Instead of using our muscles, yin yoga asks us to get into our connective tissues - what holds our muscles and bones together. Poses are held for a time to allow for a gradual release, but yin should not be confused with restorative yoga. You may feel a lot! But this profound practice is suitable for all levels of practice, including absolute beginners.
Yin yoga is based on Traditional Chinese Medicine, and 5 Element Theory. 5 Element Theory is a unifying principle that everything in the universe is created from 5 elemental forces, which influence everything from our personal nature to times of year, times of day, and everything in between. To find balance within ourselves requires us to notice and take action when we are out of balance in our 5 elements- whether we are feeling depleted in an element or have one or more in excess. Yin yoga can help us find that balance.
In this 5- part series, we’ll take a deeper dive into each of the 5 elements - Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood - and through understanding each, find more balance in our practice and ourselves.
~ Jen SanMiguel
5 ELEMENT THEORY + YIN YOGA SERIES
CLASS ONE | FIRE
Fire element is associated with the heart and is at its peak in the summer. Fire is passionate, creative, and joyful. When Fire is out of balance, we can feel overheated and irritable. In this class, we’ll practice yin poses to open the heart, lungs, and shoulders. These poses can help us soothe and find joy in the heart.
Level 1 | 48 minutes
CLASS TWO | EARTH
Earth element season is during the transition between summer and fall. We might feel that the activity of that season makes us think ungrounded or unmoored - we might feel all over the place! Earth, when in balance, helps us find stability and nurtures and nourishes us. In this class, our yin poses will focus on slowing down and grounding.
Level 1 | 49 minutes
CLASS THREE | WOOD
Wood element, like Spring, which is its season, is about action, moving up and breaking through. When in balance, we can feel confident, optimistic, and ready to take on the world. When out of balance, we might feel angry or frustrated- unable to move forward. In this class, we’ll practice poses that help to open the liver and gallbladder meridians, which help us with decision-making and taking action.
Level 1 | 52 minutes
CLASS FOUR | METAL
Metal element is about letting go. In Autumn, Metal’s season, the trees must release their leaves, and similarly, we need to surrender what we can no longer hold on to. Metal represents the beginning of the end of the life cycle. In balance, we feel sharp, shiny, and neat. Out of balance, we feel dull and doubtful. In this practice, we’ll practice poses to open the lungs, which help us to take in and let go.
Level 1 | 42 minutes
CLASS FIVE | WATER
Water element is the end of the cycle. In winter, water season, we are moving inward, getting more reflective and introverted. Water element in balance makes us feel peaceful, quiet, and rested. When our water is out of balance, we may feel fearful and lethargic. In this class, our yin poses will help us access the waters of the body through the kidney and bladder meridians.
Level 1 | 42 minutes
ABOUT JEN SANMIGUEL
Jen SanMiguel teaches vinyasa flow & yin classes emphasizing creative sequencing and alignment. She strives to create an atmosphere welcoming and supportive to all ages, body types, and abilities, conducive to exploring your practice to uncover/discover/recover your most authentic self. She doesn't want to change you - she wants to help you become ultimately who you already are. A student once described her class as the "perfect mix of zen and hilarity" - a compliment she will treasure forever.
Jen completed her 200-hour and 300-hour advanced teaching certifications at LL Studio (formerly Laughing Lotus Yoga Center), NYC. She has additional certifications in yin, restorative and trauma-informed yoga, and reiki and is currently working toward a certificate in Katonah yoga. She is a Queens native, a mythology and astrology nerd, and a cat lady.
