Happy Yin Day (A Valentine’s Day Alternative)
February 14th, 2011 by LydiaI went to a yin yoga and raw food workshop over the weekend. It was actually the perfect way to start a long overdue new year’s detox that’s been on my to do list.
Yin yoga is my most favorite yoga. It’s not an active, yang type of yoga that many people are familiar with like ashtanga, vinyasa, or iyengar. Yang is associated with action, fire, and initiative, where yin is a passive, receiving, introspective form of yoga. No engaging muscles or sitting up straight. In fact, you’re letting everything go and you hold that inaction of letting go in each pose for several minutes. All that’s left is you to observe and accept. It’s extremely meditative.
There are yin and yang forms of yoga just like there are also yin and yang types of love. Valentine’s Day is very yang, a very demonstrative holiday for expressing love. And of course the yin manifestation of that would be receiving it.
As Asian women, we’re very good at the selfless yang – putting family first and fulfilling expectations that others have of us first. Valentine’s Day can also be your Happy Yin Day for graciously receiving the love you receive from others, and also holding that yin and yang totality within yourself, giving yourself love and graciously receiving it. Steeping in it even.
Here are some Happy Yin Day practices you can do for every day of the year beyond Valentine’s.
- Graciously receive the love you receive from others with a thank you and let it resonate within. That means no deflecting or negating when someone compliments you. Imagine that your voice is in your heart center and say thank you from there.
- Write down everything you appreciate about yourself and the positive feelings you associate with them. As you inhale, say to yourself “I appreciate ________________ about myself,” and as you exhale, send those positive feelings directly to your heart center. Do this for several inhales and exhales.
- Write down all the acknowledgments that you long to receive. You may receive them already or they may be ones you have yet to receive. Really settle into the feelings you want to feel from hearing them. Then, as above, say these acknowledgments to yourself in the form of “I am _________________” as you inhale. As you exhale, send those positive feelings directly to your heart center. Do this for several inhales and exhales.
Share your reflections and observations in the comments. I’d love to know.