Relax your arms down by your sides with your palms facing up and allow your shoulders to round forward naturally.Turn one cheek to the yoga mat or rest your head on a folded blanket.If your pelvis is sensitive, place a blanket under your hips for cushioning. From a prone position, extend your legs long behind you.Turning your head to the side stretches your neck and creates an opportunity for a change of perspective. Starting on your belly helps to establish a connection to your breath because you will be able to feel your whole body rise and fall as you breathe in and out. This first pose, Prone Passive Neck Stretch, brings you down close to the earth. Prone Passive Neck Stretchproneneckstretch.jpg When you feel ready to move on, come down onto your belly. Sit for a few minutes focusing on your steady breath. Set your timer to hold each pose for three to five minutes.īegin by setting an intention to cultivate peace in your body, peace in your mind, and peace in your heart. Try the following yin poses as a sequence or individually at your own pace. You may want some or all of these supplies: Put on some soothing music, set your phone to silent (or turn it off completely!), and put a "do not disturb" sign on the door so you have a better chance to maintain a quiet atmosphere. Light some candles and turn off the bright lights to create a dark and inviting environment. Make sure you are comfortable by wearing loose-fitting clothes, cleaning off face makeup, and letting your hair down. Ensure that you are warm enough by turning on a heater, putting a blanket over your yoga mat, and wearing cozy layers (especially socks and a wool hat). Conditions for calm include warmth, comfort, dark, and quiet. To prepare for your yin yoga practice, set up the conditions for calm. According to Sarah Powers, author of Insight Yoga, yin yoga, “teaches us how to heal and fully inhabit ourselves, developing an attitude of attentiveness and kindness within us” and helps to “accelerate our ability to help, heal, and naturally love others.” Practice Preparations With origins in Chinese Medicine, Buddhism, and yoga, yin yoga is an introverted and often stationary practice, compared to the active, yang practices of Vinyasa and Ashtanga Yoga. Yin yoga is a slow, grounding practice that helps to calm the nervous system and bring awareness to the body-mind connection. The darker, colder days make for wonderful opportunities to turn inward-physically, mentally, and emotionally. Gather your skin and muscle into a patch of sun.Wintertime is a wonderful time to practice yin yoga. Below is some of what was shared:Īnd rage, tattered from waving too long in a brutal wind?
The theme this weekend was winter solstice and I love what the retreat participants shared. While solstice may not have gained the notoriety of Christmas, Hanukah, or Kwanza, many people celebrate it as a deeply meaningful holiday-a time to celebrate renewal, rebirth, and gratitude for the coming light.ĭuring the weekend retreats, we often do shared readings. Solstice can be a magical, contemplative time-a night of spiritual reconnection and ritual. Ancient cultures feared the light of the sun would not return unless they performed vigils and rituals on the solstice. Some refer to solstice as the rebirth of the sun-and not coincidentally Christmas celebrates the birth of the Son. The winter solstice has carried strong symbolism for many, many years. One ancient definition of solstice is “standing still sun.” Because the earth is tilted on its axis, the northern hemisphere leans farthest away from the sun during the winter solstice (on December 21 or 22), resulting in a long, dark night. The word solstice is derived from the Latin word solstitium- sol meaning sun and – stitium meaning stoppage.
Winter solstice marks the shortest day and longest night of the year, when the sun is at its lowest arc in the sky.
Here is a passage I found on line explaining the significance of the Winter Solstice: I did just that this weekend with the lovely retreat participants! The early evenings and long nights leading to the winter solstice give ample time for restorative yoga by candlelight, time to contemplate, rest, reflect, and renew. I also see this as a time to surround myself with light, with people of light and radiance. I know we are still days away from the Winter Solstice, but this weekend, we had our annual Winter Solstice Hatha Yoga Retreat, always held the first weekend of December.įor me, this time of year is an opportunity to seek light, a time to put up Christmas lights and light candles in the early evenings.
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