THECOMPLETEGUIDETOYINYOGA

THECOMPLETEGUIDETOYINYOGA

ThePhilosophyandPracticeofYinYoga

BERNIECLARKFOREWORDBYSARAHPOWERS

WHITECLOUDPRESSASHLAND,OREGON

Allrightsreserved.Copyright©2012byBernieClark.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeanswhatsoever,includinggraphic,electronic,ormechanical,includingphotocopying,recording,taping,orbyanyinformationstorageorretrievalsystem,withoutpermissionfromthepublisher.Inquiriesshouldbeaddressedto:WhiteCloudPress,POBox3400,Ashland,OR97520.Website:whitecloudpress.com

CoverandinteriordesignbyConfluenceBookServicesLibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationDataClark,Bernie,1953-Thecompleteguidetoyinyoga:thephilosophyandpracticeofyinyoga/byBernieClark.

p.cm.Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.ISBN978-1-935952-37-41.Yinyoga.I.Title.RA781.73.C532011613.7'046--dc23

2011028908

CreditsforArtandPhotographyChapters2,3,&4:PhotographsofCheriseRichards,ourYinYogamodel,arebyChristyCollins.Copyrighted2011byBernieClark.

Chapter 6: p. 195: “TheMyofascial-Tendon Complex,” reprinted, by permission, from SEER TrainingModules, Structure of Skeletal Muscle. U. S. National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute.;p.196:“CollagenFibers,”reprinted,bypermission, Matthew P. Dalene and the Rensselaer Plytechnic Institute; p. 201: “Connective Tissues,”reprintedfromGray’sAnatomy,38thEdition,TheAnatomicalBasisofMedicineandSurgeryCopyright,p.76, by Pearson Professional Limited 1995 and with their kind permission; p. 208: “Types of SynovialJoints,”reprinted,bypermission,ProdunisoftheWikimediaShareCommons.

Chapter7:p.256:“TheCell’sCytoskeleton”fromEnergyMedicine—TheScientificBasis,p.46,copyright

http://www.whitecloudpress.comhttp://www.training.seer.cancer.gov/anatomy/muscular/structure.html

ElsevierLimited,2000,reprinted,bypermission,fromElsevierandJamesOschman.

ForNathalie,whohascometoshareinmybeliefthatyinistrulyin!

TableofContents

ForewordPrefaceAcknowledgementsIntroduction

ChapterOne:YinYogaDefinedYinandYangYinTissuesandYangTissuesTheTheoryofExerciseOriginalYinDaoistYogaModernYinsters

ChapterTwo:ThePracticeofYinYogaHowtoPracticeYinYogaIntention&AttentionMovingEnergy

ChapterThree:TheAsanasofYinYogaAnahatasanaAnkleStretchBananasanaButterflyHalfButterflyCamelCatPullingItsTailCaterpillar

Child’sPoseDanglingDeerPoseDragonsFrogHappyBabyRecliningTwistSaddleShoelaceSnailSphinx&SealSquareSquatStraddle(Dragonfly)Swan&SleepingSwanToeSquatShavasanaYinYogaPosesfortheUpperBodyYangCounterposes

ChapterFour:YinYogaFlowsAnEasyBeginner’sFlowAFlowfortheSpineAFlowfortheHipsAFlowfortheLegsAFlowfortheShoulders,ArmsandWristsAFlowfortheKidneyandUrinaryBladderMeridianLinesAFlowfortheLiverandGallBladderMeridianLinesAFlowfortheStomachandSpleenMeridianLinesAFlowfortheWholeBodyWallYin

ChapterFive:SpecialSituationsHip&KneeIssuesLowerBackDisordersHavingBabies

ChapterSix:ThePhysicalBenefitsStressingourTissuesFasciaConnectiveTissuesJointsOtherPhysiologicalBenefitsofYinYoga

ChapterSeven:TheEnergeticBenefitsAYogicViewADaoistViewAWesternView

ChapterEight:TheHeart&MindBenefits

BibliographyIndexAbouttheAuthor

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Foreword

he practice of yoga has always been evolving, but essentially yoga is thecultivationofattention.Whatweattend toand theattitudewithwhichwe

attendgreatly influencehowweexperienceourselvesandour life. Inyogaweconcentrateonbothform(ourbodiesandtissues),andformlessness(ourbreath,energychannels,andmindstates).Theseinterconnectedaspectsofrealityareinconstant interplay, theyare theYinandYangof life, and, inyogawedevelopandbalancethesepolarcomplementaritieswithinourbody/mindexperience.Formost of us, beginningwith that which ismost tangible, the body (Yang) is acommondoorwayintothepractice.Aswebecomelessdistractedandhealthierphysically, most students eventually become interested in that which is morehidden.Thiscanbecalledtheyinaspectofreality,whichrelateswiththatwhichissubtle.Itisonlybypayingattentioninarelaxedandattunedwaythatthisyinaspectofyogaisrevealed.Whenstudentsfirstbeginayogapractice,perhapstoreducestressortogetin

shape,ormaybejusttoaccompanyafriend,theywilloftenbeguidedtoplacethelargestpercentageoftheirattentionontheshapeoftheposestheyaretryingtodo.Thiskeepsthepracticesafeandaswelearnposturalintegration,ourbody-based experiencebecomesmore joyous, healthy, and theposturesmore fun toinhabit. Eventually, with skillful guidance, sincere practitioners becomeinterestednotonly in theouter formsofyoga, but in the inner revolution thatyogacanoffer,or,asBerniemightsay,theystarttogoyin-side.Itisherethatthedeeperaspectsofyogaarerevealed.Paying attention to the fluctuations of the breath, noticing the sensations

ebbingand flowing in thephysicalbody, tracking thechanging feelings in theemotionalbody,andrecognizingthespaceofthemindaswellasthethoughtsinthementalbodyareallpartofyoga.Thisyokingorjoiningofthebody,heart,and mind provides health benefits beyond simply being more flexible orstronger. The word health is derived from an Old English word meaning“whole.”Yogare-establishesournaturalwholeness—thebalancedintegrityof

ouryinandyangnature.Adding a yin or quieter aspect to our yoga practice can introduce us to the

possibility of physical/emotional/mental equilibrium by marrying the softer,contemplativemodesof being in life to the stronger activitieswe are sooftencompelledby.Thishelpsreducethecompulsiveextremesofbehaviorthatcauseus to lose balance, lose focus, and diminish our joy of living.Yang energy isneeded to bring vitality to our yin interior, but it is the gentler yin qualitieswithinusthatbalanceouryangintensities.Ifyouhavefeltthatlifeistoooftennothowyouwouldlikeittobe,thenlearningtheancientartofdeeplistening,tuningin to theinternal,non-conceptual,softeraspectsofyouryinnaturemaybethehealingdirection.YinYoga,when taught skillfully, can provide this opportunity to gowithin

and re-align our orientation. Itwill also affect our physical body inways thatmaysurpriseus.Itissimple,butoftenchallenging.Itwillprovideuswithampleperiodsofstillnesswithinwhichwecanstart topayattention towhat is reallyhappening, right here, right now. It canprovoke insights thatmaymoveus tomakesignificantchangesinourlifeorallowustoacceptthatwhatishappeningright now is exactlywhat ought to be happening right now.Wemay discoverourselvesopeninguptoandconnectingwithourexperienceasitis,ratherthanholdingontoresistanceandfeelingsofvictimization.Foranyoneseekingtolearnandbenefitfromthepracticeofyoga,thisbook

will be an invaluable guide.Bernie has been a student and friend ofmine formanyyears.Iknowhimtobeathoughtfulanddedicatedteacherwhohashelpedmany through hisworkshops,website, andwritings. Through this book, he issharinghisownpracticeforallourbenefits,seekingtohelpanyonewhodesiresgenuinehealthandwholeness.Withinthesepages,youwillfindexplorationsonthephysicalbenefitsofYinYogaandexplanationsonthewaysYinYogahelpsusenergeticallyaswellasemotionallyandmentally.ThepracticeofYinYogaisdescribed in detail and the various asanas are reviewed in a simple way,allowing them to be fully experienced. For those interested, the evolution ofyogaingeneralandYinYogaspecificallyisalsopresented.It is with heartfelt encouragement that I invite you to experience opening

withinthroughthestudyandpracticeofYinYoga.

SarahPowersNewYorkSeptember2011

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Preface

any readers of my previous book, YinSights: A Journey into thePhilosophy & Practice of Yin Yoga, wrote to tell me how much they

enjoyedreadingitandhowvaluabletheyfoundthepracticeofYinYoga.Alongwithmanyemails, therewerealso requestsposted in theYinYoga.com Forumasking for evenmore information: how to get into the poses described in thebookandhow to safely comeoutof them,how todoYinYoga for theupperbody,whetherYinYogawouldbehelpfulforunique,specialsituations,andlotsof other questions. Many readers asked about the Daoist history that alsoinformedandinfluencedthedevelopmentofYinYoga.Thedemandgrewforasecond edition of YinSights that would cover these and other details of thepracticeofYinYoga.Unfortunately,a technicalchallengearose:addingtotheinformationalready

presented inYinSights would make the book unwieldy. YinSights was alreadyover 400 pages long and extending it to answer all the questions being raisedwouldmakethebooktoobulky.Asecondeditiondidnotseemlikeagoodidea.Fortunatelytheopportunityarosetosolvethisproblembycreating,notasecondeditionofYinSightsbutanewbookfocusedmoretightlyonthepracticeofYinYoga and its benefits and less on the philosophy and evolution of yoga ingeneral.Theresultiswhatyouarereadingrightnow.The Complete Guide to Yin Yoga borrows heavily in many places from

YinSights, but it extendswhatwas presented in the earlier book considerably.Yinsters familiarwithYinSights will find a few sections repeated entirely buttheywillalsofindanexpandeddescriptionoftheYinYogapostures,moreflowsfollowing broader themes, and postures designed to work the upper body.Special situations are also covered, such as how to modify your Yin Yogapracticeifyouarepregnantorwhattodotohelpyoubecomepregnant.ThereisamorecompleteexaminationoftheeffectsofYinYogaonourfasciaandalsoonourmusclestoo.OfcoursethebenefitsofYinYogagofarbeyondthephysical,andthisbook

http://YinYoga.com

willalsodescribetheconsiderablemental,emotionalandenergeticbenefitswecanreceivethroughthepracticeofYinYoga.IhopepreviousreaderswillenjoyTheCompleteGuide to Yin Yoga asmuch as they didYinSights and that newreaderswillbeinspiredtotakeawalkontheyin-side.Afterall,yinisin!

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AcknowledgementsShowingthewayfearlesslyandcompassionately,

thestreamofallourAncestralTeachers,towhomwebowingratitude.

FromTouchingTheEarth,AgathaofthemonasticsofPlumVillage,France

riting a book begins as a solitary endeavor, but never one that startswithoutencouragement.Alongtheway, throughall thestopsandstarts,

friends appearwho give us the strength to continue.There aremany people Iwishtothankforhelpingmakethisguideareality.Firstly,IwouldliketothankSteve Scholl and PaulGrilley for suggesting the project in the first place.OfcourseIwouldnotevenbeinapositiontowriteaboutYinYogaifitwerenotforallmyteachers,towhomIbowingratitude.MyeternalthankstomyfirstYinYogateacher,SarahPowers,whohelpedme

understand how to slow down andmindfully practice yoga.Pranams to PaulGrilleywhointroducedmetosomanyoftheconceptspresentedinthisbook;toJimClark,forkeepingmestraightonthescience.IwouldalsoliketosingleouttheWhiteCloudPressteamwhocontributedso

importantlytothework:toRainaforhertirelessandexcellentediting,toChristyCollins forherphotography,designand layout, toCheriseRichards forposingagain and again, and to Stephen Sendar and Steve Scholl for their patience. IthankalsoPilarWymanforherindexinghelp.Finally,myblessingsandthankstoallthestudentswhohaveallowedmethe

honor of teaching them: the best way to learn a subject is to try to teach it.Indeed,mystudentshavebeenmygreatestteachers.

PleaseNote!Beforeembarkingonthispractice,pleasemakesureyouareabletodoso:checkwithyour doctor or health care professional beforestarting any yoga practice. The guidance given inthisbookisnotmeanttoreplacemedicaladviceandshould be used only as a supplement if you areunder the care of a health care professional.Whilecarehasbeentakenincompilingtheguidanceinthisbook, we cannot take any responsibility for anyadverse effects from your practice of yoga. Whenyouarenotsureofanyaspectofthepractice,orfeelunwell, seek medical advice. Please read thecontraindications for each pose before you try thepose,sothatyouwillknowifthisparticularpostureisagoodoneforyouto try.Beawareof themanyoptions available to make each pose moreaccessible. Practice with both intention andattention.

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Introduction

odernyogahassprungfromafigurativeforestofmanydifferentstylesofyogawithmanyvariedintentions.IntheearliestrecordsofancientIndia,

yogisweremythicalbeingswithpowersthatcouldtranscendthisphysicalrealm.One particular tree germinating in this fertile forest about 1,000 years ago iscalledHathaYoga,whichmeanstheforcefulyoga.HathaYoga,distinctfromtheothertreesintheyogaforest,wasprimarilydesignedtostrengthenthebodyandprepareitforotherformsofyoga;theseformscouldbethemeditativepracticesthat lead to liberation and enlightenmentbutHathaYoga could alsobe a pathtowardsdevelopingdarkerartsandblackmagic.ManyHathayogiswerefamedfortheirprowessaswarriorsandwerehiredasmercenaries.Today,wemostlyknowofHathaYogaintheWestasthepracticethatmakes

ushealthierandcalmer.Nottoomanypractitionersofyogatodayareaimingforspiritualawakening,althoughifthathappens,thatmightbenice.Theintentionsfor attending a yoga class today may range from seeking health to seekingcompanionship.The fact that you can actually take ayoga class today is verynew: therewere no classes in ages past—you learned by sitting at the feet ofyourguru.Ifyouwerelucky,hewouldimparttoyoueverythinghelearnedfromhisguru,but this transmissionwould takemany longyearsofdedicated studyandpractice.The Hatha tree sprouted many stout branches. Far more than the physical

postures,orasanas,theoriginalpracticeemphasizedthebreathandmagiccirclesformedbythehandsandbody,calledmudras.Inthelast100years,asanashavemovedintothespotlightintheevolvingWesternversionsofHathaYoga.Thereare dozen of branches now: some of the oldest are called Ashtanga Yoga,IyengarYoga,andSivanandaYogawhilesomeofthenewestandsmallestshootshave names like aqua yoga, dance yoga andwine& chocolate yoga.Most ofthesemodern forms ofHathaYoga emphasize health andwellness physically,mentallyandemotionally.With the modernization of Hatha Yoga, some things have been lost. The

original forms of Hatha Yoga equally emphasized strong muscular activities,which can be characterized as yang practices, and the softer activities thatopenedourdeepertissuessuchasthejoints,whichcanbecharacterizedastheyinpractices.Theyin-sideofyogaisfoundnowonlyhiddeninsideafewsofterstylessuchasrestorativeyogaand in themeditationpractices,whichveryfewpeoplearedrawnto.Thisisanunfortunateomissionbecauseitrobsthestudentofthechancetodevelopenhancedhealthforthewholebody,heartandmind.This book is an investigation into that missing half: Yin Yoga. The

investigationwill take you into the philosophical underpinnings of yin versusyang and will explain the benefits of adding a yin perspective to your yogapractice.Thesebenefitsareconsiderableandarefoundinallaspectsofourlife:fromourphysicalwell-beingtoourmentalandemotionalwell-being.The practice ofYinYoga is explained here in detail, but a book is never a

substitute for a teacher. If you are drawn to investigate this part of the Yogaforest further,youareencouraged toseekoutaYinYoga teacher thatyoucanrelateto.Likeallyogapractice,theoryaloneisinsufficient:youmustactuallydothepractice. It isentertainingandeducational to readabouthowandwhyyoumight doYinYoga, but the real value comes in actually getting down on thefloor.So. . .asyoubegintoreadthisbook,getoffyourcouch,getoutofyourchair,placeacushiononthefloorandbegintoreadwhilesitting,orlyingontheground.Movearoundallyouwant,butstayonthefloorforaslongasyoucan.Youarealreadybeginningthepractice.

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CHAPTERONEYinYogaDefinedOurgoalinlifeisnottobecomeperfect:ourgoalistobecomewhole.

odernyogahasitsrootsdeepinEasternmysticism,hasbeenfertilizedbynineteenth-century gymnastics and wrestling, and has been shaped by

Westernsensibilities.Today,yogaaspracticedintheWestistotallyunique:thisyogahasneverexistedanywhereelsebefore—todaywepracticeWesternYogaforthebenefitsthatWesternersdesire.Thesebenefitsareconsiderableandwillbeexploredinthisinvestigation.Ifyouhavebeendoingyogaforawhilenow,youmightbeexperiencingonlyhalfofthepracticeandjustsomeofthebenefitsthatareavailabletoyou.YinYogaistheotherhalf.Mostformsofyogatodayaredynamic,activepracticesdesignedtoworkonly

halfofourbody, themuscularhalf, the “yang” tissues.YinYogaallowsus toworktheotherhalf,thedeeper“yin”tissuesofourligaments,joints,deepfascialnetworks,andevenourbones.Allofour tissuesare importantandneed tobeexercisedsothatwecanachieveoptimalhealthandvitality.Exerciseourjoints?!Isn’tthatdangerous?Yesandno.Itdependsonhowwe

do it; we can exercise our joints safely if we do so intelligently. If doneincorrectly,wecandefinitelyhurtourselves,butwecansaythataboutanyformofexercise.SayingthatYinYogaistheotherhalf,thatitworksthedeepertissuesofthe

body, is just thebeginningofdefiningwhatYinYoga isallabout.Weneed tolookatthedefinitionsoftheunderlyingprinciplesofyinandyogatolookattheintention behind engaging in a yoga practice, and to explore the benefits andmethodologiesusedinaYinYogapractice.There are many reasons for beginning a yoga practice; obtaining optimum

physicalhealth is justone.Manypeoplearedrawn toyoga tohelp reduce the

effectsofstressintheirlives.otherswishtodeepentheirmeditationpracticesortosimplybecomemorepresentintheirdailylives.Aswewilldiscover,yogaingeneral and Yin Yoga in particular provides physical, mental, emotional, andenergeticbenefitsand,forsome,spiritual.Whichbenefitsyouenjoywilldependgreatlyuponyourintentionwhenyoupractice.Howyoupracticeisjustasimportantaswhatyoudoinyourpractice.Thereis

ayinaspecttolifeandayangaspect.Thereisayinwaytopracticeyogaandayangwaythatgobeyondtheactualmovementsandposturesemployedinayogasession.Yinisyielding,allowing,andnourishing.Evenwithinanactive,sweatyyangpracticewecanadopt ayin sensitivity thatwillhelpusgainmuchmorefromouryogapractice.Evenwithinanactiveyanglifestyle,wecanadoptayinawarenessandacceptancethatwillhelpusgaincontentmentinourlives.YinYogacanhavethesamegoalsandobjectivesasanyotherschoolofyoga.

Whatwedowill be different buthowwedo itwill be thebiggest difference.Whywedo yoga really comes down to our ownunique, particular intentions.Knowingthebenefitsof theYinYogastylewillhelpyouclarify intentionsforyourpractice.Some students initially find this styleofyogaquiteboring, passive, or soft,

buttheyquicklydiscoverthatitcanbequitechallengingduetothelongdurationoftheposes.YinYogaissimple,butsimpledoesnotmeaneasy.Wecanremainin the postures anywhere from one to twenty minutes! After you haveexperiencedthis,evenjustonce,youwillrealizethatyouhavebeendoingonlyhalfoftheasanapractice.PleaseNote!YinYogaasdescribedhereisnotrestorativeyoga.Ifthetissues

youaretargetingforexercisearedamagedinsomeway,pleasegiveyourselfachancetohealbeforeresumingyourregularpractice.

YinandYangPatterns define our lives. Look around you right now and you willnoticethepatternssurroundingyou.Lookup;youwillseethingsthat

are high. Look down; you will see things that are low. Listen; you will hearthingscloseby,andyouwillhearthingsfaraway.Bringyourattentioninward;youmay feel the tip of your nose or the top of your head.Now youmay befeelingthetipsofyourtoes.Up,down…near,far…thesearejustsomeofthe

adjectives we can choose to describe the patterns of life, of existence. Allpatternsareformedbycontrasts.Thepatternonachessboardisformedbythecontrast of dark and light. The pattern of your life, when reflected upon, hasdisplayedacontrastofgoodtimesandbad.FortheDaoist,harmonyandhealtharecreatedwhenconditionsarisewherethecontrastingaspectsareinbalance.

YIN YANGDark LightCold HotPassive ActiveInside OutsideSolid HollowSlow RapidDim Bright

Downward UpwardSubstance FunctionWater FireMatter Energy

Mysterious ObviousFemale MaleMoon SunNight DayEarth HeavenEven OddDragon TigerPlastic Elastic

Balancingisnotastaticact.Imaginethetypicaldepictionofweighingscales:

twoplatesheldbyacommonstringsuspendedatapointhalfwaybetweenthem.Whentwoequallyweightedobjectsareplaceduponthescales,thereisaslightswayingmotion, like a pendulum. If one side is too heavy, the scales tip andbalanceislost.Whenbothsidesareequal,thereisstillaslightoscillationaroundthemiddleposition.Thisrebalancingisthereturntowholenessandhealth.TheancientChinesecalledthismiddlethatwereturntotheDao.1TheDaois

the tranquility found in the center of all events, and the path leading to thecenter.The center is always there even ifwe are not always there to enjoy it.Whenweleavethecenterwetakeonaspectsofyinoryang.Yin and yang are relative terms: they describe the two facets of existence.

Liketwosidesofonecoin,yincannotexistwithoutyang,noryangwithoutyin.They complement each other. Since existence is never static, what is yin andwhatisyangarealwaysinflux,alwayschanging.TheancientChineseobservedthateverythinghasyinoryangattributes.The

terms existed in Confucianism and in the earliest Daoist writings. The yincharacter refers to the shady sideof ahill or stream.Yang refers to the sunnyside. Shade cannot exist without light, and light can only be light whencontrasted to darkness.And sowe see how, even in the earliest uses of theseterms,patternsareobserved.Thereisnoabsoluteyinorabsoluteyang.Acontextisalwaysrequired:inthe

context of light, darkness and brightness define yin and yang. In a number ofother contexts, yin describes what is relatively denser, heavier, lower, morehidden,moreyielding,morefeminine,moremysterious,andmorepassive.Yangdescribes the opposite conditions: what is less dense, lighter, higher, moreobviousor superficial,moremasculine, andmoredynamic.The table showsamorecompletelistofcomparisons.Thereisnolimit totherelativecontextsinwhichyinandyangcanbeapplied.

YinContainsYangLookagainatthesymbolforyinandyangatthebeginningofthissection.Doyouseethewhitedotwithinthedarkpaisleyswirl?Evenwithinthedarknessofyin,thereisalightnessofyangandviceversa.inthecontextoftemperaturewesaythathotterisyangandcoolerisyin;buthotwaterisyincomparedtoboilingwater,whichisyang.intheotherdirection,coldwaterisyangcomparedtoice,whichisyin.Inouryogapracticethereareveryactiveasanaworkouts,whichwemaycall

yang,butevenwithintheseyangpracticeswecanfindyinaspects;watchingourbreathmindfullywhileweflowthroughavigorousvinyasa2isjustoneexample.

YinBecomesYangJustaswedetectyinelementswithintheyangaspects,wecanalsonoticehowyinbecomesyang,andyangcantransformintoyin.Thesetransformationsmaybeslowandsubtle,ortheymaybedevastatinglyquick.Theseasonsrollslowlyby,changingimperceptibly.Theyangofspringandsummertransformsdaybydayintotheyinoffallandwinter.itisnotpossibletopicktheexactmomentat

whichoneseasonbecomesanother,astronomicalobservationsnotwithstanding.But the transformationmay also comequickly: the eyeof a hurricanequicklybringscalm,andjustasquicklytheeyemovesonandtheotherhalfofthestormstrikes.Inourownlifeweoftenexperienceboththeslowandquicktransformations

ofyin intoyangandyang intoyin.Wewakeup in themorning;yinbecomesyang.Sometimesourawakeningisslow,leisurely;thisisaslowtransformation.Sometimes we wake with a start and jump out of bed, perhaps because weoverslept.Whenweworklonghoursformanyweeksormonthsinarow(averyyang lifestyle),ourbodymayseekbalancebysuddenlymakingus too sick towork(averyyin lifestyle),or itmaygiftuswithaseveremigraine toslowusdown.Yangisquicklytransformedintoyin.

YinControlsYangIn this last example, we can see that if we stay too long in an unbalancedsituation,theuniverseactstorestorebalance.Itthrowsustotheotherside:ourhealth may suffer and our lives may change. If we do not heed the need forbalancingyinandyang,thistransitioncanbedevastating.Aheartattackcouldbethebalancingforceappliedtous.Theseimbalancesareoftenreferredtoasanexcessoradeficiency.Wecanhaveanexcessoradeficiencyofeitheryinoryang.Thecureistoapplytheoppositeenergytocontroltheimbalance.In the Eastern world of the yogis3 of India and the alchemical Daoists of

China, theneedforbalanceiswellknownandunderstood.4 IntheWest,whilewedonotusethetermsyinandyang,theneedtopayattentionandbalanceouropposing natures has been realized by many astute observers of ourpsychological landscape.Carl Jung recognizedhis dark side,whichhe termed“the shadow,” and discovered that if left unattended, these dark, repressedenergieswillwreakhavocinone’slife.Theoppositionswithincreateadynamictensionthatcanleadtodestructionoramazingcreativity.ForJung, thewaytoworkwiththeseopposingenergiesistointegratethem,orindividuate5.He,andhis followers after him, developedmany tools to do this integration. Shadowwork can include active imagining or creating rituals that honor both energieswithinus.

SPIRITUAL PRACTICAL

Losing WinningOutgo IncomeFasting EatingPassivity ActionGiving EarningPoverty PossessionRepose ActivityCelibacy Sex

Observation DecisivenessObedience Freedom

Duty ChoiceEcstasy SobrietyVision Focus

Lessismore Moreisbetter

Noticethedifferencesandthesimilaritiesbetweentheearliertableofyinand

yang characteristics with the table on the previous page, taken from RobertJohnson’s6 bookOwning Your Own Shadow. Here, Johnson shows the manyopposingvalueswearesubjectedtoinWesterncultures:7onesetourreligiousorspiritualbeliefsrequireofus,andtheotherset iswhatweneedtosurviveandthriveinoursecularlife,thebusinessworld.Notetheyin-likequalitiesandtheopposingyang-likeenergies.HowwereconciletheopposingenergiesofSundaymorning versus the rest of the week will lead either to a breakdown or abreakthrough;arevelation—whichisonlypossibleifwedotheworkrequired,ifwedoouryogawhetherwithWesternorEasterntechniques.IntheWest,trueunderstandingofyinandyangisuncommon.Wedon’tthink

intheseterms;ourlifestylesrarelyreflecttheneedforbalance.Weseekitonlywhentheuniverseforcesustopayattention,whenwesufferthebreakdownthatavoidingourdarksidecreates.onlythendoweseekhelptoregainbalance.onlywhenwebecomeexhaustedorsickdowetaketimeoff.onlywhenweinjureourbodiesdoweslowdownandlookforgentlerwaystoexercise.Wecanbeyang-likeforonlysolongbeforecrashing.Wecanbeyin-likeforonlysolongbeforestagnating.Weneedbalanceinallthings.

YinTissuesandYangTissuesAs mentioned, yin and yang are relative terms and need a context to beappropriately applied.They canbe used as adjectives, although they are often

usedasnouns.Withinourbodies,ifweusethecontextofpositionordensity,theyang tissues canbe seen as ourmuscles, blood, and skin compared to theyintissuesofligaments,bones,andjoints.Thecontextsofflexibilityorheatcouldalso be used: muscles are elastic, but bones are plastic.8 Muscles love to getwarm,whileligamentsgenerallyremaincool.Yang styles of yoga generally target the muscles and employ rhythmic,

repetitivemovementstostressthefibersandcellsofthemuscles.Beingelasticandmoist, themusclesappreciate this formofexerciseandrespondwell to it.Yin tissues, however, being dryer andmuch less elastic, could be damaged iftheywerestressed in thisway. instead,ourmoreplastic tissuesappreciateandrequire gentler pressures, applied for longer periods of time, in order to bestimulatedtogrowstronger.Thisiswhyorthodonticbracesmustbewornforalongtimewithareasonable(butnotalwayscomfortable)amountofpressure,inordertoreshapethebonesofthejaw.Ourjointscanbeseensimplyasspacesbetweentheboneswheremovement

ispossible.Stabilizingthejointareligaments,muscles,andtendons,whichbindthebonestogether.Generally,oneofthemuscles’jobsistoprotectthejoint;ifthereistoomuchstressonthejoint,themusclewilltearfirst,thentheligaments,andthenfinallythejointitselfmaybecomedamaged.Inthisregard,yangyogais designed tonot stress the joint. This iswhy there is somuch care taken toalignthebodyandengagethemusclescorrectlybeforecomingintoasanasintheyang practice. However, Yin Yoga is specifically designed to exercise theligamentsandtoregainspaceandstrengthinthejoints.Anexamplecanhelpexplainthedifferentrolesofthemusclesandligaments.

Placeyourrightindexfingerinyourlefthand.Extendthefingerandtightenthemuscles and,with your left hand, try to bend the finger upwards.Notice thatthere isvirtuallynomovement.Themuscles’ job is tobind thebones togetherand limit the range of motion allowed in the joint. Now relax the fingercompletely.Shakeitoutforamoment.Now,keepingthemusclespassive,trytopushthefingerupwards.Noticethedifference?Therelaxedfingercanmove90degrees or more. When the muscles are relaxed the stress is moved to theligamentsbindingthejoint.

StabilityandMobilityRemember thewhitedotwithin thepaisleyswirlof theyinandyangsymbol?Withinyangthereisyinandviceversa;thisalsoappliestoourtissues.Consider

themuscle,whichwejustdescribedasayangtissue.Evenherewewillfindyinwithinyang:30percentofwhatwecallourmuscleisactuallyfascia.Aswewilldiscover, it is the fasciawithin ourmuscles that govern themuscles’ range ofmovementwhile it isourmusclecells thatgovern theirstrength.Yangyoga isgreat at developing the yang attribute of strength within our muscles but,surprisinglyperhaps, it is theyinpartofourpractice, theholdingof thepose,thatprovideslength.Within our yin tissues, we also find yang elements. In our fascia and

ligaments, which are predominantly yin-like, there are contracting fibers, justlikewithinourmuscles.Wealsofindelasticfiberscalledelastinwithinouryintissues.Sothereisyangwithinyinhere,too:ourconnectivetissuescancontractandshorten.Physiologically,throughouryogapractice,webuildstabilityandmobility.If

we look at the arc of aging,which everyone follows albeit at faster or slowerrates,webeginlifecompletelyyang-like:wehavetheultimatemobilitythatwewill ever have, but we have no stability. Newborn babies have to be handledcarefully because they have no internal stability. Now we start to stiffen, tobecomemoreyin-like.Wegainstabilityasweage.Whenweareyoungsters,wedon’tneed toworkongainingmoremobilitybecausewearealreadysoyang-like:weneedtoworkonourmusclesandgainingstrength.Thisisayangtimeoflifesoweneedyangformsofexercise.9Somewherearoundourmid-twentiesto mid-thirties we reach the optimal balance between yin and yang, betweenmobility and stability. But the arc of agingmust be followed:we continue tobecomemoreyin-likeasweage,untileventuallyweendupcompletelyrigid,asrigormortissetsintoourdeadbodies.Aswegetolder,aswegetmoreyin-like,weneedayinformofexercisetokeepusmobile.

TheTheoryofExerciseAllformsofexercisesharetwofeaturesincommon:

firstwemuststressthetissues,

thenwemustletthetissuesrest.

Yang tissues do better when stressed in a yang manner and yin tissues dobetterwhenstressedinayinway.Stresshasmanynegativeconnotationsinourculture because we forget the “rest” part of this equation. But to have no, orlittle,stressinourlifeisjustasdamagingashavingtoomuchstress.Weneedto

stressthebody,andweneedtorestit.Thereisayin/yangbalanceherethatleadstohealth.Toomuchofanythingisnothealthy.Yang exercise targets the yang tissues: the muscles. Muscles love to be

rhythmicallyandrepetitivelymoved.Anystaticholdsarebrief10.Themusclesareelasticandcantakethistypeofexercise.However,toapplyyangexercisetoyin tissuescoulddamage them.Yin tissues,beingmoreplastic, requiregentlerbutlong-heldstresses.imaginebendingacreditcardbackandforthonehundredand eight times every morning, over and over again. it wouldn’t take manymornings of this for it to snap in half. The credit card is plastic, just as ourligaments are. To rhythmically bend ligaments over and over again, as somestudentsdowhendoingdropbackfromstandingintotheWheelormovingfromUp-dogtoDown-dog,can,overtime,damagetheligaments,justlikethecreditcard was damaged. The warning here is … do not apply yang exercisetechniquestoyintissues!Applying a yin exercise to yang tissues could also be damaging.Holding a

muscle in a contracted state for a long period of time is called “tetany”11 andmaydamageit.Is it better to tightenmuscles (yang) or relax them (yin)? That depends on

your intention. We tighten our muscles to protect our joints. We relax ourmusclessowecanexerciseourjoints.Whatisyourintentionintheposeyouaredoing?Many health care professionals shudder at the thought of exercising joints;

they have the mistaken view that all exercise is yang exercise. Despite thisconcern it is possible to exercise ligaments, bones, and joints in ayinway. Infact,itisnecessary.However, because theyareyin tissueswemust exercise them in ayinway.

And please remember the important second part of this equation—we mustrest!12Thereisalotofresearchprovingtheimportanceofstressandrestbeyondjustdevelopingstrengthphysically,butitisbeyondthescopeofthisjourneytogointoitfurther.13

StretchVersusStressWeneedtodefineacoupleoftermsthatareusedratherlooselybymanyyogateachers: stress and stretch.These are not synonyms.Technically, stress is thetensionthatweplaceuponourtissues,whilestretchistheelongationthatresultsfrom the stress.We often say we are stretching our muscles, but to be more

precise,whatwearedoing isapplyingastress toourmuscles that results inastretch.Astretch,however,doesnotalwaysaccompanyastress,sotheyarenotthe same thing.Forexample, in isometricexerciseswestress themuscles,butthereisnochangeinthelengthofthemuscles.Wecanstressligamentstoo,especiallyinYinYoga,butbecausetheligaments

aremoreplasticandlesselasticthanmuscles,thatstressislesslikelytoresultinastretch.Theremaybesomesmallstretchtoaligament;however,generallythetendons and ligaments should not stretch more than 4–10 percent or we riskdamaging them.14We arenot trying to stretch our ligaments or joint capsuleswithYinYoga.Wearetryingtostressthem.Overtime,thetissuesmaybecomelonger,thicker,andstronger,butinanyoneYinYogasession,wearenottryingtolengthentheseparticulartissues.Saidanotherway,inYinYoga,thekeyisthestressnotthestretch.When we use the term stretch in this book, we will either refer to a

lengthening of the tissues (for example, we will stretch a muscle to make itlonger)orwewilluseittoindicatethattheintentionoftheappliedstressistolengthen the tissues, even if no lengthening actually occurs. If we are notintendingtolengthenthetissues,whichismostlythecaseinYinYoga,wewillnotusethetermstretch,butwillsticktothetermstress.

OriginalYinA seal discovered during the excavation ofMohenjo-Daro, one of the largestcities of the ancient Harappan civilization, which flourished over 4,000 yearsago,depicts ayogi sitting in ameditativeposture—andaYinYogaposture atthat.HathaYoga,themostcommonformofyogapracticedtodayintheWest,isa

physical practice. The intention of Hatha Yoga, which blossomed around thetenth century C.E., was to prepare the body for the more advanced yogapracticesofmeditationand insight.HathaYogaaroseoutof theearlierTantraYogastyle,which in turndrewfrom theClassicalYogaofaround2,000yearsago.There has never been one yoga from which all other yogas have evolved.

Thereisnoyoga-treethatonecancreatetoshowtheinter-relationshipsbetweenall the various forms and expressions of yoga over the millennia. Rather, wewouldneed todrawa forestofyoga trees to reallyunderstandyoga’s full andvariedhistory.Wedoknow thatHathaYogaasa specificpractice isnot itself

thousandsofyearsold,butHathaYogadoeshaverootsthatgobackthatfar.itisknownthatancientyogasfrommanylineagesincorporatedsomebasicphysicalpractices,suchassittinginmeditation,asshowninthesealmentionedabove.Sittingforlongperiodsoftimeisayinformofexercise.ifyouhaveevertried

tositforevenonehouratatime,youknowthisisnoteasy.Tositforhoursuponhours every day requires special training of the body and themind; the backmusclesneed tobestrong, thepostureneeds tobecorrect, thehipsneed tobeopen, and themindneeds to be focused.While there are no extant texts from2,000years agoor earlier that describehow these ancientmeditators preparedtheirbodiesfortheseexertions,wecansafelyassumethattheydidpreparetheirbodiesinsomeway.oneofthebestwaystoprepareyouforaspecificyogaposeis to do that specific pose! oneway to best prepare ourselves to sit, is to sit.Sitting,quietlyforalongperiodoftime,isayinpractice.Wecanspeculatethatmost,ifnotall,oftheearliestasanapracticeswereyin-likeinnature.However,itdidnotstaythatway.There are just a few texts that have survived the centuries that describe the

wayHathaYogawastaughtinthetenthtoeighteenthcenturies:theHathaYogaPradipika,theGherandaSamhita,theShivaSamhita,andafewothers.However,noneof theseancient textsweremeant tobe readalone.Theyall required theguidance of a guru to ensure understanding. The books were used more likenotes—shorthand reminders of the real teaching.Much of the real knowledgewasdeliberatelykepthidden;onlywhen the teacher felt thestudentwasreadywastheknowledgerevealed.Wecannottellsimplyfromreadingtheseoldtextshow the physical practice of yoga was performed. What we can say, asmentionedearlier,isthatthepurposeofthephysicalpracticewastopreparethestudentforthedeeperpracticesofmeditation.In theearliestspiritualbooksof India, theVedas,yoga isnotdescribedasa

pathtoliberation,andasanapracticeisnotdescribedatall.Rather,yoga,amongitsmanyothermeanings,meantdiscipline, and the closestword toasana wasasundi,whichdescribedablockuponwhichonesatinordertomeditate.Bythetime the Yoga Sutra was compiled,15 yoga was defined as a psycho-spiritualpractice aimed at ultimate liberation. Asana, however, was still a very minoraspect of the practice.TheYogaSutramentions asana only twice16 in all onehundred and ninety-six aphorisms. And all that is said about asana is that itshouldbesthiraandsukham:steadyandcomfortable.Theseareverymuchyinqualities,comparedtothestyleofasanaweseeperformedtodayinyogaclasses.Whenwearestillandthemindundistractedbybodilysensation,meditationcan

arise.The point of yoga practices is to enter into a meditative state from which

realization or liberation may arise. Different schools of yoga have differenttechniquesforachievingthis.Someevenclaimthatonecannotbecomeliberatedwhile in thebody.Thegoal in theseearlydualisticschools is togetoutof thebodyas fastaspossible,but thismustbedone in the rightway.Otherschoolsrejected that approach and suggested, sincewe canonlymeditate andpracticeyogawhileinthebody,wemusttreatthebodywell.Thebodymustbehealthy.The focusof theHathaYoga schoolswas to build a strong, healthybody thatwouldallowtheyogitomeditateformanyhourseachday.InHathaYoga,thepractice of asana began to take on a new, broader importance. However, theultimategoalwasstilltobeabletositcomfortablyandsteadilyforhours.The Hatha Yoga Pradipika was written around 1350 C.E. by Swami

Swatmarama17.ItisalmosttwiceaslongastheYogaSutraandhasgeneratedalotofcommentarysinceitswriting.ItisoneoftheoldestextantdocumentswehavedescribingHathaYoga.Comparedtotoday’spractices,however,ittoohasverylittleasanapracticeinit.Thereareonlyfifteenasanaslisted,andofthese,eight are seated postures18. These are quite yin-like in their nature; however,manyoftheotherposturesaredefinitelyyang-like.Thepeacock(mayurasana)is prescribed, and if you have seen this posture performed, there is nothingrelaxing or yin-like about it. We are told that one of the fifteen postures issupreme;onceonehasmasteredsiddhasana,alltheotherposturesareuseless.19Siddhasanaisasimple,yin-likeseatedposture.TheHathaYogaPradipikaclaimsthatLordShivataughttheHathaYogasage

Matsyendra eighty-four asanas.20 Other myths claim there are eighty-fourthousand or even eight hundred and forty thousand asanas. Regardless, onlyfifteenare listed in thePradipika.Andofasanas it issaid that theseshouldbepracticed to gain steady posture, health, and lightness of the body.21 NotmentionedinanyoftheHathatextsishowlongoneshouldholdthepose.Thisis where the guru’s guidance is necessary. However, one can assume that theseatedposturesweremeanttobeheldalongtimewhilethemorevigorousposeslikethepeacockwereheldforbrieferperiods.itisintheseatedposturesthatthevayus (thewindsor thebreath)becometrainedthroughpranayama.TheLotusPose(padmasana)istheprescribedposeforconductingpranayama.22As timewent on, later texts expanded thenumberof asanas explained.The

GherandaSamhita,writtenperhapsinthelate1600s,23afewhundredyearsafter

thePradipika,describesthirty-twoasanas,ofwhichone-thirdcouldbesaidtobeyin-like and the othersmore yang-like.A trend had begun:more yang asanasthanyinasanas.Afewdecadeslater,theShivaSamhitalistedeighty-fourasanas.By the timeof theBritishRaj,whenEnglandbegan tocolonize indiancultureandchange theschool system,asanaswerebeginning tobecomeblendedwithforms from the gymnasiums.Wrestling, gymnastics, and other exerciseswerecross-fertilizing the asana practice.By the end of the nineteenth century therewere thousands of asanas. Krishnamacharya24 said he knew around threethousand postures but that his guru, Ramamohan Brahmachari, knew eightthousand.Theeraofyangyogawasuponus.This gradual, and then sudden, evolution of asana practice moved it away

from the original yin style of holding seated poses for a long time as apreparationforthedeeperpracticeofmeditationtothemoreactiveyangstyleofbuildingstrengthandhealth. it isnot that themoreyin-likeposesdisappeared:B.K.S. iyengar, in hisLight on Yoga, suggests that the pose Supta Virasana25shouldbeheldfor ten to fifteenminutes.That isYinYoga,he justneverusedthat terminology.26 Theos Bernard, a very popular Hatha Yoga teacher in themid-twentieth century, also recommended long holds of various postures. Theproblem arose that, despite yin-like poses remaining in the lexicon of asanas,theyweremarginalizedinfavorofthemoreyang-likepostures.Oneisnotbetterthantheother;theyaresimplydifferent.Tositforlongperiodsoftimeindeep,undisturbedmeditation requires a body that is open and strong.This opening,especially in the hips and lower back, is developed through a dedicated yinpractice.However,thereiscertainlynothingwrongwithworkingtheheartandmakingourmuscleslongerandstronger,too.Theoriginalstylesofphysicalyogawereveryyin-likeinnature.Overthepast

twohundredyearsthestylehaschangedtobemoreyang-like.Asinallthingsinlife, harmony comes through balance. By combining both styles, progress inpractice ismore assured. But,why dowe call this “Yin” yoga?Yin is not anIndian term, it is aChineseword.Where did this crossover come from?Let’slook at the parallel development of physical yoga from a Chinese, or Daoist,perspective.

DaoistYogaTen thousand years ago throughout all cultures, shamans blazed the spiritualpaths. In India the shamanic traditions evolved into the yogic practices and

philosophieswehavebeeninvestigating.Butthisevolutionwasnotconfinedtothe valleys of the Indus, Saraswati (now gone), andGanges rivers. In Europe(especially inGreece), theMiddleEast, andChina, the samediscoverieswerebeing made. Over centuries, despite the distance and difficulty of travel,knowledgefilteredoutandwassharedbetweencultures.Itisnotsurprisingthatwefindsimilarconceptsdiscussedinthespiritualpracticesandphilosophiesofeachregion.However,themodelsandmetaphorsweremodifiedtofitthelocalculturallandscape.The concept of spirit (breath) in the Europeanworld had its counterpart in

prana(breath)inIndia.InChinathesameenergywasknownasChi.Chiisjustone of several concepts central to Chinese medical practices. These conceptsevolved out of native spiritual practices grouped together under the nameDaoism.27There aremany formsofDaoismandmanyways to practice the teachings.

TheDaoissometimespersonalizedasagod,butmostoftenitisimpersonalizedas a benevolent but disinterested power: the way of the universe. Live inharmonywiththewayandyouwillbenefit.Struggleagainstthewaythingsareandyouwillsuffer.MostWesternersknowoftheDaothroughthebookbyLao-tzucalledtheDao

DeChing:TheWayofVirtue28IntheDaoDeChingwearetaughtthattheDaoisthesourceofeverything.it isnamelessbecausewheneveryoutrytocapturetheessenceof theuniverse inaconcept,youmiss the totalityofwhatyouaretrying to name. The Dao is infinite and inexhaustible. Only the Dao isunchangingandunchangeable.Since everything is part of the Dao, it follows that the earth, sky, rivers,

mountains,stars,andhumansarealsopartoftheDao.Manisnotoutsideofallthisbutpartofit.29intheDaoDeChingthemessageis:Getinvolved!Help,buthelpinanon-intrusiveway.Whenfinished,retire.Yangisacting.Yinisretiring.TheDaoisthebalancebetweenthetwo.IntheDaoismofLao-tzu,thesageisonewhocultivateslife.Thesagelearns

physical techniques to do this: he regulates his breath, he hones his body, hegarners health, and he manages his internal energies including the importantsexualenergy.Alongwiththephysicaltechniques,thesagealsofollowsethicalprinciples and regulates his own mind through meditation. Diet is also animportantpartofbuildingandmaintaininghealth.Throughall thesepractices,thesageseekstochangehisbodyandmindtorecoveryouthandvitalityandliveinpeace.

TheFiveMajorSystemsTherearefivemainsystemsinDaoism.Thesearesometimescontradictoryandconfusing, especially to people of different cultures.Many of the practices ofonesystemareusedintheothersystems.Thus,thelinesbetweenthesesystemsarenotfixedandfinal.Thefivesystemsare:

1.MagicalDaoism: the oldest formofDaoism still practiced today. in thispractice, thepowersof theelementsofnatureandspiritsare invokedandchanneledthroughthepractitionertogainhealth,wealth,andprogeny.

2.DivinationalDaoism:basedonunderstandingthewayoftheuniverseandseeingthegreatpatternsoflife.Knowinghowtheuniverseworksallowsusto live inharmonywith thoseuniversal forces.As inheaven,soonearth.DivinationalDaoismutilizes the study of the stars and patterns found onearthtohelpusliveharmoniously.TheI-Ching(thebookofchanges)isadivinationalbook.

3.CeremonialDaoism: Daoism was originally a spiritual practice. Unlikeyoga,whichremainedapersonalspiritualpractice, thisbranchofDaoismevolvedintoareligion.

4.Action andKarmaDaoism: Proper action leads to accumulatingmerit.FollowingtheintroductionofBuddhismintoChina,ethicstookonagreaterroleinspiritualpractice.Butitdidnotstartthere;Confuciusalsotaughtthevalueofproperbehaviourandmorality.Gooddeedsresultinrewards,bothinthislifeandthenext.

5.InternalAlchemyDaoism: Immortality is the goal of this practice. Theseekerworkstochangehismindandbodytoachievehealthandlongevity.ItwasinthispracticethatChibecamerecognizedasthekeytohealthandlong life. Chi is gathered, nurtured, and circulated through very strictpractices.Incorrectpracticeisdangerous,andthispathofDaoismrequiredan expert teacher. It is mostly from this system that Chinese medicineevolved.

While an investigationof all these formsofDaoism is beyond the scopeof

this book, we can look in more detail at the really interesting branch—AlchemicalDaoism.30

AlchemicalDaoismTheIndianyogiswereseekingspiritualimmortality:liberationfromtheendlesscyclesofdeathandrebirth.TheDaoistyogis,whopracticedalchemicalDaoism,were seeking physical immortality: they simplywanted to live forever in thisbody.Theformofalchemywearetalkingaboutisnotthetransformationofbasematerials togold,but the transformationof thenormalbody toaperfectbody.Changingleadtogoldisametaphorfortherealgoal.Therewasaperiodwhereexternal alchemywas tried,which involved a lot of poisonous substances likemercury,butafterhundredsofyearsofsimplypoisoningtheseekertodeath,thisformofalchemywasdropped in favorofan internalmethod—tochangefromwithin.Tobecomephysicallyimmortal,oneneededtobecomereallyhealthy,andthat

requiredalotofdedicationandhardwork.Itcouldbedone!Oratleast,itwasknown that a few amazing individuals had achieved immortality, but theseDaoistimmortalswerenoteasytofindandwecanassumetheyaremythologicalbeings,notlivinghumanswhomwecanemailandaskhowtheydidit.And,tobe sure, there aremanywho believe that the real immortality that alchemicalDaoists seek is spiritual immortality, once this mortal coil has been shed. ineither case, spiritual immortality or physical immortality, the practice of theinternal alchemical Daoists is every bit as challenging as the indian yogapractices.Thefirstpriorityofaninternalalchemististoconservehisenergies.Whenwe

are born, we are given a certain amount of three main kinds of energy:generativeenergy(calledJing),whichfeedsoursexualdesires,vitalenergy(thecommonly known Chi energy), and spirit energy (called Shen). While theseenergiesarefillingusupaswegrowinourmother’swomb, themindand thebodyarealreadystartingtoseparate.Whenweareborn,outofourignorancewebegin to dissipate our threemain energies.We lose our generative energy anytimeweeventhinkaboutsex.ourChileaksoutthroughouremotions,andourShenislostwhenourthoughtsflow.Theseleakagesarewhatweakenus,causeillness,andleadultimatelytoourdeath.31Throughalchemicalpractice,throughinternal transformation,ouroriginalstoresofenergycanberebuiltandwecanregainhealthandlongevity.Alchemical Daoism focuses on the stimulation and balancing of energy in

bothitsyinandyangaspects.Theyinenergyisthedragon:theyangenergyisthe tiger. To unify yin and yang we must remove all blockages that exist

throughout the body so that these energies can unite in the three cauldrons,called the tan-t’iens.32 The process to stimulate these energies involves ourbreath.Fast breathingwill direct yang fire to themiddle andupper cauldrons,while slower and softer breathing will stimulate yin energy to incubate ourinternalenergies.Transformation also involves physical and mental exercises to change our

skeletal structures and our mental formations. Before working on the mentalchanges, one must master the physical changes. Tools here include a host ofexercises designed to hone the body: tendon-changing practices, massage,martialarts,andthemorewidelyknownt’aichich’uanandch’ikungpractices.once thisbasic training is successful, the alchemistmoveson to transformhisinternalenergy.Refiningandtransforminggenerativeenergy,whichisstoredinthekidneys,intovitalenergyinvolvesworkintheabdomenarea,physically,aswellasmentalpracticestominimizesexualdesires.Carenowmustbetakennotto dissipate our vital energy through negative emotions, such as anger, fear,frustration, or sadness. Now the alchemist is ready for the final stage:transformingvitalenergyintospiritenergy.Forthis,meditationisrequired.Themind must become empty of thoughts, and all signs of duality extinguished.Thereisnolongerasubjectandanobject:nothinkerandnothought.Whenthealchemistissufficientlyadvanced,heisreadytobegintocirculate

hisenergythroughapracticeknownasthemicrocosmicorbit.33Hewillnotbesuccessfulifhehasnotfirstclearedoutalltheblockagestotheflowofenergyorifhismindorsensesarestimulated.Inthe1930s,RichardWilhelm34describedthebenefitofthecirclingoflightinhistranslationofTheSecretoftheGoldenFlower, a Chinese Book of Life. This ancient text was transmitted orally forcenturiesbeforebeingwrittendownintheeighthcentury.Wilhelm,afriendofCarlJung’s,wrote:

If the life forces flow downward, that is, without let or hindrance into theouter world, the anima is victorious over the animus; no “spirit body” or“GoldenFlower”isdeveloped,and,atdeath,theegoislost.Ifthelifeforcesareledthroughthe“backward-flowing”process,thatis,conserved,andmadeto“rise”insteadofallowedtodissipate,theanimushasbeenvictorious,andtheegopersistsafterdeath.Itisthenpossessedofshen,therevealingspirit.Amanwhoholdstothewayofconservationallthroughlifemayreachthestageof the “Golden Flower,” which then frees the ego from the conflict of theopposites,anditagainbecomespartofTao,theundivided,GreatOne.

Successatlast!Immortalityisachievedthroughtheinneralchemicalpracticeofchanging the body, managing energy, and meditations. Along the way manyherbsandotherdietary rulesare followed.Lifestylechangesarealso required.Thisisnotaneasypath.

CultivatingtheBodyTendon-changing?What theheck is that?Howdowechangeour tendonsandwhy is that so important? Good questions. The Daoists use terms that soundfamiliar toourWesternears,but theydon’tquitemeanthesamethingaswhatwe think. For example, the word organs, to our Western mind refers tophysically differentiated tissues that perform specific functions, located in onespecificareaofthebody.TotheDaoist,however,Organs35referstothephysicalorgans aswe know and love them in theWest, but also to anOrgan functiondispersed throughout the body.SimilarlyBlood, to ourDaoist friends, doesn’tjust flow through our veins, it flows through ourmeridians and nourishes ourtendons. Tendons are more than what we think of in ourWestern viewpoint,whicharesimplytheconnectivetissuesthatjoinamuscletoabone.inDaoism,Tendons36includeligamentsandmuscles,fasciaandnerves,aswellasothersoftbodytissues.Tendon-changing practices are ones that target a wide range of tissues and

involvestressing,strengthening,andmassaging these tissues.of interest toourexploration is the fact that tendon-changing deliberately targets not just themuscles,butalsothejointsandligaments;theintentionistoregainournatural,dynamic state,ouroriginaloroptimal rangesofmotions.TheDaoistpracticesforcultivatingthebodyincludebothyinandyangformsofexercises,justastheoriginalHathaYogapracticesdid.Boneexercisesincludeatechniquecalled“Marrow-washing.”Fortunatelywe

don’t actually extract our bonemarrowand clean it before sucking it back in.This is Marrow, not marrow. Marrow washing incorporates slow, smoothpressureappliedtoourjointsandthebones.Thisisayin-likewaytostressthebones and joints; there is a more yang-like way, which involves hitting andgrindingthebones,butthattechniqueisquiteesoteric.Breath work is also very important in order to really cultivate the body. it

includesdeepabdominalbreathing,naturalandunforced,breathingthroughthemouth, through thenose, throughbothmouthandnose, through theperineum,andseveralothermoreesotericpractices.Tortoisebreathingisnotable:because

tortoises live so long, theymust be doing something right. They breathe verylightlywhentheyarehuddledinsidetheirshells. infact, theybarelybreatheatall.37No doubt you are familiar already with some of the classical exercises

performedinDaoismcalledt’aichich’uanandch’i-kung.Thesepracticeslooklike slow-motion calisthenics, but really they are designed to move energyinternally. They combine stretching, breathing, and meditation. They can beperformedwhilesitting,standing,andevenwalking.Theycanalsobeperformedwhensleeping,butthisisnottheshavasanathatweallenjoyattheendofourHathaYogapractice.ifourtendonsarehealthyandsoft,ifourenergychannelsareopen,thenthesepracticeswillfacilitatetheflowofinnerenergy.The earliest forms of Daoist exercises were developed after carefully

observinganimals innature.Animalsallmovenaturally,spontaneously,andinharmonywith theDao.38 if we copy theirmovements, we can gain the sameconnection to theDao that theyhave.Fivespecialanimalswerevaluedhighlyfortheirmovements:thetigerandthedragon,whoepitomizeyangandyin,thecrane,leopard,andsnake.AsEvaWongsays:39

Thetiger isvaluedfor itsstrongbones, the leopardfor itsdynamictendons,thedragonforitsabilityinstretchingthespine,thesnakeforitsflexibilityinmovingthespine,andthecraneforitscapacitytostoreinternalenergy.

Of course, these were not the only animals that were being watched closely.Anotherfascinatingcreaturewasthemonkey.

ModernYinstersAroundtheturnofthenineteenthcentury,aprisonerwhowassentencedtoeightyears in solitary confinement for killing a man spent his time studying themonkeyshecouldseefromhiscell40.Hestudiedtheirmovementsforyearsandcombinedthemwithaformofmartialartsthathehadlearnedasachild.Uponhisreleasefromprison,hetaughthisnewformofmartialarts,calledTaiShingMen(MonkeyKung-fu)41.HisteachingeventuallyfounditswaytoHongKong,where a student namedChoChat Ling learned this style of practice from hisuncle.Inthe1970sChoChatLingmovedtoCalifornia.

PaulieZink

WhileflippingthroughTVchannelsin1987,PaulGrilleynoticedsomeonewhoreallycaughthiseye:theguybeinginterviewedonthiscommunitycablestationwasPaulieZink.Paulhadbeenteachingyogasince1980andwasusedtoseeingflexible bodies, but he had never seen anyone as flexible and graceful in hismovementsasPaulie42.Paulresolvedtomeethim,andthroughthecommunityTVstation,locatedhim.PauliewasteachingMonkeyKung-fufromhisgarage,whereheearneda livingasamechanic. Itwas in thisgarage thatPauliegavePaulhisfirstlessoninDaoistYoga43.WhatreallycaughtPaul’seyewastheyinaspectofDaoistYoga,thelong-heldposesthatPauliewouldenjoy,althoughhisstudentswoulduse the term“endure”.Paul joined the smallgroupof studentsstudyingwithPaulieandforthenextyeartookweeklylessonswithhim.AfterChoChatLingrelocatedtotheUS,hebegantosearchforsomeoneto

whomhecouldpassonthetrainingthathisunclehadtaughthim.Passingonthetrainingistheobligationofeverystudent:onceamasterhascompletedtrainingyou,yourjobistofindandtrainthenextgenerationofstudents.ChoChatLingfound his protégé in Paulie. Paulie had been studying martial arts since histeenage years, but when he met Master Ling during his college years, hededicated himself to this new teaching. Master Ling would come to Paulie’shomeandteachhimforsixtoeighthourseverydayforsevenyears!HalfofthetrainingwasDaoistYogaandtheotherhalfwasmartialarts.After theseventhyear,MasterLing’svisitswerelessfrequent,andbythetenthyear,hedeclaredPauliehissuccessor.MasterLingeventuallyreturnedtoAsia,leavingPaulietocontinue to spread the knowledge.At no time didMaster Ling charge for histeaching.Pauliedidsharewhathelearned,andheshareditinasimilarmannertothe

wayhewastaught.Theclassesheofferedwerelong,oftenstartingat8p.m.andlastinguntil1or2inthemorning.ThestyleofteachingofferedbyChoChatLing,andthenbyPaulie,wasnot

traditional: theyaddedtheirownpersonalities to it.Nolongerwas the trainingrigid; now it was art, celestial art, unobtainable in a weekend workshop butpossible within a long-term intimate relationship with a teacher. Master Lingtaught Paulie Daoist alchemical theory but Paulie’s innate flexibility allowedhim to take this even further. it was Paulie who discovered the deep, juicybenefits ofmarinating in one position for a long, long time. Paulie eventuallyprogrammedhismartialartstrainingintoa“nowwedosomeyoga”phaseandthen themartial arts phase. SometimesPauliewould refer to the yoga as “theinternalpractice”oras“chikung.”

Paulie’s yogawas nothing like any indian yoga teacherwould have taught.Therewereafewposesthatwouldhavebeenfamiliar toindianyogis,suchasthesplits(HanumanasanaandUpavistakonasana)andotherseatedfoldingposes,held for long periods, but Paulie also included the movements of the fiveelements.Thiswashisonlyformalmeditationteaching:movelikeeachelement.Theelementarymovementswouldbecombinedintothebirthingcyclesandthecontrolling cycles. Pauliewould also incorporate animalmovements: the bear,the lizard and, of course, the monkey were just a few. in essence, Paulie’steaching included both yin and yang elements, which comprised his fullexpressionofDaoistYoga.Heneverhadalargegroupofstudentsandchargedvirtuallynothingforhis

time, but Paulie grew discouraged by the quality of the students seeking hisknowledge.Most students, coming from amartial arts background,were onlyinterestedinlearningthesecretwaystohurtandevenkilltheirenemies.Paulieneverwanted to share that information and he eventuallymoved to a bucoliclifestyleonaranchoutsideofBillings,Montana.AftertryingtoteachyogaatasmallstudioinBillings,Pauliewithdrewentirelyfromteaching.Fortunately,thisretirementwasshort-lived.Inrecentyears,Pauliehasreturnedtosharehisvastknowledge.Paulie’s seminars and workshops are quite different from the Yin Yoga

practice as taughtbyPaulGrilleyandSarahPowers;Paulie continues toofferthe full range of Daoist Yoga, including explorations of the five elements inmovement and postures. Attending one of Paulie’s workshops is just the firststep in understanding the whole body of knowledge that he inherited andaugmented.Youcanreadmoreabouthimonhiswebsite.44

PaulGrilleyYears before Paul Grilley discovered Paulie Zink, he became inspired toinvestigateyoga after readingYogananada’sAutobiography of a Yogi in 1979.Paulwas living inMontanawhere hewas studying anatomy underDr.GarryParker.PauldecidedtomovetoLosAngelesandcontinuedstudyinganatomyatUCLA.Whilethere,Paulalsobeganhisstudiesofyoga,andbeganteachingaswell,eventuallyevenmanagingastudio.Paul’smainasanapracticesatthistimewereveryyang:AshtangaandBikram’s.Yogaandanatomyareintimatelylinked,andPaul’sinvestigationsinthesetwo

fieldsinformedeachothergreatly.OutsideofPaul’sfameasapopularizerofYin

Yoga, he has also contributed greatly to the understanding of howour uniqueanatomical structure ultimately affects our range of motion: in essence, noteveryone can do every yoga pose, and for some people, to attempt to try toobtainanaestheticallypleasingposturemayseriouslyinjuretheirbody.45Once Paul had been introduced to the yin side of yoga through Paulie, he

begantoincorporatethisphilosophyintohisownteaching.Paulcreatedclasses,whichheoriginallycalledDaoistYogaindeferencetothenamePaulieusedforthepractice,thatencompassedonlytheyinaspects:longheld,stillpostures.In1990PaulmetDr.HiroshiMotoyamaofJapan.46Dr.MotoyamahasPh.D.

degrees inphilosophyandpsychologyandisayogicadept;morethanthat,hehasstudiedTraditionalChineseMedicineandisahighlyrespectedShintopriest.Early in his life Motoyama was also taken under the wing of his mother’steacher,whoadopted theyoungMotoyama.47Dr.Motoyama’s ability tomovefreely between the worlds of the spirit and of the physical allowed him toinvestigatehisownabilitiesusing the rigorsofWestern scienceandmedicine.With the aimofmaking the subtlemeasurable, he created instruments that heandothershavelearnedtousetoverifyandquantifytheflowofenergythroughthesubtlebody.To further his research and spread his findings, Dr. Motoyama created

institutes both in Japan and in the US.48 Paul was inspired by what Dr.MotoyamarevealedandtravelledwithhimtoJapantolearnmore.What Paul learned explained why our yoga practice was so valuable

energetically.Fromhisanatomytraining,Paulhadpiecedtogethermanyoftheimportantphysiologicalbenefitsofyoga ingeneralandYinYogainparticular.Nowhewasbeginningtounderstandthebasisoftheenergeticbenefitswealsoreceive from our yoga practice. Dr.Motoyama’s theory of the meridians (theway our body’s physical and energetic structures are connected through thechakra system) and his scientific experiments demonstrated the effect on ourwholebodyfromyoga.Paul combined theknowledgehehadbeengivenon anatomy,DaoistYoga,

andthemeridiantheory,andthisbecamethecoreofhisYinYogateachings—whichresonatedwithmanypeoplewhorecognized thebenefitsof thepracticeandrelatedtoPaul’smodelofthebody/mind/soul.From1998to2000PaultookasabbaticalandrelocatedtoSantaFe,wherehe

earnedamaster’sdegreefromSt.John’sCollegeinthestudyoftheGreatBooksoftheWesternWorld.Moreandmore,Paul’steachinggravitatedtotheyinside.Hewould never completely give up the yang styles of yoga—after all,we do

needbalanceinlife.TosharemorebroadlywhathehadlearnedfromPaulieandDr.Motoyama,in2001Pauldecidedtoself-publishamanualcalledTaoistYoga.Thislaterbecamehisbook,YinYoga.itcontinuestobeindemandandhasbeenreprintedmanytimes.Along with his wife, Suzee, Paul travels the world leading workshops and

trainings,not justonYinYogabutonanatomyand thesubtle,energeticbody.Paul has created several fascinating videos demonstrating how our uniqueanatomy affects our yoga practice. one of the most interesting pages on hiswebsite shows many human bones that Paul has selected to demonstrate therangeofvariationwehaveinourbodiesandinourultimaterangesofmotions.49

SarahPowersOneofthemanystudentswholovedPaul’steachingofDaoistYogawasSarahPowers.ShewasalsoateacheratthesamestudioPaultaughtatandwouldoftencome to his class after teaching her own.When Paul moved away, they lostcontact,butfortunately,onlyforalittlewhile.SarahPowers’journeyintotheworldofyogawasunplanned.Herinitialgoal

was to learn how her mind worked. She was earning a master’s degree inpsychology when the detour that was to consume her occurred: she chose tostudyatopicbaseduponabookthathadbeenlyingaroundherhomeformanyyears.Itwasabookonyoga;Sarahfellinlove.Fortunately,shewasalreadymarriedatthetimethisnewdirectionappearedin

her life. Supported by her husband, Ty, shewas able to delve deeply into thepractice of yoga. She took teacher-training courses and began teaching inMalibu.Herpracticegravitated to theyang styles,but at that time shehadnoawarenessthatyogacouldbeyinoryang.Oneday,afteralovelyandsweatyAshtangaclass,SarahtriedaDaoistYoga

class Paul Grilley was teaching. That was her first taste of yin, and it wasdelicious. Sarah loved sinking deeply into the poses. However, at that timePaul’s classesweremostly conducted in silence; he didn’t explain the variousanddeepbenefitsthatYinYogahasforthebody.Eventuallylife’schangestookbothSarahandPaulalongseparatepaths.SarahdidnotseePaulagainformanyyears.After several years of building her physical yoga practice, Sarah decided it

wastimetofacehermind.Shedecidedtodoaten-dayvipassanaretreatinAsia.Despite the very flexible muscles and wide range of motion that her yang

practicegaveher,Sarah found sitting for anhour several times in aday tobeexcruciating.Shewasamazedhowpoorlypreparedshewasphysically for thepracticeofmeditation.Itishardtofaceyourmindwhenallyoucanhearisyourbodyscreaming.FortunatelySarah’spathagaincrossedPaul’s.Shereturnedtotheyinpractice

shehaddroppedafewyearsbefore.Bythistime,Paulhadbegunexplainingthebenefitsofthepractice.ThisunderstandingofthephysicalandenergeticbenefitsconvincedSarahsheneededtostickwithboththeyinstyleandtheyangstyleofasanapractice.Hernextvipassanaretreatwasacompletelydifferentexperience:she was able to sit calmly and go deeper into mindfulness without thedistractionsshesufferedearlier.NowitwasSarah’sturntosharewhatshehadlearned.Shehadalreadyearned

a reputation as a skilled and articulate teacher, but shewas teaching only theyangaspectsofyoga.Shedecided to sharewhat sheknewaboutyin, aswell.Sarahbegancallingpostureson the floor,held for longperiodsof time, “yin”and the vinyasa practice “yang.” Following Sarah’s lead, when Paul found apublisherforhismanual,herenameditYinYoga.Aswehaveseen,thiswasnotthebirthofYinYogabyanymeans,justthebirthofaname50.DuringthetimethatSarahwasdiscoveringtheyinsideofyoga,sheandher

husbandhadbeeninvestigatingBuddhistmindfulness.51Sarahbegancombiningthisaspectofthepracticewiththephysicalandenergeticworkofyoga.Sarah’steaching is distinct from Paul’s; she interweaves the insights and practices ofyoga and Buddhism into an integral practice to enliven the body, heart, andmind.Sarah’swebsite52describesherteaching:HeryogastyleblendsbothaYinsequenceoflong-heldposestoenhancethe

meridianandorgansystems,combinedwithafloworYangpractice,influencedbyViniyoga,Ashtanga, and Iyengar teachings. Sarah feels that enlivening thephysical and pranic bodies, as well as learning to open to our emotionaldifficulties isparamount forpreparingone todeepenandnourish insights intoone’sessentialnature—anaturalstateofawareness.Sarah continues to travel with her husband, Ty, offering insight Yoga

worldwide. insight Yoga interweaves Yin/Yang Yoga, with Buddhism andspiritualpsychology.Sarahisalsotheco-founderofMettaJourneys,aservice-orientedorganizationthatoffersyogaretreatsinternationallytohelpwomenandchildren indevelopingcountries. In2010,SarahandTycreatedan institute toallowstudentstodelveevenmoredeeplyintoherinsightYogaphilosophyandpractice. The insight Yoga institute offers two ten-day retreats in a two-year

program inboth theUSandAsia and is a 500+hourYogaAlliance endorsedcertificateprogram.

NOTES1. This concept of the Dao is not unique to China; it has been observed inmany cultures throughout

history. in india it isDharma, the law thatholds theuniverse together. inancientEgypt itwascalledMa’at:hercosmicbalancewouldweighaman’ssoulattheendofhisdays;withoutMa’at,therewouldbeonlychaos.LogosservedasimilarrolefortheGreeks:itistheunderlyingorderoftheuniverse.

2. Avinyasaisasequenceofposturesorasanasthatflowsmoothlyfromonetothenext.itliterallymeans“toplaceinaspecialway.”

3. The term “yogi” is “a person who practices yoga” and so is gender neutral. When we wish tospecificallyrefertoamalepractitioner,theterm“yogin”isused,andforafemalepractitioner,“yogini”isused.

4. Theyogishavesimilarwordsforyinandyang,thaandha,whichtogetherformthewordhathaafterwhichthewell-knownschoolofyogaisnamed.

5. Individuationistheprocessofmakingtheindividualwholepsychologically.Inthisrespectitissimilarto severalyogic concepts, but individuation is applied in thepsychological realm,whereasyogawasapplied to the spiritual realm.We need both: as Georg Feuerstein once said, “Enlightenment is nosubstitutionforintegratingone’spersonality.”

6. Robert Johnson is a Jungian analyst, lecturer, and author of several illustrative books on Jungianconceptsandrelationships,suchasHe,She,andWe.HehasstudiedinSwitzerlandattheJungInstituteandinIndiaattheSriAurobindoAshram.

7. FromOwningYourOwnShadow,byRobertJohnson,p.78.

8. Elasticmaterialsreturntotheiroriginalshapesoncethestressuponthemends.Plasticmaterialsretainthenewshape.

9. Inotherwords,childrendonotneedtodoYinYogaforphysiologicalreasons.However,somekidsmaybenefit from some of the energetic or meditative aspects of the practice, but it is not reallyrecommendedforchildren.Childhoodisatimetoplay,notsitstillandmeditate.

10.Briefcanmeanfiveoreightbreathsoruptoonetotwominutes.

11.Tetanyisaninvoluntarycrampingofamuscle.Thinkofthelasttimeyouhadacramp:crampsarenotfun!Wereallydon’twant todeliberatelycrampupourmusclesbykeeping themcontracted for longperiodsoftime.

12.Thistheoryappliesbeyondthetissuesofourbody.Weneedtohavestress,andthenrest,inallareasofour life in order to be healthy, including our relationships, mental abilities, and even our immunesystems. For example, cancer patients rarely get colds before getting cancer. Their immune systemswerenotexercisedbycoldsandthuswereweakerthantheimmunesystemsofpeoplewhodidgetcoldsregularly.Weneedtoappropriatelystressourimmunesystemsinorderforthemtobestrong.Butwe

alsoneedrest.

13.Ifyouarecuriousabout theaboveexamples, feelfree tostartadiscussionin thewww.YinYoga.comForumdiscussionboard.

14.SeeMichaelAlter,TheScienceofFlexibity(Champaign,IL:HumanKinetics,2004).

15.Arguablyaround200C.E.andmythicallyattributedtothesagePatanjali.

16.YogaSutra,pp.II-29andII-46.

17.GeorgFeurstein,TheShambhalaEncyclopediaofYoga(Boston:Shambhala,2000),p.121.

18. The Pradipika actually describes other positions,which are used for pranayama ormudrawork, butthesearenotlistedspecificallyasasanas.

19.HathaYogaPradipika,p.I-43.

20.Ibid,p.I-35.

21.Ibid,p.I-19.

22.Ibid,pp.ii-7and8.

23.Feurstein,ShambhalaEncyclopedia,p.105.

24. Krishnamacharya’s famous students included B.K.S. iyengar, Pattabhi Jois, and his son T.K.V.Desikachar.

25.IntheYinYogastyleSuptaVirasanaiscalledSaddlepose.

26.B.K.S.iyengar,LightonYoga(NewYork:SchockenBooks,1979),p.125.

27.Daoismisoftenspelled“Taoism”butsinceitispronouncedmorewitha“d”thana“t”soundweareadoptingtheformerspelling.

28.Daoistheway,orpath.Demeans“virtue;”however,itisoftentranslatedas“power”;Chingisabookorstory.

29.ThisphilosophyisechoedinmanyteachingseastofIran,butintheWest,itisblasphemy.intheWest,Man is part of creation andwe are not part of theCreator:we sit apart from theCreator. This is adualisticviewofcreation.intheEast,forthemostpart,thephilosophiesespousethenon-dualisticviewthatManispartoftheCreatorandthattheCreatoriswithineachofus.

30.WeareusingEvaWong’sdefinitionsforthefivesystemsofDaoism.Ifyouwouldliketofurtherstudythisfascinatingfield,youcouldstartwithherbookTaoism.

31.EvaWong,ShambhalaGuidetoTaosim(Boston:Shambhala,1996),p.173.

32. The lower tan-t’ien is found in the belly, around the navel. it is the home of the generative energy.Thanks to the fire (yangenergy) found in the stomacharea, thegenerativeenergy is transmuted intovitalenergy.Themiddletan-t’ienislocatedinthechestregion.Herethevitalenergyistransmutedintospiritenergy.Theuppertan-t’ien,locatedwheretheindianyogisplacethesixthchakra,isbetweentheeyebrows.Herethespiritenergyisgathered,stored,andeventuallymergedwiththeoriginalvaporsoftheDaoitself.

33.Thispracticeisdescribedindetailattheendofchaptertwo.

34.CalledtheMarcoPolooftheinnerworldofChina.

35.Notethecapitalizationofthefirstletterhere.TodistinguishbetweentheWesternuseofawordandits

http://www.YinYoga.com

close,butnotexact,Daoistequivalent,wewillcapitalizetheDaoistterms.

36.Wong,ShambhalaGuidetoTaoism,p.212.

37.Curiously,thereisanunderstandinginIndianyogathatoneisbornwithjustenoughbreathstoallowustolivetobe108yearsold.However,ifwebreathetooquickly,wewilluseupourallotmentofbreathstoosoon,andwewon’treachthatniceripeage.Slowingthebreathdownhasbeenrecognizedbymanypeopleasakeytolongevity—justaswiththeturtle.WewillreturntothistopicinchaptertwowhenwelookatbreathworkduringYinYoga.

38.PaulieZinklovestosay,“ToflowwiththeDao,movelikeacow!”

39.Wong,ShambhalaGuidetoTaoism,p.223.

40.According toPaulieZink, the prisoner’s namewasKouSze.Whenhewas released fromprison hebecame a bodyguard.One of his students,Ken TakHoiwas so good that he served at the imperialpalaceand lateropeneduphisownbodyguardschool,eventually relocating toHongKong.KenTakHoi’sprotégéinHongKong,ChoChiFung,wastheuncleofChoChatLing.

41.Thiswasnot the first time thatmonkeyshad inspired amartial arts practice.Several other formsofMonkeykung-fuaredescribedonWikipedia.

42.DoasearchonYouTubefor“PaulieZink”andwatchhimmove.YouwillalsobeamazedatPaulie’sgraceandfluidity.

43.Sometimesthisformofyogawasreferredtoas“DaoYin.”TherearemanydifferentstylesofDaoYinandithasalonghistoryofitsown,justasHathaYogahasalong,richhistory.Paulie’steachingisjustoneofmanybranchesoftheDaoYintree.

44.LearnmoreaboutPaulieZinkatwww.pauliezink.com.

45.WewilllookmoredeeplyintoPaul’srealizationsinchapter6.

46.TidbitsofDr.Motoyama’slifearesprinkledthroughouthisbooks.Curiousreaderscanfindmoredetailsin the book Awakening of the Chakras and Emancipation. Here you can learn about the rigor ofMotoyama’s early training and the awakeningof hismanyvibhutis, or powers: his ability to see theenergyfields,hisabilitytoinfluenceandcorrectfaultyenergy,tohealboththoseclosetohimandthoseinneedfaraway.Forabriefbiography,visit:http://www.cihs.edu/cihs/Dr_Motoyama_bio.htm

47. Her name was Kinue Motoyama and she was the founder of the Tamamistsu Jinja religiousorganization.ShewasalsocalledMyokonoKamisama.

48.TheAmerican institute is called theCalifornia Institute ofHumanScience (CIHS) and is located inEncinitas,California.PaulreceivedanhonorarydoctoratefromtheCIHSin2005.

49.YoucanlearnmuchmoreaboutPaulGrilleyathiswebsite,www.paulgrilley.com.

50.Theideaofholdingaposeforalongperiodoftime,whichPaulierediscoveredduringthedevelopmentofhisownformofDaoistYoga,hasexistedsincebeforetheancientHathaYogisfirstpracticedasana.Otherphysicalpractices, suchasgymnastics anddance,havealsoused the same formofpractice tohelpopenthebody.Forexample,ballerinasoftendevelopopennessintheirhipsbysittinginsplitsforlongperiodsoftime.

51.TheirTibetanteacher,TsoknyiRinpoche,influencedthemgreatlyasdidtheirZenteacher,ToniPacker.SarahalsocreditsJenniferWelwood,LamaTsultrimAllione,LamaPemaDorje,andStephenBatchelorwithhavingagreatinfluenceuponher.

52.http://www.sarahpowers.com/approach.html

http://www.pauliezink.comhttp://www.cihs.edu/cihs/Dr_Motoyama_bio.htmhttp://www.paulgrilley.comhttp://www.sarahpowers.com/approach.html

H

CHAPTERTWOTHEPRACTICEOFYINYOGA

owwepracticeismuchmoreimportantthanwhatwepractice.Toooften,yogastudentsforcethemselvesintocontortedpositionswithnoregardfor

whetherwhattheyaredoingishelpingthemorhurtingthem.Theiregosareincontrol, and the egowants to look good in front of others.Yogawas never acompetitive sport:1 it is an inward practice designed to build awareness, non-attachment,equanimity,andcontentment.Wedonotusethebodytoget intoapose,weusetheposetogetintothebody.Practicedcorrectly,yogacanprovideall the physiological benefits while offering the deep inner calm and insightstreasured by the yogis of old. We simply have to practice mindfully, withattentionandintention.Inthenextfewsections,wewilllookatthisquestionofhowtopracticeYin

Yoga.ThenwewillbereadytolookattheasanasmostcommonlyusedinYinYoga.Therearenotnearlyasmanyasanasrequiredintheyinstyleofyogaasarefoundinthemoreactivepractices.Thereareperhapsthreedozenposturesatmost (excludingvariations).Wewilldiscover themostcommonposesandseethemindetail,includingtheirvariations,options,andsomecontraindications.Thenwewillinvestigateseveralflows,whicharesimplyalinkingtogetherof

asanasinalogicalsequencewithacentralthemeorpurposeinmind.Theasanaspresentedwillnotexhaust thepossibleposesonecando inYinYoga,and theflowswillbeevenlessexhaustive.2WhileYinYogagenerallytargetsthelowerbody,itispossibletoapplythephilosophytoanyarea.WewilllookbrieflyatsomeupperbodyYinYogapracticesaswellasspecialconditionsthatYinYogamayassistwith,suchaspregnancy,kneeissuesandlowerbackdisorders.

Beforeembarkingonthispractice,pleasemakesureyouareabletodoso

safely.Checkwithyourdoctororhealthcareprofessionalbeforestartinganyyogapractice.Theguidancegiveninthisbookisnotmeanttoreplacemedicaladvice.Whilecarehasbeentakenincompilingtheguidanceinthisbook,wecannottakeresponsibilityforanyadverseeffectsfromyourpractice.Whenyouareunsureofanyaspectofthepractice,orfeelunwell,seekmedicaladvice.Pleasereadthecontraindicationsforeachposebeforeyoutryit,andpleasenotethemanyoptionsavailabletomakeeachposemoreaccessible.Practicewithbothintentionandattention.

HowtoPracticeYinYogaHavingseated(himself)in…aroomandfreefromallanxieties,(thestudent)shouldpracticeyoga,asinstructedbyhisguru.3

Straightforwardadvice.“Whattypeofroom?”youmaywonder.Welltheroomiseasytocomeby;simplyfindforyourself:

… a small room of four cubits square, free from stones, fire, water anddisturbances of all kinds, and in a country where justice is properlyadministrated,where good people live and food can be obtained easily andplentifully…Theroomshouldhaveasmalldoor,befreefromholes,hollows,neithertoohighnortoolow,wellplasteredwithcowdungandfreefromdirt,filthandinsects.4

Well,findingaplacelikethiscan’tbetoodifficult,canit?CowdungisplentifulandprobablyavailableatyourlocalSafeway.Justiceisuniversaltoday.Thatisalleasy…butwhattheheckisacubit?5Theabove teaching showsus that advicegiven inagespastmaynotbe the

best for us in our current age. Having a good teacher who can interpret theteachingsandintentionsofthegurusofagespastandbringtheteachingstousinamodernmanner is invaluable. In India,where thedayswereverywarmandsometimesscorchinglyhot,theasanapracticeswereoftendoneveryearlyinthemorning.IsthatthebesttimetodoYinYoga?Let’sexaminethisquestion.

WhentoPracticeYinYogaThere absolutely areno absolutes.Thequestionofwhen topracticeYinYogahas no single answer.We havemany options for when to practice Yin Yoga,depending on what we would like to achieve through our practice. It comesdowntoourintention.Wecoulddoouryinpractice:

Whenourmuscles are cool (so theydon’t steal the stress away from thedeepertissues)

Earlyinthemorning(whenthemusclesaremorelikelytobecool)

Laterintheeveningbeforebed(tocalmthemindbeforesleep)

Before an active yang practice (again, before the muscles become toowarmedup)

Inthespringorsummer(tobalanceanaturalyangtimeofyear)

Whenlifehasbecomeveryhectic(tobalancetheyangenergiesinourlives)

Afteralongtrip(travelingisveryyang,evenifwearesittingdownalot)

Duringawoman’smenstrualcycle(toconserveenergies).

We could set an intention to maximize the physiological benefits of our YinYoga practice—to work into our joints and connective tissues. Or we couldintend to maximize the emotional or psychological benefits—to deepen ourmindfulness practice. Or we could decide to work on our energy body—toincrease the flows of energy or remove blockages. Depending upon whichintentionweset,thebesttimetopracticewillvary.Physiologically,YinYogatargetsthedeeperconnectivetissues.Ifthemuscles

arewarmandactivetheywilltendtoabsorbmostofthestressofthepose,sowewantthemusclestoberelaxed.WhenwedoYinYogaearlyinthemorning,themuscles havenot yetwokenup; this iswhywe sometimes feel stiffwhenwefirstwakeup.6 In the sameway, doing our yin practice before an active yangpracticeallowsthestresstosettledeeperintoourtissues.By the end of the day our muscles have been warmed up and are at their

longest. The physical benefits of a yin practice will be fewer at this time;however,thepsychologicalbenefitsmaybegreater.Thedaytimeisyang:ayin

practicebeforegoingtosleepmaybalancethisenergy.Similarlythespringandsummerareyangtimesofyear.Whenlifeisbusyorwhenwespendmanyhourstraveling, these are yang times. Balance is achieved when we cultivate yinenergies.However,ayinpracticeisnotrecommendedwhenwehavealreadybeenvery

placid.Aftersittingatadeskforeighthoursinthedeadofadullwinter’sday,amore active practice may create balance much better than a yin practice.Listening toyour innerguidemaygiveyou thebestanswer to thequestion: isthisatimeforyinoryang?7

BeforeYouPracticeEventhoughYinYogaisconsideredagentlerpracticethanitsyangbrother,itisstillimportanttoconsiderthemostcommonprecautions.Pleasenotethisisnotanexhaustivelist.Ifyouhavequestions,pleasetalktoateacheroryourhealthcareprofessional.

If you are pregnant or have serious health concerns such as joint injury,recent surgery, epilepsy, diabetes, or any cardiovascular diseases(especially high blood pressure), be sure to discuss your intention topracticeyogawithyourhealthcareprovider.

Don’twearperfumeorcolognewhenyoupractice.Deepbreathingispartofthepracticeandyoudonotwanttobedeeplyinhalingthesefumes.

Donoteatanything forat leastone to twohoursbeforehand,andnobigmeals at least three hours before you practice. (For yang practice youwouldextendthewaitingtimesbeforepracticing.)

Before you begin it is nice to have a shower. Empty your bowels andbladder.Theseareallpartofthenormalmorningritual,whichmeansyouwon’tbedoingyourYinYogapracticerightafterrollingoutofbed.Giveyourself at least thirty minutes after rising before starting any yogapractice.

If you are already physically exhausted, keep the practice very brief andgentle.

Avoidpracticeifyouhavehadalotofsunthatday.Prolongedsunbathingdepletesthebody—letitrecoverbeforestressingitfurther.

Removewristwatchesandanythingmetallic thatmakesacompletecirclearoundthebody.8Ifpractical,removeglasses,too.

Wearloose,comfortableclothingsothatthebodyisnotrestricted.

Youwill not generate heat internally, so feel free towear extra layers ofclothesandsocks.Keeptheroomalittlewarmerthannormal.

Havecushions,blocks,andblanketshandyforpaddingandtosituponformostforwardbendsandmeditation.

Removeobviousdistractions:unplugthephone,putoutthecat,tellfamilymembersthatyouneedsomequiettime.

Avoiddraftsandcoldflowingair.

Aboveall,practiceinarelaxedmanner.Ifyouhavesomethingtodorightafteryourpractice,decidetofinishearlierthannecessary,soyoudon’tfeelrushedattheend.Don’texpecttohavea“greatpractice;”thatkindofexpectationcanbecounter-productive.Expect todo thebestyoucan,and justbepresent towhatarises.

TheThreeTattvasofYinYogaPracticeAtattvaistherealityofathing,oritscategoryorprincipalnature.SarahPowersoffersusthreeverysimpleandeffectiveprinciplesfortheyinpractice:

1.Comeintotheposetoanappropriatedepth.

2.Resolvetoremainstill.

3.Holdtheposefortime.

Remembering these three principles as you practice will simplify everything.Thefirstprinciple,whichappliestoanyyogaasana,isoftencalled“playingouredges.”

PlayingOurEdgesThefirstprincipleofYinYogaisthis:everytimeyoucomeintoapose,goonlytothepointwhereyoufeelasignificantresistanceinthebody.Don’ttrytogoasdeeplyaspossible right away.Giveyourbodyachance toopenupand invite

youtogodeeper.Afterthirtysecondsoraminute,usuallythebodyreleasesandgreater depth is possible: but not always! Listen to the body and respect itsrequests.Consideryourwillandyourbodyastwodancers,movingintotalunison.Too

many beginning and even experienced yoga students make their yoga into awrestlingmatch—themind contendingwith the body, forcing it into posturesthatthebodyisresisting.Yogaisadance,notawrestlingmatch.Theessenceofyinisyielding.Yangisaboutchangingtheworld;yinaccepts

theworldasitis.Neitherisbetterthantheother.Thereareindeedtimeswhenitisappropriateandevennecessarytochangetheworld;othertimesit isbest tojustallowthingstounfold.Partoftheyinpracticeislearningthisyielding.Thisphilosophyisreflectedwellinaprayer,whichhasuncertainroots.Ithas

been circulating the world for perhaps one hundred years9 and speaks to thisverychallengeofbalancingyinandyang:

GodgrantmetheserenitytoacceptthethingsIcannotchangeGrantmethecouragetochangethethingsIcanchangeAndgrantmethewisdom

toknowthedifference.

Harmonyorbalanceinlifecomesfromthiswisdom,whichmustbeearnedandlearned throughourownexperience.Our first tattva is theopportunity togainthiswisdom.Listen to your body andgo to your edge.When and if the bodyopens and invites you in deeper, then accept the invitation and go to the nextedge.Onceatthisnewedge,againpauseandwaitforthenextopening.In thismannerweplayour edges, each time awaiting a new invitation.We

ridetheedgeswithagentleflowingbreath,likeasurferridingthewavesoftheocean.Thesurferdoesn’tfightagainsttheocean;shegoeswithit.Whenyoucomeintothepose,dropyourexpectationsofhowyoushouldlook

orbe.ThereisadestructivemythburieddeepinsidetheWesternyogapractice—thatweshouldachieveamodelshape ineachpose.That is,weshould looklike somemodel on the cover of a yogamagazine. To dislodge thismythweshouldadoptthismantra:

Wedon’tuseourbodytogetintoapose,weusetheposetogetintoourbody.

Onceyouhavereachedanedge,pause.Goinsideandnoticehowit feels.Theposeisworkingifyoucanfeelthebodybeingstretched,squeezed,ortwisted.10

Anothermantratoadoptinourpracticeis:

Ifyouarefeelingit,youaredoingit.

Youdon’tneedtogoanyfurtherifyouarealreadyfeelingasignificantstretch,compression,or twist.Goingfurther isasignofego;stayingwhereyouare isembracingyin.Thisisnotanexcusetostaybackandnotgodeepintotheposture.Whenwe

play our edgeswe come to the point of significant resistance.Thiswill entailsomediscomfort.YinYogaisnotmeanttobecomfortable;itwilltakeyouwelloutsideyourcomfortzone.Muchofthebenefitof thepracticewillcomefromstayinginthiszoneofdiscomfort,despitethemind’surgentpleastoleave.This,too,ispartofthepractice.Aslongaswearenotexperiencingpain,weremain.Painisalwaysaoneway

ticket out of the pose—a signal that we are tearing the body or close to it.11Burningsensations, sharpstabbing,or tinglingelectrical-likepainsaredefiniteno-no’s and warrant that you come out of the pose immediately. Dull, achysensations are to be expected, however. No teacher can know what you arefeeling,sobeyourownguruatthesetimesanddevelopyourwisdom.

TheGoldilocks’PositionRemember the tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears? Goldilocks found themommabear’sbedtoosoftandthepapabear’sbedtoohard,butthebabybear’sbedwas just right.TheGoldilocks’Position isnotaposture,but ratheradviceabouthowdeepweshouldgoinourposestoensureweachieveoptimalhealth.Note,we are not talking about optimal performance! That is the trade-offwehavetounderstand:wheneverwepracticeyoga,weneedtobeclearaboutourintentions—arewestrivingforoptimalhealth,orareweworkingtowardsomeperformance goals? Athletes, dancers, and gymnasts may well be trying tomaximize their range ofmotion, but this does notmean that they are gettinghealthier. Quite the contrary:many athletes and dancers have significant jointissues in later life because they dangerously stressed their bodies to obtainmaximumperformancewhentheywereyounger.TheoptimalpositionforhealthistheGoldilocks’position:nottoomuchand

nottoolittle.Thiscanbeshowngraphically:onthefollowingpageisaclassicn-shapecurvethatillustratesthedangerofbeingoutsidetheoptimalbounds.Ifwe

applytoolittlestresstoourtissues,theyatrophy.Alllivingthingsrequiresomestress tobehealthy! Ifweapply toomuchstress,however, tissuesdegenerate.There have been many scientific studies verifying the n-shaped curve shownabove.12 To obtain maximum health, we need to find that place where thetension inourposes is “just right”—not toodeep,whichcreatesdegeneration,andnottoolittle,whichpromotesatrophy.

Ouredgesarenotonlyphysical—wehaveemotionalandmentaledges, too.Youmaybeunconsciouslyholdingbackfromgoingdeepertoavoidafloodofpainful memories, thoughts, or feelings. Youmay not be ready for these yet.Honoryouredgeswh