Yin Yoga Interview with Annette

In the anticipation of our upcoming Yin & Restorative Yoga Retreat, I sat down with the ever-inspiring, very articulate Annette Knopp a few days ago to discuss the “other yoga” and the retreat she will be co-teaching with Jane Fryer in Nosara, July 12-18, 2009.  See below for my questions and her very thought-provoking responses about Yin Yoga and why it is such an important practice, especially right now.

Who could benefit from a Yin & Restorative Yoga retreat?
Anyone who wants to step out from a high-wired and ‘doing-focused’ lifestyle and allow for their bodies and mind to unwind, to nourish themselves, and relax back into stillness.  Also any sort of practitioner, from beginner to advanced, who would like to immerse in this often overlooked aspect of Yoga.

Yin Yoga is often called “the quiet practice” and similar to the restorative style naturally evokes a state of contemplation – more than yang-style practices or power yoga disciplines.  In our predominantly “goal-focused” culture we have become so habituated to look ahead, to improve, and to demand more from ourselves and our bodies. In Yin and Restorative Yoga we have the opportunity to let go into what is already here, to be nourished by being-ness. Instead of pushing, we yield and come home into natural Presence. Instead of being concerned with achieving and doing it ‘right’, we are invited to rest and to re-discover what is here beyond the concepts of right or wrong. We often hear the phrase “go with the flow” – Yin can teach us how to put that phrase into practice. Flow, actually, is about moving from stillness, knowing when to PAUSE instead of always rushing into action. In order to be in balance, it is essential for us to recognize the pause, and to let our doing to be informed by this, by this still openness that we really are.

And, Restorative and Yin Yoga are also great for people who have injuries but want to do something therapeutic, both mentally and physically, for restoration and healing.

Tell me more about the physical aspects of Yin Yoga…
Yin Yoga is suitable for all bodies, ages, shapes and sizes. It offers a perfect complement to a dynamic physical workout or other more yang-style yoga practices. Yin Yoga is a non-threatening yoga and there is never a feeling of having to “keep up” in class.  While most forms of exercise train the muscles and the cardiovascular system through repetition and quicker movements, Yin Yoga focuses on the ’slower tissues’ of the body.  It targets what is usually left out: our ligaments, joints, bones, and fascia – the connective tissues and parts of our body which deteriorate through over-use or degenerate through sedentary live-styles and aging. As we hold poses with the muscles relaxed for long periods of time, we effect passive stretches and therapeutic ‘stresses’ on precisely those body-tissues.  This stimulates and harmonizes the flow of Chi (or Prana) in our body, but more important, we can reverse and slow the usual aging symptoms. We don’t age in our muscles, but in our connective tissues, like our joints get dry, our ligaments shrink, and we feel more brittle and tight. When for example stiffness occurs in our hips or back, it is NOT a muscular problem, but because of our ligaments shrinking and contracting.  So in a Yin practice we cultivate elasticity and re-create space through a gentle pull and wait. This spurs deep releases in the connective tissues, but also stimulates the production of Hyaluronic Acid, which binds water and keeps for example our joints lubricated and young.

What is the difference between Yin Yoga and Restorative Yoga?
Restorative Yoga uses props to support and hold the body in positions in which it can completely relax and unwind for a longer period of time.  In Yin Yoga, we still ‘exercise’.  Like in Restorative, we also hold poses with the muscles relaxed, but we effectuate long, passive stretches on our joints and ligaments. We target those ’slower tissues’ of the body with a gentle ‘therapeutic stress’.

When the muscles do not engage as in dynamic workouts, they don’t “steal the stretch away,” it is the connective tissue that gets to “exercise.”

Let’s take the example of a Seated Forward Bend, or Pachimottanasana.  In more Yang Yoga styles, you activate your leg muscles, you engage bhandas and the muscles along the spine to lengthen your torso, and then tilt forward from your hip. In the same pose in Restorative Yoga we would place big bolsters and pillows under the torso, so we would lean forward, but resting and supported by the bolsters.  In Yin Yoga we also lean over our extended legs, but with the spine round and the muscles of spine, neck and head relaxed.  We don’t stretch and engage muscles or energetic locks to get deeper into the pose, nor would we support our torso up like in Restorative Yoga.  In Yin we simply hold this pose with the spine bent over the legs for 3 to 5 minutes, and allow gravity and time to do the work. As we are seated and ‘hang’ in there, the ligaments along the spine get slowly pulled and start to extend.  You often can literally feel the many releases along your spine with that.  I certainly can say that my body has opened up so much more in the last 3 years with Yin Yoga. It feels much more subtle, flexible, and energized in a very calm way.

Why should people practice Yin & Restorative Yoga?
Besides the numerous physical benefits we’ve discussed, Restorative & Yin Yoga styles are about including the other part of the equation – the softer more feminine side – of life. Yin and Restorative practices are not better than the more active styles of yoga, but instead can be viewed as a necessary component in our overly active yang culture and fast paced lifestyles.  The feminine side is always about nourishment and restoration. It is about experiencing and celebrating life. The masculine in us is about ‘the mission’, about getting things done, pursuing goals. But besides this necessary balance of Yang and Yin, of action and yielding, the ultimate aim of Yoga is to know our true identity and to reconnect to the sweetness and the openness that we are. Yoga is about the invitation to realize who we really are, it is about the timeless essence, the sacred.  I find that more contemplative practices like Yin or Restorative lend themselves wonderfully to that self-inquiry.  We are not too distracted by alignments or the form of the poses, but have ample space for insight, for stillness, and natural meditation to be revealed.

What is Energy Psychology?
Energy Psychology is a rather new field, but has already become well known, as it has proven to be an amazingly effective therapeutic approach. While in a more conventional therapeutic setting, one’s psychological problems are cognitively analyzed, Energy Psychology targets the underlying energetic component, the energetic field around the thoughts. So, in Energy Psychology the practitioner brings the attention shortly to the psychological issue, but then also notices simultaneously the habitual distress that occurs in the body with that. Through stimulating the energy points one then counteracts and releases the old habitual stress response in the nervous system and brain.  We can actually change our brain “wires” or more correctly put, neural pathways, and regain balance and emotional well-being. While with more severe trauma, personality disorders, or drug abuse, one should always consult and work with a mental health professional, there are nevertheless some simple and very effective tools that everyone can learn to be more relaxed and responsive instead of being driven by outdated anxious reactions.

What can someone expect to gain/receive in the retreat experience? Anything unexpected?
No goal other than creating space for deep nourishment, and letting go, and whatever else shows up that needs to be met and embraced.

Lastly, my signature interview question…what did you have for breakfast this morning?
The Harmony Special – eggs on a corn tortilla with avocado & black beans. Pura vida!