Yin Yoga Language - How Less Can Be More
Language is everything when we teach yoga. Sometimes, less can be more. Whilst teaching Yin Yoga, it’s important that we’re comfortable with stretches of silence and think about the words that we use to help our students relax into their practice. Lets explore this topic in my latest blog.
Yin Yoga is a slow, yielding practice that calms the nervous system. We sit or lie in postures for 3-9 minutes. Yin is the art of letting go, slowing down and paying attention to what rises in body and mind. Sometimes, discomfort arises and other times a posture can feel amazing as we settle into it for a few minutes. This, of course, takes time and practice and as teachers, it’s important for us to know how to facilitate this and communicate effectively with our students to enhance their experience. Here are a few ways that we can do so.
Read the Room
When holding space for other people, non verbal communication is just as important as verbal cues. In order to be able to do this, it’s important that we watch our students and look out for signs that someone is showing discomfort. Perhaps they are looking a bit red, their breathing is strained or forced or they are clenching their shoulders or jaw. What options or variations can be offered? It might be as simple as cueing the room to soften their jaw, bring their shoulders away from their ears, or helping someone to place a blanket under their shoulder in banasana, or just let their arms rest by their side. Another point to consider is that someone may not be able to come fully into a posture due to compression - where bone meets bone. A subject that we will explore further in the anatomy of yin at my immersion.
Avoid Using Filler Words
Similarly to the first point, this, in my opinion, is a universal rule for teaching yoga. First of all it’s getting clear as to why you use filler words. It may be a habit or perhaps it's to fill stretches of silence. With students' permission, it might be a useful exercise to voice record your class, to enable you to play this back and focus on how you can refine your cues and make them crystal clear. Like the practice of meditation or yoga, it is a skill that we need to continue to nurture and practice.
Hold Space for Students
Time is essence in yin yoga. As postures are held we work with breath and gravity to release tension and soften into postures. It can be difficult to do this if you are in a class and the teacher is constantly speaking. Once demonstrating and cueing your students into a posture, it may be good to allow stretches of silence. To hold space and simply observe what is in front of us. Holding space for people is about helping them to have their own experience of the practice, acknowledging when people may need some gentle support and knowing when it’s time to offer a cue such as coming back to their breath if their mind is drifting. As an energy worker, I also believe that holding space is about working with the energy in the room and also the energy that we bring. Are we calm? Are we grounded?
Use Yin Yoga Words
Yin is slow, passive, cool, soft, dark and feminine in energy. We are also promoting deep rest in this meditative style of practice. It’s important to bear all of this in mind when we are using verbal cues. We want to consider using words that enhance this experience for the people in front of us, to give them the notion to surrender and let go. This may include words such as melt, pause, rest, breathe, feel, slowly, invite, scan, notice, allow and observe.
During my 40 hour Yin Yoga Immersion, we will explore all of these points during my class planning module. There’s still time to book in for my early bird offer, which is running until 20th April. Book here
