Yin And Restorative Yoga For Health, Energy & Equilibrium

In this session, we combine Yin and Restorative Yoga to restore health, energy & equilibrium. It may be useful for anyone in need of an immunity boost as well. I'll also be talking about the similarities & differences between the two forms of yoga and through explanation and experience, you’ll feel the benefits of both yourself. Bring lots of props!

The poses are Legs up the Wall, Eye of the Needle, Butterfly (Folded and Reclined) and two Reclined Twists - find images of most on my website (see profile).

Victoria's Yin Yoga classes are designed to release tension and bring presence to body & mind. Bring a bolster (or pillow), some blocks (or books) and a blanket. Please make sure to listen to your body during the class and if anything doesn’t feel right, come out of the pose and rest. Your body is your responsibility.

Transcript

Hi everybody and welcome,

Welcome,

Welcome to our Yin Yoga session today.

Today is going to be a little bit different in that we're combining two different approaches to yoga in order to bring balance.

So we're going to be using restorative yoga with Yin Yoga.

And the reason we're doing this is because as well as being a more general session on restoring health,

Energy and equilibrium,

This class is also useful if you have a cold.

So if you've got a cold or you feel one coming on,

Then today's class may be useful for that as well.

So what we're going to be doing in a physical sense is opening some areas,

Particularly the chest,

The area of the respiratory system,

If that's how you say it,

And bringing some energy there to try and encourage optimal functioning of the lungs.

Seeing as this is restorative,

Then you might want to gather some props ready around you.

Pillows,

Cushions,

Blankets,

Things that can be used to relax on and raise you up if necessary.

And where we're going to start today is against the wall.

So if you aren't there already,

Then please make your way to the wall and place your mat with the short end against it.

To start,

We're basically just going to put our legs up the wall.

The best way to get into this particular pose is to first sit sideways against the wall as close as you can with your legs bent.

And we're going to just swing the legs and place them straight up the wall.

Get as close as you can,

But don't worry if you aren't right up next to it.

So this is our first restorative pose.

And as you relax in,

I'd like to start with a quick explanation of the difference between restorative and yin.

As many people think that they're the same,

And whilst they may look like it on the surface in that you hold the poses for a number of minutes,

The intention and the experience can be very different.

The main difference,

I would say,

Is that with restorative,

What we're trying to do quite often is encourage the body to heal itself.

A particular illness,

For example,

Or perhaps stress.

Whereas with yin yoga,

We're trying to encourage our healthy bodies,

Or at least relatively healthy bodies,

To reach their optimal health.

So for me,

A big difference between these two approaches to yoga is the goal,

Or what we're trying to achieve.

So for example,

Restorative is helping an unhealthy body and or mind to heal itself.

And yin is helping a relatively healthy body and or mind to reach its optimal health.

Now what we're doing in this particular restorative pose is to bring the blood down from the legs to the pelvis area.

And many people find this very relaxing,

Which is a key aim of restorative yoga.

It can be particularly good at the end of a long day.

Another benefit of this pose is that we're directing the blood towards the heart by having our legs like this.

And in doing this,

We're basically giving the heart a rest,

As it doesn't have to work as hard to pump the blood around the body.

So in this case,

We're just allowing gravity to bring the blood down towards the heart.

We're also starting to open the chest,

The area of the lungs.

So what I'd like us to do now is move into a yin pose also at the wall.

This one is called wall,

Eye of the needle.

So just move a little bit away from the wall now.

And I want you to bend both knees,

Then place the right ankle or shin on the left thigh,

Just above the knee or wherever is comfortable.

So with yin yoga,

We always want to feel stimulation in a target area.

Whereas whilst this might happen in restorative yoga,

The intention is more to restore and relax.

So in this case,

What we want to feel is a stretch in the target area of the outer right hip.

See also the outside of the right leg,

So the bent leg.

We want a stimulation there that's not too much,

Nor too little,

But just enough that we can stay in now for around three minutes.

If you want more stretch,

Then I suggest you move the foot on the wall further down.

And if it's too much,

Take it back up.

Find a place that's the right amount for you.

Don't overdo it.

And then when you find that spot,

Allow the body to rest,

To relax into the pose.

Note here that we do aim to relax the body in yin yoga,

But rather than it being a goal of relaxation like restorative,

It's so that we can move deeper into the pose,

But in a passive yin way.

Basically without pushing.

You can close your eyes now,

If that's comfortable for you,

And focus on the feelings in the body.

We're going to be here for another two minutes or so now.

So just notice,

Have you tensed anywhere now?

Tightened?

And see if you can soften the area.

Tell it toитаo,

Techniques.

You You You Now we're going to move to the other side So raise the hips if you need to move the foot off the leg and this time place the right foot on the wall and the left ankle or shin on the thigh above the knee Or maybe even a bit further up the thigh if you like as long as you're feeling as stretch in the outer left hip The glutes and you're not feeling any pain Then I don't really care where it is.

It just doesn't matter If you're feeling any painful sensations in the knee here or maybe the groin area Or if you're finding the stretch is actually too much Then you can always move the position of that top leg So you can play with the position moving it further right or left and Also playing with the position of the leg on the wall moving it up Or down to reach that mild to moderate stimulation in the outer left hip That you can stay in for a couple of minutes And when you have found this place Then resolve to stay still And we will be here for around three minutes now You will be here for around three minutes now You Something that's the same for both restorative and yin yoga is that we do want to try and relax the muscles In restorative as I already mentioned We're trying to restore ourselves to health and relaxation is a really big part of that Whilst in yin Our aim is to relax the muscles So that we can get deep into the connective tissue the body And encourage the flow of chi Prana Energy or life force however you want to call it Okay,

So just under another minute or so in this pose and then we'll move into the rebound Just relax relax the muscles Feel the sensations Okay Okay So now just take that foot off the knee And keeping the knees bent put them on the wall wherever feels comfortable And just for a minute or so Keep the legs relaxed And notice how they're feeling after that restorative pose and then that yin pose Just notice any sensations going on in the legs here So Okay Okay So then we're going to move away from the wall now So gently bring the legs down and turn around so that your back is either against or a bit away from the wall What we're going to do is butterfly the yin version So in your seated position bend the knees bring the soles of the feet together And then fold forward We're going to be in this for around three minutes again And if you want to feel a bit more stretch You might want to try bringing the feet more towards you And if you want a bit less You can move them further away You can also play with separating the feet a bit they don't need to be together Remember to sit up on something if you'd like If you feel like you're not really getting much stretch in your back,

For example,

Which is our second target area here,

By the way To help you tilt forward Dropping the head if that's comfortable So We're stimulating the nervous system in the spine here too Through the stretch in the back area encouraging our bodies to heal in a yin way So we're going to try to stay in the yin way,

Keep the body relaxed And as we stay here in relative stillness then notice the sensations going on in the back and in the thighs So we're going to try to move the feet a bit closer or further away or perhaps even try separating them And then we're going to try to move the feet a bit closer or further away or perhaps even try separating them So that's even try separating them You You So just take a couple more breaths And then on the second breath Come up and we'll move into the restorative version of this post Before we do that,

Let's just have a very short rebound so just take hold of the knees and bring them up so that your soles are now on the floor and Notice how the legs feel Just for 20 seconds or so And then we're going to move on to the restorative version of butterfly So for this if you've got them props would be really useful If you've got a bolster great use that if you don't then just grab some pillows the thicker the better Now as this is restorative butterfly Bring the soles of the feet together again and then let the legs flop out to the sides Now you may well be feeling a stretch on the inside thighs again But bear in mind we aren't aiming to necessarily stimulate in quite the same way as we did in the Yin version So if you've got a strong stretch I'd recommend moving the feet a bit further away from you.

So it's more restorative So it's more restorative What we're trying to do in restorative yoga is relax the body using support So often you'll see a lot of props in restorative yoga as they can be great for this Now if you wanted to bring in the breathing exercise we can do that now And then we're going to move on to the Breathing exercise.

So if you've got a strong stretch on the inside thighs,

You can move the feet a bit further away from you.

As I mentioned at the start this class may also be useful for colds,

But of course when you have a cold then breathing through the nose can be difficult to do So for this exercise You can always use the side of the mouth if you need to smaller breaths through the side of the mouth And before we start Bear in mind that this exercise will also involve holding the breath Which can be useful for those of you with a cold as it encourages the nasal passages to open Okay So first just breathe out completely Then take a breath in a little deeper than usual And now hold the breath Hold it as long as it's comfortable for you and then breathe out again through the nose Now repeat breathe in again a bit of a deeper breath than usual Hold the breath as long as it's comfortable then breathe out again So just continue with this breathing in holding breathing out Holding breathing out making sure the breath is comfortable but a bit longer than usual Continue to do this for the next minute or so.

I'll tell you when the time is up So So So Okay,

So go back to your normal breath With Noticing any effect On the body the mind or both And now let's move out of this So just gently bring the knees in and then you can roll over to your side And we're going to stand the floor on your side for a minute for the rebound So So So before we move into the next space move any props you have away and lie on your back We're going to do two reclined twists first the restorative version then the in So bend both knees bringing them in towards you then drop them down to the right side Okay So now we want to feel this is a relaxed twist So you can move the torso very gently in the opposite direction But do notice if you're feeling anything that's too intense here So for example,

This may be too much of a stretch if we're talking restoratively on the legs or the hips So in this case,

Perhaps you might want to support the knees put something underneath the knees If you feel there's too much twist in the torso or opening in the chest because of the weight of the arm Then rather than pull the armor off Then rather than pull the armor off you might just want to put something underneath it or perhaps try bending it So we'll stay here now for three minutes in this restorative version of the pose Stimulating the organ through a twist stimulating again the nerves of the back Encouraging our bodies to relax Encouraging our nervous system to help us relax to aid a quicker recovery A quicker recovery and i'll leave you now with the birds for just under three minutes So So So So So Okay Then let's move to the other side So just gently bring the knees up to the center Then drop them directly to the opposite side Put any support that you feel you need underneath the knees underneath the arms And remember as this bit is restorative Don't over stimulate You want to feel relaxed You want to feel supported So So So So So A really important thing to remember with yin and yang is that they are opposite.

Yes,

But they're also relative So when it comes to yoga Yin yoga compared to so many other forms such as a stanga flow power Hot yoga is quite clearly more yin as it's softer It's more passive It's gentler It's stiller All of those yin qualities But before I continue with this thought let's move to a yin yoga recline twist So bring the knees up to the center again and this time I want you to cross your right leg over your left leg and then drop The knees to the right into twisted roots pose So now I want you to notice that hopefully You can feel stretch in the target area Again the outer right hip perhaps glutes Maybe even down the side of the leg So you can cross the leg as much or as little as you like here Remember in yin We want a mild to moderate sensation on that outer hip the target area We already have a twist naturally here But you can twist the body a bit more to the opposite side as well if you want some more of that twist We're also going to open out to the side and feel an opening here in the side of the chest So this time Open the arms out to the sides or maybe even up on the floor above you if you prefer Now going back to what I was saying before Yin and yang is all relative So for example If we look today at our restorative poses You could say that they are in fact more yin than yin yoga They're more relaxing There's less stimulation They're gentler They're more passive So in fact you can see clearly here That our yin yoga is actually yang in comparison to restorative And this is the same with everything Walking Jogging Running Walking is yang compared to walking Walking is yang compared to crawling I hope that isn't too confusing If it is then just let it go and perhaps come back to it another time So So So So So let's move to the other side for the yin version of the twist Before we do that though Let's just bring the knees up and lie on our backs to feel the effects of the pose just for a few moments Okay so bring the knees up again Draw them back into the body And cross the left leg over the right Maybe you could hook the foot under if you wanted to And then drop it to the left side Twist the body to the right this time And again use props if you need to We often use props in yin yoga too To support the body But not so much to help you rest or relax into the poses But more to support anything that's hurting Your knees for example Or to help you adjust your body and get into the pose that a way that suits you And you get the maximum benefits from the pose So this time I'm just going to be quiet for the next three minutes And if you'd like to bring that breathing exercise back here So breathing in a bit deeper than usual Holding for as long as is comfortable Not overdoing it And then breathing out Then please do Continuing for as long as you wish Thank you for watching!

Thank you for watching!

Thank you for watching!

Okay,

So let's untwist Bring the knees back to the center And then we'll move into Shavasana Bringing the legs gently down Getting yourself into your final comfortable position And we're just going to do the same thing We're going to do the same thing We're going to do the same thing We're going to move into our final comfortable position And we're just going to feel that final rebound If you want to put a blanket on Or socks Or whatever Maybe putting a cushion underneath your head Maybe bending your knees And letting them drop in together If you find that more comfortable Then do And when you are comfortable Then close your eyes Just notice how you're feeling How your body's feeling How your mind's feeling And let's just do a couple of those breaths To help us relax here Breathe in through the nose Hold your breath And let's just do a couple of those breaths Hold And when you're ready You can just breathe that again Just do that three times in your own time And then let go I'm going to leave you here now So please stay in Shavasana for however long you want The birdsong will stop in around six minutes or so So if you want to use that as an end point Then please do If you enjoyed this session today Then please do try some of my other yin yoga classes on Inside Time app I also do live sessions Where I guide you in steadying body and mind Through breathing exercises Before gliding into the meditation So check out my live events as well Enjoy your Shavasana dear friends And until next time Namaste Namaste Namaste Namaste Namaste Namaste Namaste Namaste

Reviews

Just what I needed to help me restore from my chest infection. Thank you very much

Thank you 💕 I loved experiencing the difference between yin and restorative yoga.

Such a great way to end the day releasing all the tension from the day. Thank you 🙏

Thank you Victoria, a wonderful comparison between the subtle differences of movements in yin and restorative

Hello beautiful 🌼🌺🌼🌺🌼🌺Thank you so much for the wonderful movements 🦋🌈I enjoyed it and feel so relaxed and sparkling like champagne 🗺️ have a blessed day 🙏 Namaste

Thank you for such a wonderful practice. Your explanation of the poses and differences between restorative and yin yoga were so helpful. Clear instructions. All of this made my practice this morning so nourishing. I am grateful. Namaste

Great soothing class, I’ll save this, thank you.

What a wonderful teacher you are! Thank you!

This is a beautifully guided practice. The cues and descriptions were easy to follow. I appreciated learning the differences between restorative and yin postures. Thank you! I look forward to trying more of your classes.

That was really lovely. I liked the combination of yin and restorative, it made a lot of sense and I rested deeply. Thanks 🙏🏻❤️🌹

Gentle simple effective. Excellent pace. Excellent voice.

Wow this session was amazing ☺️ I enjoyed the poses, loved the explanations and the birds singing was very nice too. Thank you so much!

Thank you so much! That was wonderful!💙

Excellent practice! Very clear and helpful guidance. Thank you for sharing! ❤️🙏❤️

Very helpful, love it!