Turn Your Intention into Your Way of Life
Stretch. Breathe. Release. Repeat. An excellent class for beginners and advanced yogis alike, this class is exactly what it says! No pretzel-twisted poses, no standing on one toe, no marathon stretches. This is a peaceful, guided practice designed to help focus your mind, relieve tension, and enhance flexibility.
$15, or included with your Be Spa membership or pass
Yin Yoga is a style of yoga that includes holding poses for relatively long periods, usually between two and ten minutes. Depending on the practice, Yin Yoga may be supported with props or not.
In Yin Yoga, the focus is on releasing and finding stretch in connective tissue, like ligaments and fascia, rather than the muscles. It includes deep release that is beneficial to both mind and body. Yin Yoga can help speed recovery, benefit other yoga and fitness practices, and increase mobility.
It can take several seconds for the body to begin to release muscles when a person stretches. Some say it can take six seconds for muscle release to even begin! It takes far more time for muscles to fully relax so that the supporting structures can also find space to release their tension. Yin Yoga is one of the few methods available for this kind of release.
Beyond the physical, a Yin Yoga session can assist with emotional release and mental well-being. As your brain tells your body to relax, the mind begins to find some calm due to the chemicals your body sends out naturally. As you remain still, focused on your breath and yourself, you may also experience deep emotional release, a sense of power, or comforting peace.
Is Yin Yoga Different from Restorative Yoga?
Many people may have experienced Restorative Yoga, and wonder about the difference. In Restorative Yoga, the student is intended to be absolutely comfortable, completely supported. In a Yin Yoga practice, minor discomfort (never pain) is welcome. You are encouraged to find your “edge”, your point at which you feel stretch but not pain, and just be there.
Do I Need Yoga Experience?
In general, you do not need any previous yoga experience to enjoy Yin Yoga. Each pose will be fully explained so that your practice can be both effective and safe. In most classes, you’ll also be given options in each pose. Each of us has a unique body, and sometimes you just don’t “bend that way.” That’s OK! A quick modification can help you reach your goals, including increased flexibility.
What Do I Wear?
You will want clothing that moves with you, like leggings or sweatpants with some stretch. The same goes for tops – stretchy is good! Clothes that bind or inhibit motion can really interfere with this style of yoga.
Anything Else?
Yup. Otherwise I wouldn’t have included this paragraph! You may experience muscle soreness, emotional release, or physical detox after a Yin Yoga class. These are all good things, and indicate a beneficial practice. Muscle soreness is the easiest to understand – you’re stretching your muscles in ways they might not be used to, and they get a little sore. “Detox” isn’t just about drugs and “chemicals.” A session of deep Yin Yoga can aid the body’s natural systems of waste elimination, supporting the natural detox it does every day. Emotional release can occur during your practice, or in the hours after. Drink extra water before and after your session to help these functions progress normally. It’s also “normal” to experience none of this; it will depend entirely on your mind and body.
Whether you enjoy intense workouts and need this recovery time, or just want to find a little extra peace and flexibility, give Yin Yoga a try!
As always, if you try and discover Yin Yoga isn’t for you, that information can help your coach introduce you to other options with similar goals! Always work with your coach; it helps us find the very best ways to help you on your journey.
You may never learn to love exercise, but you can hate it a little less or even begin to look forward to that “me time” with the help of the right music! What is the right music, and how can it help?
Those days when you’d much rather just sit on the couch and eat brownies than put on athletic shoes or yoga pants? Music can help pull you out of that funk by making you want to move! Whether you get a few songs under your belt while you get dressed, or have something high-energy playing in your car on the way to class, by the time you begin your workout, your brain will be telling your body it’s time to get going. Continue this into your workout with an energetic track to keep you on the move.
Songs that tend to make you want to dance are best for this purpose. “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon, Capital Cities’ “Safe and Sound”, “Jump Around” by House of Pain, and “I Like it Like That” by Pete Rodriguez, are all great for dancing, but I’m sure you have your own songs you prefer as well.
This 2013 Study shows that many people effectively use music choices to elevate and improve mood. For those days when you’re not inclined to exercise because you’re just feeling generally down, try using music to pick you back up!
Of course, the choice in music here is quite personal. Some prefer classical, some rock, others country or something entirely different. When using music to improve your mood, it’s more about how your listen than what you’re listening to. But all the same, if you’re choosing music with lyrics, you may want to stick to lyrics that are positive. Think something like “Best Day of My Life” by American Authors, “Perfect” by Pink, “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas, and “Happy” by Pharrell Williams are great bits of positivity to add to your playlist!
When you’re working out, the focus needs to stay on your body. Distraction can be unsafe at worst, and keep you from your most effective workout at best. But listening to music can help distract you from your exertion just enough to help you do just a little more, or push a tiny bit harder – up to 15% on average!
Keep in mind that songs with complex instrumentation and a faster, heavier beat may give our brains more to process, meaning a slightly greater distraction. This is a good thing! Unless you’re doing yoga, in which case the deeper, slower music helps to match the movements and bring your focus to the inner self as well as the physical.
Most humans have a natural desire to move with music. You don’t have to have been a member of a marching band to observe people’s steps becoming quicker as the music in the mall changes to something happy and upbeat. This is because the rhythm of music stimulates the motor areas of the brain, and it feels slightly “off” to walk against that rhythm. The same goes for your workout! The faster the music, the quicker your pace.
For most workouts, including walking, jogging, running, aerobic classes, and other high-intensity training, the best workout music isn’t just guesswork. It’s science, folks! Check out songs with tempos between 120 and 140 beats per minute (that’s BPM is music speak.) Jog.fm has some great lists to help you sort out what might be best for your playlist.
Speaking of listening to music with the right tempo or beat count for your workout, there’s more! In workouts with repetitive movements like HIIT, kickboxing, weight training, or TRX, that beat is even more important. When you are able to time your movements with the beat of the music, you are able to direct more of your focus to the movement itself. Whether you know how to count measures of music, or just keep up with the “one, two” hits of a snare drum, you control your movements. This helps you make better use of those muscles, rather than going too fast. In these types of classes, control of your body is a large part of building strength, and there’s almost nothing better than well-chosen music to help!
Try starting with music in the range of 130 BPM, like “Titanium” by David Guetta feat. Sia or “Hot Blooded” by Foreigner. If that’s not the best pace for you, it’s easy to choose something a little faster or slower as needed with the jog.fm lists.
So get some music, or some better music, into your workout! It just might be as important as those new shoes or fancy weights.