Irma Rachmi demonstrating various yin yoga positions at her Jakarta studio. Yin yoga poses are simple and don’t require lots of space or time. (JG Photos/Sylviana Hamdani)
The perfect peace rests in the equilibrium between what is comfortable and what is not. When practicing yin yoga, trying to hold a position that stretches your body and pulls at your muscles for as long as five minutes, you begin to understand this concept.
“Yin yoga adopts the techniques of Chinese acupuncture without the use of needles,” explained Irma Rachmi, my yoga instructor. According to Irma, the long-held poses help to circulate the energy that accumulates in the muscles, and this feeds your bones and connective tissues, including ligaments, tendons and fascia.
“The umbrella of yin yoga is hatha yoga,” Irma said. With “ha” meaning sun and “tha” meaning moon, hatha unites the forceful dynamics of two opposite energies known as yin and yang. While most yoga practices are yang, with one posture flowing to the next in connecting movements that emphasize strength and stamina, yin yoga is gentler and involves holding a pose for three to five minutes, with the body relaxed and the mind calm and meditative. It targets the joints and the surrounding connective tissues, so it stretches the fascia and deep layer tissues. As a result, it develops your flexibility and balance, readying your body for long periods of meditation in a sitting position.
“Therefore, yin yoga is suitable for office workers,” Irma said. “Besides, the poses are simple and easy to do and they don’t require lots of space or time.”
Popularized in the 1980s by American yoga teachers Paul Grilley and Sarah Powers, the practice of yin yoga is ancient. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, a Sanskrit document written in 1350 by Yogi Svatmarama in India, describes 16 poses of yin yoga. However, it was Grilley who integrated the Taoist meridian and acupuncture theories of China with hatha yoga.
There are five meridians, or areas, which are targeted by yin yoga poses — the kidney and urinary bladder, liver and gall bladder, spleen and stomach, lungs and small intestines, and the heart and large intestines. According to yin yoga teachings, maintaining health in these areas will ensure emotional balance.
“For example, if your kidney or urinary bladder is disturbed, you’ll feel fear for no reason at all. On the other hand, if both of them are healthy, you’ll have more wisdom,” Irma said.
At her studio in Apartment Casablanca, Jakarta, Irma combines both yang and yin movements in her classes. “The body needs both kinds of practice because it has both yin and yang elements,” she said.
Her class began with pranayamas, or breathing techniques. “Pranayamas are the art of controlled breathing,” Irma said. “With pranayamas, we leave the external world and start to move inward to focus on ourselves.”
Sitting cross-legged on my mat with my spine, neck and head in a straight line, I began to breathe deeply, expanding my diaphragm and exhaling slowly. Irma then guided the class to perform the pranayama Kapalabhati, in which we gently inhaled and then exhaled sharply and forcefully through the nose, drawing in the belly at the same time.
“It’s cleansing and warming and helps to prevent illness and allergies,” Irma said.
The session continued with the sun salutation, a flowing series of 12 poses that warm up the body and tone the abdominal muscles. The exercise also helps to improve the strength and flexibility of the muscles and spinal column.
After the vigorous movements, Irma sounded a Tibetan singing bowl to mark the start of the yin session. Its clear ringing sound bought a feeling of peace to the studio.
“I’m going to ask you to perform each pose to the maximum,” Irma said. “You should hold your posture perfectly still to gain the full effects. Discomfort is expected. However, if you feel any sharp pain you should adjust your posture.”
The first posture, the wide knee child’s pose, was quite simple. Kneeling on our mats with knees wide apart, we threw our bodies forward with our arms outstretched on the floor. My spine was comfortably stretched and I found the experience soothing and relaxing.
Irma sounded the bowl again, to change the pose. The dragon pose was graceful, with one leg lunged forward between the hands and the other leg stretched behind the body. It was OK for the first minute. But as the seconds ticked by I starting sweating. My raised knee quivered and I had to concentrate to maintain my balance.
“The dragon pose is very good for your stomach and spleen,” Irma said. “It helps to improve the digestive system.”
The next pose was the butterfly. We sat cross-legged on the mats and moved our feet away from the groin area, rounding our backs and dropping our heads between our knees.
“This posture is the most beneficial of all. It helps to keep your liver, urinary bladder, kidneys and gall bladder healthy, while it also enhances the functions of your reproductive organs,” Irma said.
The next pose was the sphinx, in which we rested on our ribs with our legs spread apart, arching the upper torso and supported by both elbows. I began to feel a slight compression on my lower back after a couple of minutes in the posture.
“It helps to stimulate the kidneys and urinary bladder through the pressure,” Irma said.
For the next pose, Irma provided a bolster behind each of us. I started to feel apprehensive. The saddle position proved to be quite taxing. We started by kneeling on the floor with our ankles stretched beneath us, then slowly we bent all the way back and rested our body on the bolster behind us on the floor. This caused tremendous pressure on both thighs and ankles.
The following dragonfly position was also performed sitting down with our legs spread out. We threw our bodies forward with our hands outstretched. I felt a slight strain on my knees and pelvis after several minutes.
The last posture was quite comfortable. We simply lay on our backs and tilted our torso and legs a little to the right, cradling our elbows in our hands above the head, while putting the right leg on top of the left. It was fun and relaxing and easy to perform for more than five minutes.
At the end of the session, we all emerged feeling refreshed and energized.
“Yin yoga improves health and increases mindfulness,” Irma said. “When you practice it diligently two to three times a week, you’ll feel more fit and balanced, both physically and emotionally.”
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