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Recently began to appreciate yin. Interested in doing yin with sitting/meditation in the mornings. Which should I do first? Sit first then yin, yin then sit, sit then yin then sit again? Appreciate any input.
Over my decades of hearing different meditation teachers describe the best way and time to sit, I have come to realize the answer is “it all depends!, Not very satisfactory, I know.
I have heard that some famous Indian yoga teachers would separate asana from pranayama and from meditation. There would be separate times and durations for each of these activities. However, I have also heard that asana prepares the body for pranayama which prepares the mind for meditation so it should be done in that order: i.e. - meditate after your asana practice. But, in the meditation world (Buddhist meditation especially), meditation first thing in the morning is considered golden, and in the evening copper. With all this, here is what I would suggest:
If your are doing asana and meditation together in morning: start with meditation. If you start with asana, you may be too anxious to finish your practice and get on with the day and may be tempted to skip or shorten the meditation.
If you are doing asana and meditation together in the evening: start with asana. If you start with mediation, you may be too tired to do the asana practice, plus finishing with meditation is a nice preparation for sleeping: your mind is much calmer.
Of course, each asana practice can use mini-meditations as well: an opening centering for 5 minutes, a closing sit for 5 mints. In Yin Yoga we get to use the times in the postures as mini-mediations too. I know some senior yoga teachers do not have a separate mediation practice and consider their asana practice to be all the mediation they need. That can work, as long as you are seriously mindful during your practice. For most students, I would not suggest considering their asana practice to be their meditation practice.
In the end, what works for you? I personally do meditation first in the morning before asana, but that's me.
