Yin-Yoga-part-1

I am delighted to see how the practice ofYin yoga has spreadthroughout the global yoga community.To offerTeacherCertification inYin yoga I have foundedTheYinYoga Institute inorder to provide guidelines in teachingYin yoga and to establish astandard of excellence in the art.TheYinYoga Institute also servesas the official Teacher Registration forYin yoga andYin andYangyoga teachers who meet the minimum requirements.I’ve heard people say thatYin yoga is an “easy yoga”. It’s trueYin

yoga can be applied as a restorative therapy and taught at a verybeginner stage. But when it is practiced in its full aspect it is noteasy. If your intention is to grow then you will feel a tremendousamount of pull and growth while holding a posture.The art is notabout just sitting there relaxed.While it may look from the outsidelike you aren’t doing much, on the inside there is an intensity ofactivity in the body.What is commonly being taught asYin yoga is the basic first level

of my art. I feel it is important for students to be aware of thedeeper dimensions, philosophy, and comprehensive componentsthat are fundamental toYin andYang yoga. From stillness comesmotion.The yin becomes the yang and the yang becomes the yin.They are the ebb and flow, the pulsation of the universe. It’s likebreathing, there is inhaling and exhaling.They are inseparable.Thepurpose of myYin yoga is to grow flexible, to develop energy flow,and to restore our innate ability so we can move our bodies theway we are meant to move with the agile vitality of a monkey,because we are monkeys!We are human primates and as such we possess the extraordi-

nary capacity to intentionally merge our consciousness with ournatural world.And that is really whatTaoist alchemy is all about. It’sabout becoming one with the spirit of various creatures andembodying their instinctual qualities in our energetic field. In thisway we can cultivate the springiness of a frog, the lightness of abird, the patience of a tortoise.Alchemy is also about learning tofeel in our bodies and our emotions the distinct qualities of each ofthe five elements that move within us and flow all around us in aconstant state of transformation from one to the next.When I doyoga I want to be like water pouring from a glass. Our bodies aremostly water. Our natural state is to move fluidly like water andadapt to our environment.There are no rigid theories or rules inTaoist yoga.There is not

just one right way to do any given posture. Each of us has a uniquebody and disposition. I encourage students to modify the art to fitthemselves.When students learn to open to their intuitive heartsthen they begin to discover the individual expression of the artistwithin, of their own personalTao.The mind is very powerful.Andthe practice of yoga is ninety percent mind. It is necessary to havea receptive, spontaneous and playful state of mind to enter deeplyinto the art. I never tell students that they are limited. If a studentbelieves she is limited and does yoga with the intention of beingrestricted, then she will be. I prefer to be supportive to help stu-dents realize their full potential.As long as we are alive our bodiesare growing, healing, and regenerating. Except for extreme cases, Ibelieve there is almost always the possibility of moving beyond ourcurrent condition.TheTaoist masters didn’t talk about limitations.They talked about infinite possibilities.

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Yin andYangYoga comes from theTaoist spiritual tradi-tion indigenous to China.Tao refers to the mysterioussource of existence and translates to the way, thepath,The Absolute. InTaoism the entire universe isregarded as a living organism imbued with life force.

Being in harmony with the flow of this energy in nature is theessence ofTaoist attitude.Taoism finds its origins in the shamaniccultures of people who lived along theYellow River region ofnorthern China thousands of years ago. From these ancient andanimistic beginningsTaoism evolved into several primary branchesor schools that encompass magic, divination, ceremony and folkreligion, philosophy and mysticism, internal alchemy and medicine,and ethics.Within the main branches ofTaoism there is a profusionof various divisions and sects, some of who conflict with eachother and some of who borrow practices and principles fromeach other.Taoist yoga is part of a larger system of physical and breathing

exercises known as chi kung (or qigong) that is used in Chinesemedicine as a prescription for restoring health and as a preventa-tive to disease and premature aging.The Chinese language has noword for yoga. I use the term yoga because its meaning is betterunderstood in the west, and to differentiate the flexibility trainingand internal alchemy from the other more standard types of chikung, which I also include in my teachings.Through many years ofmy own practice, personal experience, and observations of animalsin their environment I have developed new postures, variations,and types of flow.And I have expanded upon the alchemicalaspects of the art.As a result I have evolved theTaoist yoga tradi-tion I learned into my own dynamic style I callYin andYang yogawhich is comprised of the five following facets:YinYoga: Postures of stillness for promoting growth, clearing ener-getic blockages, and enhancing circulation.YangYoga: Postures for developing core strength, muscle tone, bal-ance, and stamina.Taoist FlowYoga:This is more than just a sequence of both yinand yang postures. InTaoist flow the process of transition frompose to pose is as integral to the practice as the postures them-selves.Taoist movement is a continuous, smooth and circularmotion that promotes ease, fluidity and grace in the body.Taoist Alchemy:The art of transformation, cultivating the five ele-mental energies of Earth, Metal,Water,Wood, and Fire, enliveningand integrating these universal forces in the body and conscious-ness, and awakening the primal spirit that resides within each of us.Medical Chi Kung: Exercises that involve very simple and gentlemovements and breathing techniques designed to increase vitalityand maintain harmony in one’s energetic field and in the body’snatural rhythms and functions.Yin andYang is the complimentary pair of opposites contained

within the whole.Yin represents the soft, receptive principle andyang represents the hard, active principle. Some people are teach-ing a form of yoga they callYin andYang that consists of myTaoistYin yoga combined with yang like Hatha yoga.Although I havestudied Hatha yoga and have incorporated some of its poses intomy style, the tradition ofTaoist yoga is replete with its own yangpostures and properties.

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The Art Of

YIN ANDYANG YOGA

Paulie Zink and Maria Zink

YO G A S T Y L E S

Paulie Zink received intensive privateinstruction for ten years as the sole protégé ofTaoist Chi Kung and Kung fu Master Cho ChatLing from Hong Kong. As a three-time inter-national martial arts grand champion, Paulie isrenowned for his fluidity, flexibility, and artistryof motion. He is the founder of Yin yoga andhas been teaching for over 30 years. Paulielives with his wife Maria in rural Montana.PaulieZink.comTheYinYogaInstitute.com

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Sitting CrabElement: EarthBenefits: Lower back, shoulders, hips, and thighs flexibility.How to:• Sit with legs extended in front of you with your feet a little widerthan shoulder width apart. Place palms on the ground in front of youand between your legs for balance.

• Bend the knees and bring both legs back towards the shoulders.• Slide arms under each leg until each elbow is under each knee.• Lower the torso until the elbows touch the ground.

Heaven and Earth,Beginner’s PositionElement: EarthBenefits: Ankles, knees, thighs, and hips flexibility.How to:• Begin sitting with knees together and both legs extended in front of you.• Bend the knee on one leg and slide the foot back towards the hip.The sole of thefoot should be facing upward.

• Bend the knee of the opposite leg and bring the ankle up to rest on opposite thigh.• Slide the ankle as close to the opposite hip as possible. Face the sole of the footupward.

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Standing PhoenixElement: FireBenefits: Balance, hamstrings and shoulders flexibility, core strength.How to:• Begin standing with feet about hip-width apart. Stretch the arms out in front of

you with palms facing up. Bend one knee and lift the leg up in front you andmaintain balance.

• Turn palms down, begin to tilt the torso forward while extending both armsand the lifted leg backward and upward as far as possible. Keep elbows locked.

PhoenixLandingElement: FireBenefits: Shoulder strength, hamstrings andcalves flexibility.How to:• Begin from the Standing Phoenix position.Slowly exhale as you bring the hands tothe ground and place them palms downabout six inches in front of the foot.

• Lock the knee of the leg you are standingon and lift the opposite leg upward as faras possible.

• Look straight down to the ground andlean the head towards the ground as faras possible.

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PhoenixElement: FireBenefits: Balance, leg strength, knee flexi-bility.How to:• Begin from stump posture. Stretch thearms out to your sides with hands abouthead height, palms facing upwards.

• Extend one leg forward straight in frontof you keeping it off the ground whilemaintaining balance.This can be donewhile balancing on the ball of the foot.In the more advanced level the foot isflat on the ground.

• Bend the knee of the extended legand bring the ankle to rest on top ofopposite thigh.

AdvancedPhoenixElement: FireBenefits: Same as Phoenix plus moreankle and shoulder flexibility.How to:• Begin from the Phoenix posture withpalms facing upward.The standing footshould be flat on the ground.

• Roll the palms forward and rotate thearms 360 degrees until palms andelbows are facing upward. Lean thetorso forward as far as possible.

StumpElement: WoodBenefits: Thigh strength, ankles, kneesand calves flexibility.How to:• Begin standing with feet together.• Squat down as low as possible.Wrapthe arms around the shins grab theopposite elbows. Lean as far forwardas possible.

Don’t miss part 2 of paulie’sworkout next month!