Style: Yin
Teacher: Louise Sattler
Studio: Rama Lotus

Either I fell down multiple flights of stairs or I was run over by a truck. Or it could have been that Ashtanga class last night that's making my legs feel like cement is drying in their veins. Wow. Deadly. Amazing. At this point any normal person would have taken today to rest, recover and relax, and maybe hit the mat again in a day or so. However, this is not an option for me. My Alternative? Yin.

The Yin style of yoga is very unique unto itself. While many styles emphasize strength, internal heat or the lengthening and contracting of muscles, Yin yoga generally focuses on the connective tissues of the hips, pelvis, and lower spine. It is quite hard to explain actually, exactly what Yin yoga is. It really has to be experienced. If other yoga styles require effort, determination and endurance, Yin requires the opposite. Instead, the idea is to release all effort, let go and really sink in. The postures are held for a much longer period of time. At first glance, the still, motionless positions could appear overly passive to an action-oriented yogi. When you experience it, however, you instantly realize there is much more going on. Of all the different styles I've experiemented with, none draw me as deep within myself as fast. Yin holds you in the now and dismisses that western mentality of "doing" and introduces you to the concept of "being". To just release all effort and drift into your true self. Sounds easy. One catch. The deeper you dig into the dark recesses of self, the greater the possibility of unleashing something so powerful and destructive that it could destory your entire world-view and concept of self in a single instant...