Day 7

Today was my first Yin class, I fell in love with it instantly.  When I walked into class (Yin is held in a room at the back of the studio) the room was very dimly lit. It wasn’t a hot yoga room, just warm enough to be cozy and there were no windows, just mirrors. There were blankets, pillows and bolsters all around the room to use as props during the poses.

Yin yoga works deeply into the connective tissues (ligaments, tendons, cartilage and fascia), in order to heal joints and increase flexibility through slow, gentle and sustained traction.  Poses are held for five minutes each.

Airlie told stories and shared her wealth of knowledge which made the class very interesting and the 5 minutes for each pose went by so fast. She had a little meditation bell set on her iphone to tell us when the five minutes were up. Some of the poses I was so grateful to hear that little bell, others I could have held a bit longer.  She talked about The Three Doshas in Ayurveda: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, the vital energies that make up our physical constitution and that are evident all around us.

Airlie focused on the Vata Dosha. Vata governs movement in the body. It is cold, light, irregular, dry, and always changing. To balance Vata, we need to make choices that bring warmth, stability, and consistency to our life. It was really quite fascinating to hear all about Vata and how fall is the Vata season – the transition between summer and winter. Excess vata can cause anxiety and insomonia and there are all kinds of tips on how to Balance Vata.

The class was 75 minutes and it felt like 30 minutes, it went so fast… Airlie ended the class with a dark room and encouraged everyone to cover up with a blanket, it was so cozy in there I could have stayed for a nap.  It felt nice ending the class not sweating a drop (dripping wet after moksha), or needing any water (drink 2L during moksha).  I found the class to be very healing, restorative, therapeutic and inspirational. I will definitely go back to Yin again :)

Most challenging pose today:

Supported Fish Pose / Matsyasana - this doesn't look hard but when you hold it for 5 minutes it is a different story ;)

Found this inspirational quote on the tag of my new yoga pants:

Day 7 complete!