FAQs

Although Yin Yoga is gentle and passive in its execution, the subsequent effect is very effective due to the long holding time. I recommend that you start with a holding time of 2-3 minutes. If the exercises are good for you, you are welcome to stay longer. If it is strenuous for you as a beginner, then shorten the holding time accordingly. As the exercises are held for several minutes, there is no need to rush to get into the positions. Simply work with the help of gravity. As the body becomes softer and more supple due to the longer holding time, it can sink deeper into the position of its own accord, always in a way that suits your own body.

It is important that you feel good in your body at all times and do not become ambitious when holding the individual positions. Instead, you need a lot of mindfulness and respect for your body in order to adapt all positions to your individual needs. Listen to your inner yoga teacher. He is the most important teacher you will encounter in your practice.

Because you approach the exercises passively, your back will round automatically. You may need to get used to this at first. However, it is intended in the same way, as Yin Yoga does not focus on the muscles, but on the surrounding and deeper layers of the body, which you can reach wonderfully in this way. It is very important that you never pull yourself back in your passive posture during the exercises. Give your body exactly the time it needs to open up and pay attention to its signals accordingly. You can use aids at any time if you feel that an exercise is too intense or too challenging for you, so that you can release the muscular tension again and again and remain as passive as possible in the position. Suitable aids are yoga blocks in different variations (alternatively you can also use thick books), blankets, yoga rolls (as a substitute you can use thick rolled-up blankets), cushions, a yoga belt or towels.

It is possible to start doing Yin Yoga without warming up in advance. The effect on the deeper layers can thereby be intensified. However, you must be cautious at all times in the exercises and respect your limits. To start with, only go as far into the exercise as allows you to have room to sink into it more over the time you are holding it. After coming out of the position, lie on your stomach or back for a while to feel the effect of the position and to bring the body back to neutral once again.

If you are not yet familiar with Yin Yoga, it is possible you will feel quite new physical sensations when releasing from the exercises. These perceptions show you that you have reached different layers than those you would reach in an active form of exercise. After releasing from the positions, the chi, your life energy, flows through your entire body. Be mindful of where you particularly feel this flow of energy and where you do not tend to feel it. Simply let your breath flow naturally at this time, unless you want to consciously direct it into a stretch.

Especially after a yin yoga practice, you are often sensitized to external stimuli. Allow yourself some more rest to feel the effect of the practice on your body and mind. Things that you do afterwards usually have a more intense effect than usual. Both before and after the practice, it is advisable to drink some water to support the lymph flow and the detoxification process that has been stimulated by the exercises.

Breathing can flow quite naturally during the exercises. The more relaxed you become in the passive exercises, the easier your breathing will be. If your breathing becomes very fast in the active Yang exercises and you have the feeling that you can no longer breathe deeply and evenly, then take time out for a little break, for example in child’s pose, until your breathing has calmed down. If the exercises are very new to you and you are having difficulty harmonizing your breathing with them, then first concentrate on carrying out the movements while continuing to breathe in a way that suits you. However, let your breathing flow with complete mindfulness. Be aware that you should not bring with you any thoughts of performance when practicing and that you should not measure yourself against anyone else in the session. I believe it is absolutely crucial to listen to the signals of your “inner yoga teacher” and to therefore respect the intelligence of your own body.

You will find all information on my books and DVDs here.

The topic of stretching has been under discussion for many years. I invite you to watch my YouTube channel where I express my own thoughts on it.

Unfortunately, due to time constraints, I can no longer offer individual nutritional consultations on site, but consultations via Zoom are possible. In my book“Detox with Yin and Yang Yoga” you will also find information on a healthy diet, tips on detoxing and numerous recipes. You can also find more information about nutrition on my YouTube channel.

In my book Health and Vitality with Fascia Massage I use “Yoga tune-up therapy balls.” I also find “harmony balls” super for fascia massage. There are many other fascia balls on the market in Germany; these are just the ones with which I personally have had the best experience.

In the book Detox with Yin and Yang Yoga I use a Blackroll, which is available for purchase online in a variety of firmness levels. However, I find the classic Pilates rolls just as good, which are often a little cheaper and also twice as long, so that you can lie on them better than on the shorter Blackrolls. However, there are now many other providers on the market that offer different shapes and lengths, so you can see for yourself what appeals to you.

If you have some experience with Yin Yoga, the exercises are usually held for 3 – 5 minutes so that you can feel the effect in depth. The first effect can be seen after approx. 1.5 minutes, so you can of course shorten the holding time. However, the exercises can also be held for longer if they are good for your body. The same applies here: listen to your body’s signals – your inner yoga teacher always has top priority! Please do not underestimate the effect of the exercises. Although they are very gentle, they are very effective due to the long holding time.

It is often difficult to get started with meditation practice because people usually set their own expectations too high. I invite you to take a look at my YouTube channel, where I have made several videos on this topic. Or you can attend Module 2, where we cover the topic in detail.

In the first two editions of the book there is contradictory information on the meridians, in the third edition it only affects the text under the headings. Despite numerous proofreads, there is an error in the content here: the headings “Yin meridians” and the following sentences on page 18 and “Yang meridians” on page 24 should be replaced by “Meridians of the lower body” and “Meridians of the upper body”. This also applies to the text that immediately follows. I apologize for this. The text has been corrected from issue four onwards. In the organ table on page 39, however, the organs are shown correctly in all editions in terms of the Yin and Yang divisions. But what is fundamental to yoga practice is the approach to practicing. Regardless of whether the meridians are assigned to Yin or Yang, Yin Yoga is about stimulating all meridians with a Yin energy, i.e. gently, passively and stretching.

Yin yoga practice is generally very compatible with an existing pregnancy if a few basic principles are followed. As a pregnant woman, it is important to only stretch gently and leave the abdominal area out of it as much as possible. The increased use of aids is particularly recommended. During pregnancy, the hormone relaxin ensures that the woman’s body becomes softer to prepare her for the forthcoming birth. This is why many women are more mobile than usual during this time. Nevertheless, there is a risk of injury if stretches are performed too intensively. Care should also be taken with twists, which should only be performed to the open side or in the thoracic spine. As in any yoga practice, it is particularly important as a pregnant woman to be mindful of your inner self at all times and observe which positions are good for you and which are not. The holding time should also be tested individually. A shorter holding time than before pregnancy is usually more appropriate. If the belly becomes too big and the extra weight too heavy as the pregnancy progresses, it is often no longer advisable for pregnant women to lie on their backs for longer. The supine position may then cause too much pressure on the vena cava, which is important for carrying blood back to the heart. However, there is no universal rule for everyone. Give your inner yoga teacher your full trust in everything you do and respect her signals. If you are well, then your baby will be well too.

After the pregnancy, contraction of the tissues and strengthening of the body are the priorities, so I would recommend practicing Yang to start with. Around 3 months after the birth you can begin Yin Yoga. If you already have experience with it, you may be able to start sooner, provided you do the positions gently and do not hold them for too long.

The Yin exercises aim to reach the deep layers of the body. If we want to stretch the fascia, it makes more sense to remain completely passive and without muscle tension. To do this, the back should be bent and rounded as evenly as possible during the exercises, while the pelvic floor remains completely relaxed. The Yin exercises are very gentle, but nevertheless very powerful in terms of their effect. It is therefore important to remain mindful during the exercises so that the holding is not exaggerated, especially at the beginning.

The effect of Yin Yoga is all the greater the less the muscles are warmed up. It is important to proceed very carefully and gently and not to actively pull yourself in order to avoid injury. You should never push yourself to your limits right from the start, but only stretch so far that you still have a feeling for additional space that is still open for stretching, and then allow yourself to sink more and more into the exercises.

After releasing the positions, it is a good idea to stay in a relaxed supine or prone position for a few breaths to feel the effect of the position and neutralize the body again. The Chi, the life energy, flows intensively through the body after the positions are released. With a little practice and appropriate mindfulness, you will be able to clearly perceive this feeling. This energy flow may feel strange to you, as it is probably more noticeable in the depths than during or after an active yoga sequence. But that doesn’t have to worry you. As soon as your body has neutralized again, this feeling, which may remind you of fragility, will also subside. However, you can take this perception as a positive signal, as it shows you that the effect of the exercises has reached the deep layers of your body. However, if you have pain after your practice, this is a very clear sign that you have practiced too intensively or have gone beyond your limits. Please be very mindful and loving with yourself in every yoga practice, whether active or passive.

The Yang exercises place the focus on strengthening the muscles and energizing the body. The back muscles should be activated in the exercises to straighten the spine as much as possible. I also recommend working with the pelvic floor activated, as these muscles give stability and protect you from injuries.

It is important to differentiate between passive and active exercises, so that Yin exercises are carried out without using muscle strength and Yang ones using it. This is not a contradiction in itself but an ideal of complementation between the two, which has a positive and harmonizing effect on the entire body.

It is possible to mix Yin and Yang elements into one yoga unit. There is no perfect answer to which position is best placed in which part, as every option may bring with it a small limitation. We discuss these options in detail in the Yin Yoga basic training. In my Yin & Yang lessons, I usually prefer adding the Yin part to the Yang part. Indeed, in doing so, the effect on the fascia is lost somewhat, but it works very well energetically if you practice Yin Yoga before the meditation and final relaxation. However, there are a few things to note, such as the time of day or the energy in the group. For your own practice, you can simply decide intuitively, based on how you feel on a given day. Of course, it is also possible to practice Yin and Yang in two separate units, for example, on different days.

To finish the practice, it is recommended to turn to the left side of the body for a few breaths in order to activate the pingala or yang energy. But everybody can decide intuitively what feels best, of course.

According to TCM, the chi in the kidneys and spleen is responsible for hormone production, especially progesterone and oestrogen, and the liver also plays an important role. This is why more Yin energy is generally needed during the menopause than Yang. Yin yoga can also have a strengthening effect on the bones and reduce possible hot flushes thanks to its cooling effect, so it can also be practiced daily during this time. In my book Gesund durch Yin Yoga, Südwest Verlag, there is also a special sequence for the menopause. And in Module 12, we take an in-depth look at this topic.

Diese Frage gehört nicht wirklich in die Kategorie Yin Yoga, aber da sie mir schon so oft gestellt worden ist, berichte ich dir hier gerne von meinen Erfahrungen.

I took the unusual route of having my first yin yoga book completely written before I offered it to a publisher. Normally, it’s enough to have only a part of the book ready to send to the publisher in an exposé. This gives you the opportunity to be more responsive to the publisher’s subject requirements. However, you should make sure in advance that you only send it to publishers who also offer the relevant genre. So if you want to write a yoga book, you will most likely get a rejection from a publisher that specializes in travel guides, for example. You can browse in a bookstore and see which publishers offer your desired genre or you can order a book that lists all the publishers with contact details (unfortunately I can’t remember the name of the book I bought myself). The best thing to do is to contact them by email and ask if you can send them your synopsis. Most publishers also have more detailed information on their websites about what an exposé should contain and how you can contact them. If you are accepted, it usually takes another 1 – 2 years until the work is actually finished. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Wenn dir dieser Weg zu lang dauert, kannst du natürlich auch im Selbstverlag publizieren, was meist recht schnell geht. Das hat unter anderem den Vorteil, dass du mehr Gewinn für deine Bücher erzielen kannst.

Wenn du einmal ein erfolgreiches Buch geschrieben hast, dann ist der Weg zum zweiten Buch sehr viel leichter, da du dir schon einen Namen gemacht hast. Manchmal wird man sogar von Verlagen angefragt, ob man Lust hätte, für sie zu schreiben. Ich wünsche dir ganz viel Freude beim Schreiben!

I have tried out many yoga bolsters. Based on my personal experience, the rolls from Bausinger and Lotuscrafts are very good. I prefer kapok or cotton as a filling, as I personally find that grain fillings make too much noise when moving the bolsters. I have found that kapok or cotton holds its shape over time better than grain. Kapok is more stable and firmer than cotton.

Please view my YouTube channel for numerous videos that are certain to answer other questions you might have.