No props? Warm?

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Renawren
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Aug 28, 2017 10:37 am
Location: Little Rock, AR

No props? Warm?

Post by Renawren »

I have been to several Yin classes lately in several different parts of the UNited States (south, west coast, east coast) and I notice a lot of different types of classes being called Yin yoga. I have attended classes labeled Yin/Restorative where the teacher will offer a pose - say caterpillar - to be done restoratively with props. Great! We all know that is an option if someone prefers it or is working in an area with tissue that isn't healthy (right?!). BUT, then the teacher will say that to do the "Yin" version of the pose the student should remove all props, implying the only way the pose can be done as a Yin pose is with no props. I like Bernie's motto of "Never isnever right and always is always wrong," so when I hear a teacher say that the ONLY way to do Yin is without props, I wonder where the information is coming from. Also, these classes are often taught in a warm or hot room, which also seems counterintuitive. Is anyone else seeing this (or these) trends? i guess I am feeling like people have decided that Yin can be whatever they say it is and it just seems to constantly confuse students as to what Yin yoga is.
Bernie
Posts: 1293
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:25 am
Location: Vancouver

Post by Bernie »

There is no one right way to do something (but there are many wrongs ways to do it). Anytime someone says something like “Yin yoga must never use props,, they are teaching from dogma. I have written about Yin Yoga with props before and stated that there are several key benefits and reasons for using props in our asana practice:
  • To increase stress in desired areas
    To decrease stress in undesired areas
    To create length and space
    To make certain positions available/accessible
    To provide support: when the bones feel supported, the muscles can release
    To increase comfort: which means longer stays in the postures
To your basic question, is this a trend? Maybe! I have heard of a lot of complaints about Yin Yoga teachers dogmatically insisting on somethings I never heard from Paul Grilley or Sarah Powers. But, as to Hot Yin, I don't see that as a problem, but it is certainly a trend. I have written about that as well. I will be interested to hear others' views, too.
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