The Yin Yoga Kit: The Practice of Quiet Power

Excerpts & Samples

By Biff Mithoefer

Publisher : Inner Traditions/Bear & Company

ABOUT Biff Mithoefer

Biff Mithoefer
Biff Mithoefer teaches Yin Yoga at Omega Institute, throughout the U.S., and internationally. He is the author of The Yin Yoga Kit, coauthor of The Therapeutic Yoga Kit, and a founder and director of the Jamtse Sponsorship Program for the support of Tibetan refuge children. He lives in Vermont.

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Description

An introduction to the practice of Yin Yoga that emphasizes its meditative roots and provides balance to our modern, yang lifestyles

• Offers an alternative to the outwardly oriented yang-style yoga practices in use today

• Contains a deck of posture cards that assists users in designing a personalized practice and a 75-minute audio CD with a guided routine led by the author

Yin Yoga is known as the quiet yoga. Many of the most popular forms of yoga, such as Ashtanga and Power Yoga, are fundamentally yang in nature, based on rhythmic movements of the muscles and focused on the need for change and attainment. Yin Yoga, in contrast, does not concentrate on the muscles but on connective tissue and bones, the parts of our body that are closest to our core and critical to our physical well-being and range of motion. The postures are all practiced on the floor and each is held for a lengthy period, usually three to five minutes. This intense non-movement allows us to experience the poses in a deeper way that enables the muscles to relax, the nerves to calm, and the surrounding connective tissue to remain healthy and supple. This meditative approach is more akin to those found in the earliest Hatha Yoga traditions.

In The Yin Yoga Kit Biff Mithoefer presents 14 poses used in Yin Yoga and explains each posture’s benefits, including which chakras and meridians will be most positively affected. The individual posture cards included illustrate the poses, provide advanced and modified variations, and assist users in designing a personalized practice sequence. The 75-minute CD contains a sample guided routine narrated by the author, with each pose presented on a separate track so listeners can rearrange them or shorten the routine as needed.
“Biff Mithoefer has created the most useful written material available for exploring Yin Yoga. Much more than an asana book, The Yin Yoga Kit teaches energetic principles, mental disciplines, and patient mindfulness. I highly recommend it!”
Paul Grilley, author of Yin Yoga: Outline of A Quiet Practice

“Yoga and qigong are much more alike than they are different, causing many practitioners to say, ‘Chinese yoga is Indian qigong.’ The Yin Yoga Kit serves as a bridge between the two disciplines. It is like a mountain trail between China and India, probably through Tibet.”
Roger Jahnke, O.M.D., director of the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi, author of The Healer Within and The Healing Promise of Qi

"What makes The Yin Yoga Kit so great is the combination of the booklet, the durable double-sided cards AND the CD, all of which add to this well-rounded routine for both beginners and those who have long sought a yoga program that does more than just focus on muscle groups. This is a comprehensive package that would make a great and beneficial gift for a friend, or, even better, for yourself."
Marie D. Jones, Curled Up with a Good Book, Oct 2006

". . . a perfect companion for a nurturing yoga practice."
Greg Capitolo, Yoga +, Oct 2006

" . . . a perfect recommendation for anyone intersted in learning Yin Yoga. It's great for those who are not comfortable joining and paying for yoga classes and the kit allows you to work at your own pace and in the comfort of your home."
Nora Caterino, healthynewage.com, Feb 2009