we feel within each pose.

As long as we are in a safe level of sensation, and we work cautiously and gradually, there is no ideal way to do any yoga asana. My pigeon will look completely different from yours, and that’s the way it should be.

Time Is Your Best Friend

By working carefully with the body and relaxing our muscles, we are able to hold poses for far far longer than we can in a more active yoga class. Whereas five minute in downward dog is a testament of strength that would almost never be taught to a regular class, a five minute butterfly pose is an everyday occurrence in Yin practice.

The difference is in the approach. Just like braces slowly work with teeth, Yin Yoga works slowly and passively with the denser layers of the body. The order of magnitude is different - braces may take months or years, whereas Yin postures typically last a few minutes, but the principle is the same. By working slowly and gently we can have a powerful effect on even the most sensitive tissues in the body.

By relaxing the muscles, we go deeper. A vitally important, yet often-ignored part of our muscular-skeletal system is the network of connective tissue that holds it all together. This includes all of the fascia, tendons, ligaments, collagen, and other dense tissues that make a literal web throughout our bodies. Yin is one of the few practices that can safely focus on thesetissues with little risk of injury. Yes, other styles of practice can have this affect too, but Yin allows a far deeper level of attention to the connective web. 

I like to think of it as a completing our method of exercise. We use dynamic movements to build muscle mass, strength, and burn calories. We use slow, gentle holds to lengthen and strengthen the connective tissues of the body. Even experienced Yogis might be surprised at how much more complete one’s practice feels once they add in a regular Yin component. 

Meditate In Your Postures

But for me, the real power of a Yin practice comes from how it helps to train the mind. Since we hold each pose for 3-5 minutes, each pose essentially becomes a very short meditation. For these few minutes we become still and we pay attention. The entire body becomes the meditation object. 

As we pay attention, we realize that there is a whole other level of experience that we are normally disconnected from. We may notice tiny sensations in the body. We feel pleasant aspects, unpleasant aspects. We notice the larger patterns of both the body and the mind. 

Sooner or later, (more often sooner) we will come up against a mental edge. We will feel challenged by the sensations of a posture, or maybe we’ll just get restless and want to fidget. It is in these moments where we can powerfully train ourselves to react differently. In daily life we usually avoid the unpleasant - we try to tailor our experience to be exactly as we would like it. In Yin, we confront what already is. The irony of course is that as we let go of our reactions, even otherwise challenging postures can take on a pleasant quality all their own. 

Yin Yoga can also supercharge the body to be prepared for traditional seated meditation. When the muscles and connective tissues are deeply relaxed it becomes much much easier to sit still for long periods of time. I notice that when I am neglecting my Yin practice I become very uncomfortable when I try to do seated meditation for any real length of time. When I am being consistent with my Yin practice, even long sits up to and hour or more become accessible. It all comes down to the lengthening of the deeper tissues of the body. This will have a noticeable effect when it comes time to sit still.

Putting It All Together

Even this longer exploration of Yin Yoga is really just the proverbial Finger Pointing at the Moon,  only offering you a glimpse of what the practice is really about. Of course the best way to see for yourself would be to take a Yin Yoga class with me or another experienced instructor. I’d also suggest these resources if you’d like to learn more:

YinYoga.com
Paul Grilley

So are you ready to give Yin Yoga a shot?? Let me know what you think in the comments below.