The Complete Guide to Yin Yoga: The Philosophy and Practice of Yin Yoga

Description

An updated version of the book that has become the go-to resource for Yin Yoga teachers all over the world and has been required reading in many teacher training programs. This second edition of the best selling The Complete Guide to Yin Yoga provides an in-depth look at the philosophy and practice of Yin Yoga with illustrated sections on how to practice Yin Yoga, including detailed descriptions and photographs of over 30 Yin Yoga asanas. All forms of yoga can provide benefits physically, emotionally, and mentally, however Yin Yoga works the deeper levels of the body/heart/mind: the yin tissues of fascia, tendons, ligaments, joints and bones, as well as the energetic channels of the meridians, nerves and blood system. One big difference noticed by students of Yin Yoga is the long-held, passive nature of the posture, which gives time for a deeper journey to unfold, a journey into the meditative aspects of yoga, a bridge to living life mindfully. The second edition includes—a more functional approach to the practice of yoga, emphasizing the concept of targeted areas; the importance of stress in reducing fragility and building antifragility; understanding the nature of creep and the importance of counterposes, with a revised list of effective counterpostures; many new photographs of the postures and their variations for different body types; a more current overview of the physiology of tissues and the energy body reflecting new understanding in the science of fascia and cellular signaling; and many other enhancements. As in the first edition, the book presents comprehensive information on how to do the practice, including how to get into and out of the pose, contraindications and warnings for those who may have trouble with particular aspects of the posture, and other important information. Why we do the practice is discussed by looking at its benefits in three main sections: the physiological, energetic and mental/emotional benefits. Review: Yin Yoga Must-Have Book - Beautifully written! Really enjoying the reading and the learning! Review: A marvellous and clear resource - One thing we learn in Yoga is impermanence, everything changes over time, and thats very much true of our Yoga practices and our understanding around them. The time was thus ripe for this work to be updated. The full title is "The Complete Guide to Yin Yoga - Philosophy and Practice" and the strap line adds "Revised edition with updates and expanded practices, postures, props and photos" - does it live up to this? Yes, it does, in my view. Honestly, if you have one book on the shelf about Yin Yoga, you could do a lot worse than this one. Its well laid out with logical headings including, inevitably, a comprehensive illustrated section on 25 main Yin poses, with a slight evolution from the first edition - Camel is out, Supported Bridge is in (good call). There are also comprehensive sections on the Physical, Energetic and Psycho-Emotional aspects of Yin Yoga, some suggested flows (all things are relative). Clark is a prolific author and in his typical fashion you get a lot of detail in his books yet presented accessibly in such a way that you can dip easily into the bits you need. For me reading this book was a refresher on the practices I both teach and use personally - not to relearn them, as my own approach won't change wholesale, but as a chance to come back closer to the source (a loose concept in Yin Yoga), and get a reminder of the key concepts. I had read the first edition several times, and I am sure this revised edition will be coming on and off my book shelf. This book is, in my view, suitable for experienced practitioners of Yin Yoga, those new to it, and those anywhere in between. It is a marvellous and clear resource.