Catherine Allen on the Magic of Yin Yoga

From the outside looking in, a yin yoga class might look like a group of people getting into yoga-ish poses and holding them for a marginally uncomfortable length of time. You might even think, “Why in the hell would anyone do that?” I’m going to answer that question as best I can, and hope it convinces you to give yin yoga a try!

So what is Yin Yoga? Quoting Josh Summers, the founder of the Summers School of Yin Yoga, “The broad intention behind Yin Yoga is to offer complementary and balancing exercise for the body, addressing both body and mind from a more Yin angle.”

To keep things on the shorter side, I’m going to focus on the aspects of yin yoga that affect the physical body. At the most basic level, yin yoga is the practice of gently stressing the joints and connective tissue by holding poses in relative stillness for longer periods of time. It provides a stretch in a target area, which leads to greater range of motion. It was developed to provide a counterbalance to vinyasa, and acts as a counterbalance to really any yang exercise, e.g. running, football, basketball, rugby. 

There is a well-known story about a sitar player asking the Buddha for counsel.
“What happens when you tune your instrument too tightly?” the Buddha asked.

“The strings break,” the musician replied.

“And what happens when you string it too loosely?”

“When it’s too loose, no sound comes out,” the musician answered. “The string that produces a tuneful sound is not too tight and not too loose.”

“That,” said the Buddha, “is how to practice: not too tight and not too loose.”
This wise counsel is also true for the musculoskeletal system. We must combine activities that strengthen the muscles and connective tissues with activities that stretch the muscles and connective tissues. Focusing solely on yang exercise is like tuning an instrument too tightly, and it leaves one open to injury. Focusing solely on yin exercise, like yin yoga, leaves one open to weight gain, fatigue, muscle weakness.

Before I nerd out on the research and science relating to yin yoga, I thought telling you about my personal experience with yin yoga and yang exercise might help to emphasize the need for balance. In 2016, I decided to register and train for a half-marathon (13.1 miles/21.09k). At that time, I had never run more than 3.1 miles (or 5k), but I had registered for a race that was 6 months out and I felt like that was enough time to safely build up my mileage. I ran 4-5 days a week, and took a yin yoga class every Friday morning. Slowly, my mileage increased. My short runs were three, four, then five miles, and my long runs were increasing each week or two. Eight miles, nine miles, ten miles. I felt great, especially after the runs that were more than seven miles -- runner’s high is a real thing, and it is awesome! Three weeks before the race, I did a twelve mile run. At the very end, I felt something in the front of my hip. Short version: I injured the hip flexor tendons in my left hip and walked with a very-slow-to-improve limp from late October through to January. (Being an American, I was paying an insane amount of money for truly shitty health insurance and finally decided in January to pay for physical therapy, which I had to cut short because I couldn’t afford it. But that’s a whole other story.) Here’s the point of this story: before that twelve mile run, I had skipped my yin yoga class for two weeks in a row. Yin yoga kept me injury free during five and a half months of training. When I stopped balancing the running with yin yoga, I developed an injury that still nags at me four years later.

And here’s the scientific proof that it works: (This is where I nerd out on research!)

Yin yoga/stretching reduces inflammation.

Thanks to rat yoga -- seriously -- we have evidence of “...the anti-inflammatory and preventive benefits of stretching…”
More info (and a video of rat yoga) here: Downward-Facing Rat? How “Rat Yoga” Is Unraveling the Mystery of Back Pain

Hydration of tissues.
During a long stretch, as in yin yoga, the connective tissue (aka fascia) wrings out water like a sponge. When the stretch is slowly released, the tissue absorbs more water than was squeezed out. In a study published by Schleip, et al, it was concluded that, “...clinical application of routines for injury prevention merit exploration.”
More info: Strain Hardening of Fascia: Static Stretching of Dense Fibrous Connective Tissues Can Induce a Temporary Stiffness Increase Accompanied by Enhanced Matrix Hydration

“Folks who address their fascia, age better.”
Another quote from Josh Summers, Summers School of Yin Yoga. (Where I’m getting my certification.) Yin yoga helps to regain and maintain healthy mobility and range of motion in all joints of the body, and also strengthens ligaments and joint capsular tissue.

One of the few people considered a world expert on fascia, David Lesondak, writes this about yin yoga in his book, Fascia - What It Is and Why It Matters:
“While the asanas are similar to other forms of yoga, they often have different names and are modified to use as little muscular exertion as possible. It is this quality along with the duration of the poses that is thought to produce a beneficial effect on the connective tissue and also serve to rehydrate the fascia.”

It’s important to note that yin yoga requires instruction from a qualified teacher who understands the appropriate quality and range of sensations as well as the importance of guiding students safely in and out of each pose. Stretching on your own to mimic yin yoga or working with an untrained instructor may do more harm than good. That said, I hope you’ll give it a shot, and I hope it helps you to feel your best and stay injury-free!

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Catherine is a licensed acupuncturist and holds a Master of Science in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine as well as a Master of Science in Pain Research, Education and Policy. She is certified in holistic health coaching and integrative nutrition, and feng shui, and is in the process of completing the last 30 hours towards a 200-hour yin yoga teacher certification.

On weekends, Catherine leads guided meditation sessions rooted in the principles of Chinese medicine. Her brand new instagram account has 2 followers -- and she’s one of them -- so head over to instagram (@littlebitofzen.meditations) if you want to help make her account look less sad.