“I love cutting your hair,” whispers my hairdresser of many years, into my ear. I was taken by surprise after having spent the last three hours doubting myself about going a shade darker.
“Why?”
“Because you are so calm,” he replies.
Now for those of you who do not know me…calm is not exactly what people used to call me. Always busy, always on the go and always a very busy mind.
So, what has caused this latest shift?
I have been passionate about personal development and transformation for many years now. I became a Consciousness Coach™️ in 2016, studied with Eckhart Tolle and lately Tara Brach. Aware of missing out on life when living either in the future (=anxiety) or the past (=depression).
And then I got it!
During hard lockdown, I added another certification by becoming a certified yin yoga teacher. This practice has gifted me with a new level of inner peace, presence, and contentment.
So, what exactly is yin yoga? What is the difference to a regular yoga practice and what are the benefits?
1. Yin yoga is a much slower practice than the more widely known, regular “yang” yoga practice. Yin yoga targets joints, deep connective tissues, ligaments and even bones.
2. This approach promotes flexibility and mobility in areas often perceived as non-malleable, or non-elastic especially hips, pelvis, shoulders and lower spine. Areas that carry a lot of tension, especially as you age.
3. Yin yoga helps with stress, anxiety, and sleep. It calms down the sympathetic nervous system and activates the so called “rest and digest” – your parasympathetic nervous system!
4. Yin yoga stimulates and balances the flow of life force energy (also known as Chi or Prana) along what is known as Fascia in Western medicine, Nadis and Chakras in Ayurvedic Medicine, and Meridians in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
5. In a yin yoga session, you come into poses at your appropriate range and depth. You stay within your level of flexibility and find your point of personal resistance or edge using props to support and hold the body.
6. Poses are held for a minimum of 1-5 minutes. Resolve to remain still and allow time to open up and target yin tissues with long-held and reasonable amounts of traction. Depending on level of experience, poses can be held up to 20 minutes.
I smiled at my hairdresser and took the compliment. 😊
I figured he knows what he’s talking about being surrounded all day by stressed and often anxious, self-critical women.
PS: Watch this space for my upcoming Conscious Retreat, 25-28 August 2022 in majestical Knysna, South Africa. Our (re)treat days will be filled with restorative yin yoga, meditation, conscious conversation, and delicious plant based, high vibrational foods.
Email sibylle@consciousretreats.co.za to secure your spot. Space is limited.
Follow and connect with me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
For motivation and inspiration, keep an eye on my blog.
Sibylle teaches Yin Yoga at Virgin Active, Johannesburg South Africa and online most Tuesday evenings at 7pm (SAST). She calms down nervous systems and (re)trains brains to replace limiting belief systems or so-called stories with more liberating and supportive ones.
Sibylle empowers unemployed South African women to create a life they love to live and lives in Johannesburg, South Africa with her husband and four children. She is a Consciousness Coach™ and trainer, Time to Think™ coach and facilitator, iEQ9 Enneagram Practitioner, and certified Yin Yoga teacher.
