Teacher Training
Up until two weeks ago, I had never taken a Yin Yoga class before. I didn’t even know what Yin Yoga was. I’ve been living in a Bikram Yoga bubble for the last six years and had only recently gotten out of my shell by exploring hot yoga with Hot Power Fusion classes at CorePower Yoga and that’s only because I signed up for their yoga teacher training. My good friend, Katie had been telling me about this awesome Yin Yoga class she discovered at Seattle Yoga Lounge and asked if I wanted to check it out with her sometime. I told her, “Sure!” As part of my yoga teacher training, I have to take three yoga classes outside of CorePower Yoga. I figured this would be a perfect opportunity to check one of these classes off of my yoga teacher training to-do list. Only I had no idea I’d actually fall in love with Yin Yoga.
The first Yin Yoga class I went to with my friend was absolutely amazing. I had no idea what to expect. Therefore I had no expectations and came to class with an open mind. The studio was warm, but not enough to make you sweat. The lights were dimly lit. There were battery-powered candles set up all around the room. Our teacher, Devyn talked in a very low and soothing voice as she guided us into each of the postures. The postures weren’t anything too terribly difficult or challenging. They were for the most part incredibly relaxing. What was unique about this style of yoga is that we held each posture anywhere from three to five minutes at a time. Since the class started at 9pm, the calming, relaxing atmosphere was an incredible set up for a good night’s sleep. Having troubles with insomnia? I highly recommend checking out a Yin Yoga class before going to bed.
I was so excited about Yin Yoga after taking the first class, I took the same class a couple days later. Same teacher, same studio and same time, only the second time, I was flying solo. I walked into the studio and set up in the back corner. I had a spot on either side of me. In this class, they cap off how many people can sign up so there’s always plenty of room for students to spread out and stretch. As we were moving into the third posture of class, a man walked into the studio and set up his mat right next to me in the back corner. Really!?!?? With plenty of spots open in the studio, the fact that he set up so close to me made me uncomfortable. As we prepared to move into the next posture, I decided to give us both more room by moving my mat over to the space on the other side of me. Second Yin Yoga class, not as relaxing as the first one.
I went to my third Yin Yoga class tonight and three times a charm! I had a fantastic class, even better than the first class the week before! What about I love about Yin Yoga is it forces me to focus on my breath and slow everything down. It’s the exact opposite of Bikram Yoga. In Yin, I’m holding myself in the postures long enough so I can relax my body into them. Each class has been different so far as opposed to Bikram Yoga where it’s the same class, same sequence, each and every time. In this Yin Yoga class, we’ve been focusing on stretching out different body parts. No class has been the same so far. I feel encouraged to let it all go and relax. In fact, it’s so easy to let myself get so relaxed, I sometimes find myself falling asleep.
In class tonight, I was able to pay attention to a few things I hadn’t paid attention to before in the previous classes. First of all, there was music. It wasn’t anything like the music I’ve been hearing in the Hot Power Fusion classes at CorePower. The music played in the Yin class was mainly piano and there were no lyrics. It reminded me of music I’d hear in the background while getting a facial. The music helped drown out the random stomach growling and grumblings coming from those of us, especially me, in class. The music along with the dimly lit studio set the mood for class to be relaxing and comfortable. Another thing I paid closer attention to was my breath. I found myself listening to Devyn’s cue of deep breathing in and out, more so than I had in any of the classes before. By focusing on my breathing, I was able to relax a whole lot more and melt into the postures.
One thing is a guarantee after each Yin Yoga class I’ve taken so far – I have the best night’s sleep after class. I couldn’t imagine taking a Yin Yoga class in the middle of the day. I’d need a nap or else I’d be sleepy and worthless for the rest of the day.
Class #5, Yin Yoga at Seattle Yoga Lounge (Outside Class-2)