My physiotherapist said that Yin Yoga is dangerous for me.

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Bernie
Posts: 1293
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:25 am
Location: Vancouver

My physiotherapist said that Yin Yoga is dangerous for me.

Post by Bernie »

I recently received the following question:
  • I have been reading and learning from your thoughtful interactions on the yin yoga forum for several years. I have not been successful in registering on the forum but never needed to actively participate, Recently, I was asked a question . I have been teaching yin yoga for about 5 years and a new student recently asked me the question below. My initial thought was that if practised properly, the muscles are not actively engaged in a long yin pose, rather the point of the pose is to relax the muscles and to go deeper into the more plastic and less elastic tissues of the connective tissue / fascia. Even when compressing two segments of the body such as the femur and the pelvis, tension or stretching of the opposite segments should be a deeper stretch than the muscles. I am respectful of the opinions of trained professionals such as physiotherapists and so I thought it best to seek further knowledge prior to answering. I wonder if you would have any response to her inquiry that I could offer her?
    Thank you for any assistance.
    Barb Wishart

    " When I was at physio, the physiotherapist told me that he'd discussed yin yoga with the owner of the yoga studio (who is also a yoga instructor). He was trying to discourage the practice of yin yoga saying that holding poses 5-6 minutes was simply not good for the body; that in general it was too much strain on the muscles. I understand that yin yoga has likely been around for centuries, and has connections with the body's meridians and chakras. Given that yin has been practiced so long, I would have thought it to have been well established, and accepted even in the "modern medicine" world, so I am confused by the physiotherapist's negative comment. I'd be appreciative of any light that can be shed on this issue."

Thanks for your question. It is a variation on a theme that we often hear in the Yin Yoga community, and often it is due to a misunderstanding of what Yin Yoga is all about. You are correct in stating that in Yin Yoga we do not actively engage the muscles. If that were what we were doing, I would also agree with your physiotherapist that this is not an ideal way to exercise our muscles. But, that is not what we are doing or recommending: the muscles are passive throughout the practice.

This does not mean that the muscles are not receiving a stress: they are. The stress soaks into the deeper connective tissues of the body: the ligaments, joint capsules, but also the fascia, which includes the fascia enveloping and investing the muscles too. Our fascia is a yin-like tissue that responds well to static, long-held stresses. This can make the tissues more pliable, thicker, stronger and hydrated. Even our muscles need these qualities (although Yin Yoga won’t make the muscles stronger, it can make the fascia of the muscles stronger.)

If I were able to talk to your physiotherapist I would first check to see if he (she?) really understood the philosophy of exercising connective tissues? To say that this is not healthy usually indicates an ignorance of what we really do. There is a ton of anecdotal evidence that shows Yin Yoga works to restore and maintain health, and there is a growing, albeit small to date, body of scientific evidence as well. See my recent article A Scientific Basis for Yin Yoga.

Yin Yoga is a common practice throughout the history of hatha yoga, which goes back at least 1,000 years. The original postures described in the ancient texts talk about holding postures passively for long periods of time. We also do this in modern life: think of braces for your teeth – this is a yin stretch of the connective tissues of the jaw, applied for years! When we sit or stand for long periods of time, we are apply yin stresses on our bones and ligaments: sometimes to their detriment! Standing for long periods can lead to fallen arches and sitting for long periods can lead to a shrink-wrapping of the hip joints and loss of the lordotic curve in the lumbar spine. What these negative yin stresses do can be undone by yin stresses in the opposite direction: sitting on your heels or between your feet may restore your fallen arches, lying on your belly in Sphinx Pose or sitting in Shoelace may restore strength to your joints and regain lost range of motion.

Certainly, we can do too much of anything: we can do too much yang yoga and wear ourselves out, and we can do too much Yin Yoga and overly stress our joints. But for most people we need both yin and yang exercises to fully work and restore our health.

I hope this helps!
Cheers
Bernie

ps - I would be curious to know what the problem was when you tried to sign up to the Forum. For most people, I have discovered that the problem is that the sign up email they are sent to finish the process is sent to their Junk Mail folder and they never see it. Please try signing up again and look for the confirmation email. If you need help, please contact me.
Barbwishart
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Jul 09, 2015 4:46 am
Location: Scotchtown, New Brunswick

My physiotherapist says yin yoga is dangerous

Post by Barbwishart »

Thank you so much for a very comprehensive and comprehensible reply. My difficulty with the site was my inability to read slowly so I kept trying to enter both your first and last name. Oops!

Thank you again for your reply . It will form the basis of a good discussion.
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