Yin Yoga Workshops

 

Is it for me?

These super-gentle sessions - held on the last Saturday afternoon of each month - are suitable for most people, including beginners and those with an established practice. You should be able to get on and off the ground with relative ease, and be open to pausing and resting. There will be very little, if at all, movement; the intention being to allow gravity, props and our natural exhale to invite body and mind to soften and open. Our use of the word 'yin' in this context indicates an approach and attitude of mind (gentle, receptive, soft) rather than a particular style or association with a specfic teacher. 

Why take a Yin session with us?

"The modern world is very yang; life should be a balance between competition and compassion, between ambition and contentment. But this balance has been lost... Yin yoga can help bring balance to an overly yang lifestyle." - Paul Grilley, author of Yin Yoga.

Yin yoga students
Usually when we think of yoga, we bring to mind an active movement practice that relies on muscular engagement, and often a rather striving approach (although our policy at YATM is to take any pushing, achieving elements out of our yoga).

There are huge benefits to an active yoga practice, but – as with everything, to maintain balance and harmony – it is important to remember the other side of the coin; the yin with the yang.

Yin yoga is the exact opposite of dynamic yoga. In a yin yoga practice, all the postures are taken sitting, and are held for a far longer period of time, often for some minutes.

For many postures, we make use of bolsters, blankets, blocks and lavender eye pillows, to allow optimum support for the body - and a safe space in which the mind can also begin to settle.

As we hold the yin poses for some time, we are encouraged to soften, open, both physical and mentally.

Whilst the body's connective tissue is very gently stretched, our minds are invited to quieten, and we can move towards a place of equanimity and calmness.

Our use of the word 'yin' in this context indicates an approach and attitude of mind (gentle, receptive, soft) rather than a particular style or association with a specfic teacher.


Class outline

  • In these two-hour sessions, we will make use of the props – bolsters, lavender eye pillows, blankets – available to us, inviting central nervous system to slow down and our bodies and minds to move towards a place of deep rest and stillness.
  • Yin yoga is sometimes described as a bridge between meditation and yoga; once the body is resting in postures, we can attend to our moment-to-moment experience through sensations in the body, and of the breath.
  • These sessions are led by a hand-picked team of sensitive and experienced YATM teachers, all of whom have specialist training in Yoga Therapy and/or Restorative Yoga.

Fast facts

Booking

We run Yin Yoga Workshops once a quarter, on Saturdays from 14:30 to 16:30. The cost is £30 per session. 

For dates, times and booking, please go to our Yoga Workshops page - scroll down to end of page. 

Suitability

To decide whether our Yin Yoga workshops are for you, simply ask yourself the following questions:

  • Are you interested in the soft, meditative aspects of yoga?
  • Are you looking to pause and rest deeply?
  • Have you tried meditation and would like to experience the meditative aspects of yoga?

What shall I bring?

All equipment is provided for you, so there's no need to bring your own mat, blanket, bolster or block - we have everything you will need. :)

We recommend wearing comfortable, loose-fitting clothes.

These workshops will be taught be a rota of hand-picked teachers with specialst training and experience in yin yoga. The March session will be led by Lucia, who has completed teacher training with Restorative Yoga teacher Judith Lasater and is a long-term student of pre-eminent London yin teacher, Norman Blair.