Yin Yoga! The most delicious kind of yoga, and the effects are nothing short of juicy

#yinyoga #PaulGrilley #TCM #yinyogateachertraining #emotionalrelease #meridians #fascia #myofascialrelease #personaljourney #hydration

Over the past two weeks, I had the chance to dive into a relatively recent form of yoga through a yin yoga teacher training at Atelier Du Mon in Antwerp. After 15 years of on-and-off experimenting with all kinds of yoga and Pilates (from classical vinyasa and hatha yoga classes, the quirky kundalini yoga, the many hatha tantra yoga sessions during my tantra teacher training, to yin yoga, restorative yoga, and Pilates during the Azulfit retreats last year), my eyes and heart fell on a yin yoga teacher training. It fits beautifully with my growing interest in and knowledge of connective tissue (fascia) and the Chinese meridians, which have increasingly influenced my bodywork since 2023. This form of yoga is much more recent than the classical forms from the Indian tradition, developed by Paul Grilley and strongly influenced by TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine).

Naturally, the impact was first felt in my own system and personal processes. I was once again able to drop deeper into my body and work on my foundational trust. In the first three days, we worked with seven archetypes of the poses and the myofascial chains. Lots of movement and exploration. Each day of the training ended with a yin yoga class. This helped us connect more deeply with our bodies and relax our connective tissue. Relaxed and healthy connective tissue hydrates from the inside out. This inner hydration fascinates me in particular because I was born with ichthyosis (a genetically determined extremely dry skin condition for which Western medicine has little to offer). Even though that’s obviously not so pleasant, over the past few years I’ve paid close attention to when my skin became drier and when it felt softer. Of course, this is somewhat seasonal, but I’ve also clearly noticed how my personal processes and emotions play a role. I can feel very clearly how my vulnerability and deep emotional life are linked to my skin.

Yin Yoga doesn’t just work on your body — it also impacts your emotions and has a rejuvenating effect. It asks for conscious attunement with your body and patience with yourself. Luckily, I was really ready to turn inward again after these past few months. My own work requires constant alignment with and within my body, and has taught me to be more patient. And to see patience as a form of love.

In the second part of the training, we focused on the meridians and the Chinese five elements. The dynamics between meridians, elements, natural cycles, and yin postures were expertly and authentically explained by Tine Sneyers. Always with practical and insightful exercises, allowing this lovely group of people to embody and emotionally integrate the knowledge — which stirred up quite a bit. The insights about managing your own energy — what depletes it and what nourishes it — and the heart protector really struck a chord with me. They mirrored exactly what I was going through in my personal relationships. It's quite something how I manage to “feel but not absorb” so well in my professional work (something I always tell my students), yet still encounter it in my personal relationships despite all the work I’ve done: letting in too much, too deeply, of what isn’t mine, letting too much be taken, or even giving it away myself.

So during this second weekend I was once again confronted with a stuck emotional field that was touched and allowed to start flowing. The most intense part of that I was able to digest and integrate last month — the events of recent years and the insight into how everything was energetically linked and how I had myself shifted the pattern.For me, pain is communication — daring to feel what it wants to tell you, letting it clarify, allowing the insights in with clarity, being brave enough to feel the sadness, so that you can finally let go.Offering compassion, gentleness, and kindness to yourself and others. Landing back in your body, accepting, and making choices that are good for you, listening to your heart, and for me — regaining trust that I, too, will be supported, even in this world. That a new chapter will also emerge for me, one with more harmony and love, with full space for my authentic self.

Gradually, it’s making space for a delicious, almost luxurious feeling inside.That’s what I was able to feel yesterday during a wellness day — simply being in my own body and energy, no pain field, no drama, no heavy release — just being, grateful and in acceptance, needing nothing, feeling the energy and harmony of nature around and within me.Meanwhile, new sparkles of inspiration and enthusiasm are bubbling up…It’s going to be a beautiful, creative summer — and my skin has never been this soft...

Maria De Dauw

My Warmest regards,

Maria

© Maria De Dauw

www.deep-relaxation.eu