The Complete Guide to Yin Yoga: Tuesday Giveaway
Posted on October 1st, 2012

Question: How do you balance your practice?
Balance is something we all seek, but often seems elusive and just out of reach. Perhaps this is because we see balance as some sort of end goal—if we just do enough of this and that, we will be balanced and stay that way. The reality of balance in life—just as in Tree Posture—is that we are constantly having to adjust and readjust in small ways to maintain the posture; some days this is easier than others.
Often in our daily practice, we forget balance as we choose to “do” yoga. We may push as hard as we can in class, or we may choose to take mostly power, hot, and vinyasa yoga classes to feel like we’ve got “a workout”.
Yin Yoga is a way to create balance in our yoga practice, our bodies, and our minds. This week’s giveaway of the book, The Complete Guide to Yin Yoga by Bernie Clark, will help you bring the Yin to your Yang and your yoga mat.
The Complete Guide to Yin Yoga is an in-depth look at the practice and benefits of Yin Yoga. All forms of yoga can provide benefits physically, emotionally, and mentally and Yin Yoga is similar, however Yin Yoga works the deeper levels of the body/heart/mind: the connective tissues of the ligaments, fascia, joints and bones and the energetic channels of the meridians, nerves and blood system.
One big difference noticed by students of Yin Yoga is the long held, passive nature of the posture, which gives time for a deeper journey to unfold, a journey into the meditative aspects of yoga, a bridge to living life mindfully.
While initially this style of yoga can seem quite boring, passive, or soft, yin practice can be quite challenging due to the long duration of the poses. We can remain in the postures anywhere from one to twenty minutes! Yin and yang tissues respond quite differently to being exercised. You need to experience this to really know what Yin Yoga is all about. After you have experienced it, even just once, you will realize that you have been doing only half of the asana practice.
Bernie Clark’s Yin Yoga website
How to Enter: Just add your answer to the following question to the comments section below: How do you balance your practice?
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The fine print: Click here to read the official contest rules. By submitting a comment on this blog or commenting on or ‘liking’ the Facebook post, you agree to the official contest rules.
Tags: Yin, yin yoga, Tuesday Giveaway, giveaway, tuesday yoga giveaway, bernie clark, yoga book, free yoga book, The Complete Guide to Yin Yoga
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adamargento
Balance: Climbing mountains, glacier chilled air, then the muscles tighten up when I'm too tired to do yoga in the evening! Yin yoga the next day is the perfect balance.
6 months ago in Calgary, CA
ataiayoga
It sounds nice. You have shared here very precious and worthy article regarding on Yin Yoga. I really enjoyed your worthy shared. Thank you so much for the great and informative post..!
6 months ago in Zurich, CH
yogasantosha
remembering the bhavas with which I practice and keeping my intention inwardly focused
about 6 months ago in Altea, ES
kayoga
For it´s quite simple...I just focus on breather and I ear my body...and breath...and sometimes my body like to do Yin Yoga and sometimes any kind of pratice... and the BALANCE happen...when I fell good with MY PRATICE...
7 months ago in Esposende, PT
signedcutie
I work in an extremely high intense, stressful environment. So I try to mix up the different types of yoga based on my mood. If I need energy, I try a flow yoga. If I want a workout, I do power yoga. And last and most important, if I am feeling stressed, I like to practice restorative yoga
about 7 months ago in London, CA
fernlevy
I balance my practice by staying connected to breath, to pranayama. I remind myself to breathe deeply, connect to the moment, and be grateful and in awe of all that my body can do to connect me to spirit through the asanas.
about 7 months ago
wigglygirl
Balance for me is often a blend of hard work, rest and PLAY!
I hula hoop to help me get unstuck when I get too serious or recycle my sapped energies so I can better sort out what I need to do to nourish myself. It helps me to tune into my heart and then bring that heart forward as I move through the world. My hoop is just as essential to my yoga practice as pranayama.
about 7 months ago in Calgary, CA
dhanuman
Pranayama balances my practice, and my practice balances my day.
about 7 months ago in SYDNEY, AU
myogagirl
I listen to what my body, mind and spirit are craving for. I am not particularly attached to any one class, discipline or teacher. The answer for me always lies within myself.
about 7 months ago in Montreal, CA
karinlburke
As a teacher with a recent, unyoga related wrist injury I'm looking at no longer being able to support weight on my hands and have very suddenly had to face all sorts of 'shadows' that I intellectually thought I was over. I am a teacher, I have to be 'better' at asana; i will master these handstands; yoga is asana; my body should be strong and perfect; i can fight off injury and age, etc etc etc. Not an easy transformation, but a powerful one and one that is challenging my own practice and my teaching, for the good. I find that balance in re-learning, and learning, and letting go.
about 7 months ago in chicago, US
jvjohnson129
I balance my practice with yang & yin styles of yoga, meditation and lots of reading. Yin yoga is new to my practice and I enjoy the balance it creates in my body, mind & soul.
8 months ago in North Providence, US
heamic
I balance my practice by varying the intensity by basing the session on how my body feels during that day. I take time to enjoy the simple things as well as enjoy the chaos. There truly is beauty in everything.
8 months ago in Eau Claire, US