Three ways to bring Yin into your Yang yoga practice

You’ve been there before. That yoga class pushes your boundaries with challenging poses and gets your heart rate pumping and sweat dripping. It is the definition of yang: hot, active, muscular, powerful, exhilarating.

We need that yang in our lives. This is how we ignite our inner fire. It makes us more powerful. We grow when we do it.

We can’t keep up with Power yoga, boot camps, hockey practices, endurance runs, and other high-intensity stimuli.

Finding Balance

Can we balance the nervous system to ensure we don’t just fight or run and have no chill? Stress can be reduced by relaxing. Yin to our yang?

You can become so absorbed in your movement that your mind stops, time stops, and you are em>in the zone/em>. You can get so absorbed in your movements that you lose track of time, your mind, and your body.

Try these steps during your next Power Yoga class to see if they can help you bring calmness (or “yin”) into your practice.

Breathe

When you ” Ujjayi ” breathe, tighten your throat. It activates your parasympathetic system by stimulating your vagus nervous system.

Making your exhales more than your inhales can also help you to calm down and reduce your heart rate.

Be Curious

You should treat your body as a place to explore, not something you need to improve.

When does curiosity become stressful? By tapping into your natural curiosity, you can get out of the judgment zone and feel what you are feeling.

Get Your Jam on

Some people might say that music is more likely to distract you from your mind than help you tap into it. When you’re sitting, maybe. But when you are doing a Power Yoga flow, music can help you get out of your mind and into your body.

You can focus on your body and the beat of the music as you move in space. You, your body, and the beat.

How can you add a little yin to your yang practice? Comment below to share your experience with the rest!