Prototypes Women's Center. At the speed of Yin. 4.7.11

1st time to offer a yin practice at Prototypes. It was a late afternoon session so the energy was more receptive than our early afternoon classes, and all who attended were willing to try a new style of practice. There were only 6 today, and all have attended my groups before. Having a history together and a relationship helped, I think.

When I first mentioned we were to practice yin, immediately one woman said "yin? Like yang?". This question came from something she had heard of more than had expereince or knowledge about, but it was a useful starting point to talk about the elements of yin, in comparison with our more active practice. However, their eyes began to soon glaze over with that look of "what is this woman taking about", so I quit talking, and put them into their first pose. Spent talking points on just the physical and breath. Towards the end of practice I spoke about the elements of surrender and grace.

I asked a lot of questions between sets and sides and the women used words like "felt my hip, my ankles ached, it feels tingly on my right side". In general the women described feeling into their physical bodies, until the end were there more emotional words like lighter, calmer, more awake, comfortable, heavier (grounded). At the end of class nobody moved and continued to try to put words to this experience of 'not doing very much and feeling different'. The general consensus was the practice was "Rad", which I think is a positive term (?), and they said they would like to practice yin again.

Butterfly
rest

Swan (they loved this name!) or eye of the needle at wall
rest
other side
rest

sphinx/seal
rest
balasana

twisted root
rest
other side
rest

sit/check in

Namaste