Let's talk about the difference between yin yoga and restorative yoga.
As someone who teaches both styles,
This is a question that I get a lot,
Which is,
What is the difference between restorative yoga and yin yoga?
And I understand this question because from the outside looking in,
They look very similar.
If I were to walk up and peek into the window of a restorative yoga class,
I would see people that had gotten themselves into a position,
Usually on the ground,
Um,
Maybe using a lot of prompts and they would just be holding that position and looking probably pretty restful.
Then if I went to the studio next door and I peeked into the window of a yin yoga class,
I would see something that looked very similar.
So I understand from the outside looking in,
They seem similar.
Now they're actually very,
Very different.
They're very different,
Mostly in the purpose of the practice and how they're engaging with the body.
So restorative yoga on the one hand comes from the Iyengar lineage.
So BKS Iyengar taught his students that if they were sick or injured,
That they should practice more of a restorative yoga practice using a lot of props to get your body in a position,
A heart opener,
A twist,
A hip opener,
Even inversions,
But using the props to truly prop the body up so that you could let gravity do the work to create a passive opening in the body so the muscles could really soften.
Restorative yoga is very,
Very good for rest and recovery.
It is good for your nervous system.
It is also working with the body by passively opening up the muscles.
So I want you to remember that,
Passive opening of the muscles.
That is what restorative yoga is really meant to be.
Now,
On the other side,
We have yin yoga,
Which also includes props,
Includes often being close to the ground and doing long holds.
Now,
Yin yoga itself is its own sort of standalone practice.
I believe the concept of yin yoga was first coined in the 70s.
And what happened in that time is that they were doing a practice that would have these long holds,
But instead of having something that's working on a passive opening of the muscles,
Like restorative yoga,
Which is wonderful and very important,
They designed a practice that worked by having a opening of the fascia,
Or the connective tissue,
Which is kind of like the casing around the muscle,
And it was actually to be done by putting tension in the body in a good way to get into that deeper opening.
So the big difference is here restorative yoga working with the muscles,
Yin yoga working with the connective tissue or the fascia,
Restorative yoga a passive opening of the muscles,
And then yin yoga a deeper opening of the fascia by intentionally using some tension and gravity to get into those points.
So they came from different places,
They work with the body in a completely different way,
And they are sort of designed in the opposite direction.
Of a passive opening and something that uses a little bit more tension to really get in deep.
Now,
How are they similar?
They're similar with they have long holds,
They tend to be slower,
More meditative types of practices,
And you're going to be in those positions anywhere from three to 10 minutes and beyond,
So that is how they are similar.
But if you ever wondered what is the difference between those two practices and is it for me,
Now you know.
