I got hooked on Yin Yoga some time ago. I did a few classes out of curiousity and felt the benefit in very different ways from my experience of Hatha yoga. Five years ago I did a course with Angela Jervis-Read to train to teach Yin Yoga, and since then I have run some workshops blending mindfulness practice with Yin Yoga.
In Yin, you hold poses for three or more minutes. The effect is to gently stretch out the connective tissues in the body. Muscles are surrounded by fascia, an elastic substance that give structure and stability to a muscle, and that same tissue forms the ligaments that connect muscles to the skeleton. Our fascia tends to tighten and hold us firmly in our normal postures. Yin, by offering gentle but long stretches, slowly elongates the fascia and loosens joints.
Yin fits well with mindfulness practice. A Yin programme brings focus to different parts of the body, aiding mindfulness of the body. As each of the postures are held for three or more minutes, they can be used as mini-meditations. It is important to bring a mindful attitude to Yin Yoga – don’t force the body, be patient, avoid striving, ease off if there is pain or difficulty, and practice, practice, practice.
I have had intermittent sciatic pain for much of my life. It virtually stopped when I did some Alexander Technique classes, and stayed at bay when I started regular Hatha Yoga practice. It returned when I broke my arm and had to stop yoga for a while, but disappeared when I returned to yoga classes. Recently a health condition has stopped me attending yoga classes, and some of the sciatic symptoms started to return. So now I am doing two or three self-directed Yin sessions a week, and the sciatic discomfort has gone.
There are plenty of Youtube videos, and you may find a local yoga teacher who offers classes. You don’t need to be particularly fit, and you don’t need to be a meditator. If you are teaching yourself from Youtube or some other form, take great care and don’t over-stretch. It won’t provide the physical exercise you need, but it may help with tightness and tension in the body.