Yin Fact#1 It's about allowing the space to connect with yourself, to feel into your physical body, your emotional body or your mental body, without judgement.	Yin Fact #2 For example, when you sit at a computer the weight of your head most often isn't directly above the spine. This tension slowly moulds the fascia connective tissues to become tighter and less mobile. Next time you are sitting see if you can become aware of your posture. How does it feel? Does your spine feel aligned or slouched? No need to judge, just notice and become aware. Over time you may naturally notice you readjust yourself.	Yin Fact #3 Yin vs Restorative - What is the difference? YIN: During yin yoga we bring our awareness to finding our edge of comfort within a pose to help stimulate myo-fascial release, using target areas. RESTORATIVE: The overall goal of restorative yoga is simple relaxation without any stimulation of the muscles.
Yin Fact #4 "There is an Indian proverb that says that everyone is a house with four rooms, a physical, a mental, an emotional and a spiritual. Most of us tend to live in one room most of the time, but unless we go into every room every day, even if only to keep it aired, we are not a complete person." I love how this proverb sums up how we can't just work on one essence of ourselves and think we are healthy. We have so many different layers that need to be taken care of in order to stay balanced.	Yin Fact #5 Tension can be felt as a general area that feels tight, for example your neck or upper back. On the other hand if it's compression, you will be able to pinpoint the exact area. Compression can help deepen your practice in the sense that it helps you to accept your body exactly how it is. No one has the same skeletal variation, so every pose is going to look and feel different for each individual.	Yin Fact #6 You have so many things happening in your daily life. Always on the go, taking care of family, work commitments, chores, study etc. Yin helps to give yourself the opportunity to quiet yourself, mind, body and soul, to restore your energy. What can you do right now to offer yourself the time to reconnect with your presence?
Yin Fact #7 No day is ever the same, just like your yin yoga practice will never be the same. This can be due to many different factors such as how much water you have drank, how you are feeling mentally, emotionally and even where you currently are in life. By accepting and appreciating that you may feel different sensations on one side of the body compared to the other (eg hips) or perhaps from one class to the next, you can begin to become more compassionate and patient with yourself.	Yin Fact #8 The aim of yin yoga is to place tension on our connective tissues with the muscles relaxed in a yin like way. This still effects the muscles as all connective tissues are bound around every single muscle, cells, organs etc. On the other hand for a yin like stress we use the options of different props to help support our body within a pose. This helps to go beyond the muscular as we are able to fully relax whilst keeping our awareness on the sensations we feel so we don't go beyond our edge.	Yin Fact #9 These principles are what makes the foundation of yin yoga. Over time as we practice them we begin to build them up. Allow yourself to really connect and relish in each phase and principle as this is your journey that you take at your own pace. Some benefits of the 5 principles include: 🌟Patience 🌟Acceptance 🌟Breaking bad habits 🌟Connection to the breath 🌟Mental strength development 🌟Emotional awareness
Yin Fact #10 There really is such a unique and special magic that is experienced in a Yin Yoga class. This style of yoga is like the missing link that we don't realise we need until we actually experience it!	Yin Fact #11 It is always recommended to follow the guidance of a teacher and to be aware of the sensations you feel throughout the class and never going beyond your edge. During pregnancy the hormone relaxin can cause your ligaments to soften so it is always best to approach your edge by coming back 50%. My class Relax and Release is suitable for pregnancy.