Therapeutic yoga seeks to bring us into balance -- not only within our bodies but with the world around us. Through pranayama, asana and meditation, we find ways to balance our current internal and external states with what is needed to nourish us physically, mentally and emotionally.

So when we find ourselves in times of extreme uncertainty -- which seems to be the collective global experience these days -- therapeutic yoga is a critical tool to help with the anxiety, depression, and sedentary states that may result. One therapeutic modality to consider trying is Yin. In Yin yoga, the focus is on holding poses for long periods of time (three to five minutes) to access the connective tissue that holds our form together. By cultivating stillness in the body and mind, we are better able to counterbalance the chaos and uncertainty of the world around us.

Yin yoga can be highly beneficial to calm and balance the nervous system. Why?

● By holding poses for an extended period, we can actually lengthen and manipulate the fascia and connective tissue, helping keep it supple and healthy, even as we age.

● In Yin yoga, we strive to find a balance between effort and ease by stretching to about a level six out of 10 -- if level one is just lying in bed, no effort at all, and 10 is the deepest stretch you’ve ever felt, you want to be around the middle of that spectrum.

● Finally, Yin asks us to practice with patience and respect for our bodies and minds, and to maintain a heightened state of awareness throughout the practice.

Here are five Yin poses to try to calm the anxious and unsettled mind.

1) Caterpillar -- This is most closely related to what you may know as paschimottanasana, or a seated forward fold in a vinyasa class. Folding inward can help focus the mind and calm the nervous system.

Begin seated with your legs extended, and bring one or two bolsters on top of your thighs. Lift tall through the spine and fold over your legs, letting your chest rest on the bolsters (adjust how much support depending on where your level six is). While your vinyasa teacher might have instructed you to keep your spine long, it’s okay in this Yin pose to let the spine round, feeling a stretch across the low back. If your hamstrings are tight, you can widen your legs and bend your knees to create more space. Hold for four minutes.

2) Sleeping swan -- You likely know this as pigeon pose. Not only does this also serve as a forward fold, helping to instill a sense of security, but it also opens the hips, which helps release tension held in the pelvis.

Beginning on all fours, bring your left foot forward by your left hand. Walk the left foot across to the right hand, slide the right knee back until both hips reach the mat. If your left hip remains lifted, bring a blanket or bolster underneath it for support. Gently release your chest onto a bolster, releasing the upper body completely.

If this feels more intense than a level six, you can slide your left ankle back toward the left hip, creating a gentler stretch for the outer left hip.

Once comfortable, this is a great opportunity to come into meditation. Notice the temperature of your breath as it enters the nostrils, and then as it leaves the nostrils. Has the temperature changed? How about the color -- does the breath look the same on the inhale and the exhale? Continue to breathe and focus on the look or feel of the breath for four minutes on each side.

3) Viparita karani -- In English, this pose is known as “legs up the wall” which is about as simple an explanation as you can get. You’ll need an empty wall for this pose. To begin, bring one hip right to the wall, and swing your legs up it, lying your torso back on the ground to form a 90 degree angle. Bring a blanket underneath your skull to give it a bit of padding, and it may feel nice to bring another blanket or block to your belly to increase the feeling of groundedness. You can bring your arms to a T, above your head, to your sides, or hands can rest somewhere on your body. Hold this pose for five minutes.

This pose is especially beneficial if you’ve been on your feet all day or been traveling, as it helps reverse blood flow from the feet and bring it back to the vital organs, while gently stretching the backs of the legs.

4) Snail -- Begin lying on your back, with your back and shoulders on a folded up blanket, while the head neck are off of it. Lift your hps and support them with your hands. Let the feet come behind the head, taking caution to maintain plenty of space between the cervical spine and the mat. Your feet can touch the floor behind your head, although they do not need to, and can remain dangling in space. Round the spine.

Snail pose serves to release pressure on the spine, and cradle the heart, calming the nervous system in the heart space. Hold this pose for three minutes, and roll gently down to lie on the mat and let the spine neutralize.

5) Reclining twist -- This is a simple supine spinal twist. By nature, spinal twists can help bring equilibrium to the nervous system and release tension in the spine, while also stimulating the internal organs.

To enter, bring the knees to the left side, while twisting the upper body toward the right. Your gaze can be toward the ceiling or over the right shoulder. If you need to back off the twist a bit, a bolster under your knees and/or a blanket underneath your right shoulder can help give some extra support. Bring your left arm anywhere that feels comfortable. You can also move the knees toward or away from your head to adjust the sensation. Hold for three minutes, pause in savasana, and then repeat on the next side.

The next time you find yourself watching the news or scrolling through Twitter, only to find your heart begin to race and your mind begin to spiral, consider taking a few moments to practice a couple of these postures to help find calm in these uncertain times.

References:

Paulie Zink, often referred to as the founder of Yin yoga

Videos on Yin yoga asanas, by Bernie Clark

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5 Yin Poses for Calm in Uncertain Times

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