Appropriate mix of yin and yang practices

[BillL]

Bernie

I think this must have been answered somewhere in the forums, but I can't find exactly the answer I need, so here goes.

I'm almost 70 years old. I started practicing yoga about 15 years ago. Within the first year, I was introduced to yin and it (including all of your books) is still a regular part of my practice. Up to now, I'd guess I've been doing about 80% yang practices and 20% yin practices. (i don't mix them. They are all either yin or yang--insofar as that's possible.) For me, as I move into my 70s, what would you suggest as the appropriate mix of yin and yang practices?

Thanks

Bill

[Bernie]

Hi Bill

You are correct: the topic of how much yin to do and when has been raised before. You can check here and here for a couple of examples. But, in general, there is no one answer that works for everybody. What you need to know is - what works for you? In general, the older we get the more yin-like we become (stiffer and less mobile) so the more we need yin-like yoga. But at a broader level, physical health has 3 orthogonal axis: strength, endurance and mobility. Personally, at 65, I use resistance training for strength (push-ups, handstands, weights), running sprints and climbing stairs for endurance, and yin yoga for maintaining my flexibility and and mobility. I cycle through these 3 intentions over 3 days. As we get older, we also need a bit more recovery time, so having one day a week of no workouts and do 6 days of the cycle I just described may work well.

For you, however, the question is really, what are your priorities? Are you lacking mobility and are not so worried about strength or endurance? If so, maybe more yin yoga would be appropriate. However, if you feeling your strength is lacking more than flexibility, then less yin and more yang may be more appropriate. You will have to decide your priorities and intentions and go from there to design your program?

Good luck!
Bernie