Let's start with something familiar!

Review the postures below that are commonly seen in a Hatha Yoga class. How can we express these asana further? Would props be of value to hold them longer?

In a nutshell...Yin is about holding postures for a longer period of time to lengthen the connective tissue to enhance flexibility. Needless to say, there is so much more to this practice that holds a wide array of benefits. We want to be mindful to stay in our scope of practice while educating our students on the benefits of Yin.

As with any practice, there are contraindications. It is important to know these and aid your student in supporting their asana to address these. With that being said, we often don't have the luxury of a student's medical history in a group setting. For this reason, I tend to teach in such a way that is more inclusive than about deepening to the furthest expression possible.

Our movement patterns dictate the way we hold our bodies. The main idea around Yin (in my humble option) is to interrupt these patterns to help self-correct poor anatomical alignment in the body. Our daily movement (or lack thereof) can take a toll on our overall wellness and mobility.

Another reason I chose to write this course is Yin's notorious reputation for challenging a student to stay present through stillness. In modern days, it can be challenging for us to hit the "pause" button on life and simply be. Yogis have benefitted from their understanding of presence in many ways. It can help with all of the eight limbs of yoga, and we will touch on these throughout this course.

Students have requested class plans over the years that I have been training. A focal point of Edge has always been to not be married to a class plan, and to teach in such a way that serves the students that show up for class on a given day. With that being said, this practice is less about assembling dozens of postures and more of holding space (and time!) for an asana to truly set. For this reason, this course will include one year of weekly class plans to include a meditation script, counterposes, and breath work.

This course will invite in a layer of Iyengar's lineage through the use of props. There will be much emphasis on setting up your student for success with all of the nurturing props we commonly see in Restorative Yoga.

You will need the following props for this course:
- Yoga Mat
- Bolster or Large Pillows
- 3 Yoga Blankets
- D Ring Strap
- Two Blocks

We will also introduce fun props to enhance your practice, but they will not be required.

To aid us in our journey, we will use The Complete Guide to Yin Yoga by Bernie Clark as our required reading. This book is available on Kindle, but recommend the hard copy to use as a reference guide. It is noteworthy that many postures in this book carry different names than you might be used to, and that's okay. In this course, we will find our sweet spot between what you know and what you would like to bring into your class. As a student of Leslie Kaminoff of the Desikachar lineage, you will see that I place more emphasis on anatomical alignment than oftentimes seen in a traditional yin class. We will explore our way through movements with the aid of props to ensure that benefits outweigh the risks. As with all of my programs, please feel free to take from the buffet of knowledge what you like, and leave the rest.

I hope you enjoy taking this course as much as I enjoy writing it. Thank you for allowing me to walk alongside you on your journey. Now let's get to lengthening!

As you move through the photoshoot below, take a moment to ask yourself what props you could use to have each of these postures be supported with bolsters, blocks, straps, and the like to create a passive stretch in lieu of the active postures seen below.

Namaste,
Michelle

Rabbit

Cobra

Half Lord of the Fishes

Chair

Garland

Staff

Warrior II

Bound Angle

Crescent

Wide Seated Forward Bend

Bow

Camel

Plank

Revolved Triangle

Child's Pose