Yin for Satipatthana Practice

Yin yoga is a wonderful practice within which to explore satipatthana, also known as the foundations of mindfulness or attending to mindfulness. If you typically have difficulty connecting to sensations in your body, this combination of practices will help you to open up to a range of sensations over time. If you are very embodied and completely connect to your body sensations anytime, this duo will help you to stoke your mindfulness beyond the cushion to create a continuum of practice.

The high sensations experienced in a yin pose are a sign that the desired effect on the connective tissue is being achieved. This offers an easy opportunity to understand what are the qualities of the sensations? It may seem really obvious how the sensations feel but sometimes we might be at a loss for words to describe what we feel. Satipatthana practice offers a clear structure through which we can explore our direct experience of sensations and through the analysis of experience facilitate a strong connection to the mind-body system.

Here is a simple trio of yin poses to introduce you to the practice. First, I will give you a few important guidelines to follow for yin. I will give you the structure for the first two foundations of mindfulness to practice: body (anatomy, elements and breath) and feelings. I should note that the structure I am using for satipatthana is from Bhikku Analayo’s book Satipatthana: A Practice Guide. Then I will explain some specific information about the three poses. Enjoy!

Guidelines for Yin Yoga

Stay in the pose for the prescribed duration.
Move very slowly in and out of each pose.
Find just the right place for you such that the intensity of sensations is very obvious but never painful. High sensation/discomfort is a good sign that you will affect the connective tissue (goal of yin) but pain only indicates that you may injure yourself.
It may feel like the pose is over once you release from it but take the time to notice that the pose actually continues for a while afterwards as the connective tissue gets nourished and returns to its native condition. In order to experience this restructuring of the body at a cellular level, pause for a period of time afterwards until all of the sensations completely subside. Watch closely.
Check often that you are at ease even amidst high sensations. Notice unwitting tension arising in the breath and the body to tell you whether you are in the right place or if you need to back-off a bit.

Satipatthana Technique in Yin Poses

Keep whole body awareness constant. If you lose connection to the whole body, just pause what you are doing to re-establish and then continue.
Following the list of items under anatomy and elements, scan for the associated qualities. Scanning from crown to toes or the reverse. Don’t worry if you don’t find the qualities, just look for them. Keep to the sensations rather than any story behind the sensations.
Here is the satipatthana structure for the first two foundations to use for practice. You can choose to go through the whole list in sequence or choose one or two to focus on:

Body Contemplations

Anatomy (skin, flesh, bones)

Elements:

Earth (solidity, relative hardness/softness)
Water (fluidity, cohesion)
Fire (temperature, relative coolness/warmth)
Wind (movement, vibration, oscillation)

Breath (connect to create ease)

2. Contemplation of Feelings (not like or dislike but a general hedonic feeling tone of body first and then the mind)

Pleasant

Unpleasant

Neutral

sequence

Begin the series with a savasana (3-5 minutes) with the bolster under your knees and support under the head if needed. Take the time to connect to your whole energy body-mind system. If the energy is high or cluttered, take longer exhales than inhales. If the energy is super low/sleepy, take longer inhales than exhales. When you feel balanced, continue with the sequence.

Butterfly (3-5 minutes)

Soles of the feet together, knees wide.
If knees are higher than the hips, place the sitting bones on a firm blanket or block to lift the hips up and relax the hip joints.
Zip the toes and hold an index finger with opposite hand for more complete energy stimulation.

Dragon (3 minutes)

One foot wide of the associated side’s hand.
Hands supported on blocks if needed.
Arms are like pillars: straight naturally because of alignment (eyes of the elbows forward) and wrists under shoulders.
Turn hands out to help keep arms long.
Slump the shoulders and let the head dangle.

Toe Torture (2 minutes)

All toes tucked under, then sit on the heels with full weight.
If sensations are too intense, simply lift the seat off the feet but keep the toes tucked.
Arms can be in reverse namaste (1 minute) or simply resting on the thighs.

Complete the sequence with the same savasana as at the beginning but with no agenda except to be present. Enjoy!

If you really enjoy this practice, join me on Tuesday nights for 90 minutes of pure yin and satipatthana. Go here for more info.