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For many students of Yoga, it is common knowledge that Yoga originated in the fertile valleys of Indus, now in India. On the other hand, yin is a concept usually associated with Taoist philosophy that originated in China. The combination of the two in Yin Yoga seems incomprehensible to most Yoga students. What they may not know is that Taoist Yoga has existed for millenniums and may even be one of the oldest forms of Hatha Yoga. It is the first level of Taoist Yoga as taught by Master Paulie Zink. The difference between Yin Yoga and most other styles of Yoga is that while most other styles of yoga focus on conditioning the different muscles in the body, Yin Yoga focuses on the development of connective tissues.

One of the aims of Yin Yoga is to enable the body to stay seated for a long period of time during meditation. This puts a lot of strain on the lower back and hips. Yin Yoga effectively targets the connective tissues in the pelvis, hips and lower spine and opens them up. This allows a person to build strength in those areas, hence enabling them to sit for prolonged stretches of time during meditation.

The Yin Yoga is said to provide balance to the Yang of the Yoga we practice. What this refers to is the fact that when we perform various physical exercises like Yoga Asanas, our joint get shrink-wrapped by our connective tissue to prevent them from injury. It is important to keep the joints moist so that they are able to move freely. Yin Yoga provides the method through which this health of the joints as well as the ligaments and tendons is maintained.

On the other hand, by keeping our joints lubricated and supple, Yin Yoga goes a long way in increasing our ability to get into different Yoga Asanas. It also increases our flexibility and gives our bodies a much wider range of movements. Also, many people experience difficulty in maintaining Yoga asanas for an extended period of time. More often than not, it is because their joints do not permit them to do so. For such people, the practice of Yin Yoga will provide immense benefits and will make their Yoga practice is lot easier and more sustained.

Yin Yoga makes use of passive asanas, as well as Pranayama and Meditaion in its practice. Its practice provides a number of other benefits apart from keeping our connective tissues healthy. Its Asanas help our internal organs perform more efficiently as well as cleanses and detoxifies them. Pranayama and meditation help in ridding our mind of stress, concerns, worries and anxiety, making us calmer and more mentally alert. The asanas and Pranayama ensure that both our bodies and our minds are prepared for long stretches of meditation.

Yin Yoga is found to be very relaxing and can benefit beginners and experts alike. It is especially beneficial for elderly people who start having problems with their joints as they age.