Yang Release (陽遁 Yōton Viz: Light Style) techniques, based on the physical energy that governs vitality, can be used to breathe life into form. When combined with Yin Release, it allows for the use of Yin–Yang Release.1 Yang is depicted as white in the manga and blue in the anime. The Six Paths Yang Power is represented by a sun marking on the wielder's right palm. Yin and Yang were. Yin yoga is the perfect compliment to our yang style of yoga practice. Yang yoga practices include popular techniques such as vinyasa flow, ashtanga, power yoga and even hatha. Yin yoga is a very passive approach to yoga where you perform the majority of the poses seated on the floor or laying down. AcuPressure Points Manual. The School of Chi Energy, LLC. 9 Deep Breathing Exercise 9 Yin/Yang Exercises. 9 Hard Contact Sports.
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Do you ever wish your life could just slow down a little?Everything is super fast paced nowadays and we are expected to keep up.In Taoist teachings this would be described as being in a yang state, and with everything in life we need balance. This is where yin comes in.
What is Yin Yoga
Yin yoga is the perfect compliment to our yang style of yoga practice. Yang yoga practices include popular techniques such as vinyasa flow, ashtanga, power yoga and even hatha.
Yin yoga is a very passive approach to yoga where you perform the majority of the poses seated on the floor or laying down. The poses are held for longer periods of time, sometimes 3 - 5 minutes and in some cases up to 20 minutes.
Yin yoga offers deeper access to the body targeting our connective tissues, fascia and ligaments with the aim of lubricating and protecting our joints. These are areas of the body often not reached with a typical yang style of yoga practice or fitness regime.
Where Does Yin Yoga Come From?
Like most yoga practices, the origin of yin yoga dates back thousands of years and has developed out of a yoga style called Taoist Yoga. Taoist yoga includes stretches and static postures combined with breath work.
It was a man named Paulie Zink (1) who founded the style and introduced it to the west in the late 70's. Since then the practice has been developed into what we know today as yin yoga by teachers Sarah Powers (2) and Paul Grilley. (3)
When Yoga was founded the practice would have been more yin based because the original intention of yoga was to prepare the body for long periods of seated meditation. As the years went on and popularity of yoga has grown, it has developed in style and pace.
What Is The Difference Between Yin Yoga And Other Styles Of Yoga?
The main difference is that yin yoga is very passive with poses being held for longer periods of time.
Another important difference is that in yin yoga your muscles need to be relaxed as opposed to engaged, this is so you can work into the deeper layers of the body and move closer to the bone, an area often missed in a yang yoga practice.
With a yang practice there is much emphasis on building heat and strength in the body whereas this is not the case in yin. Yin is practiced cold with no warm up and with more of a focus on flexibility and lubrication.
Both yin and yang styles should be practiced to invite balance into your yoga regime.
Yin Yoga vs Yang Yoga
- Yin is a passive yoga practice.
- Poses are held for 3 - 5 minutes, sometimes longer, to work into the deeper layers of the body.
- The muscles need to be relaxed in a Yin practice to allow the body to move closer to the bone and the connective tissue.
- Yin is a cooling and calm practice.
- Slow transitions between poses.
- Natural or down regulating breathing is encouraged.
- Yang is an active yoga practice.
- Poses are held for a few breaths with each pose linking to the next in a fluid movement to create heat in the body.
- The muscles will be engaged in a yang practice to build strength in the body.
- Yang is warming and energizing practice.
- Faster transitions often linked with a vinyasa.
- Ujjayi breath is predominantly used to retain the heat you have created in the body.
What Are The Benefits Of Yin Yoga?
Being a more meditative form of yoga the benefits affect both body and mind. The act of holding postures for an extended time can cause discomfort.
Being able to breathe through this area of unease, connect with your body and remain strong and focused in your mind can improve inner strength and the ability to work through difficult situations that may arise in life.
Here are some of the incredible benefits of practicing yin yoga: (4)
- Lubrication and protection of joints.
- Deeper access to the body through the relaxation of muscles.
- Regulates energy in the body.
- Calming and balancing for the mind.
- Relaxation.
- Stress reduction and ability to release anxiety.
- Improves flexibility.
- Release of fascia throughout the body.
There are many benefits to practicing all styles of yoga and meditation. But the benefit that stands out to me the most is the ability a regular practice can have on your brain.
In a study done by neuroscientist Sara Lazar (5) about the effects of Yoga and meditation on the brain, research found that regular practice increased the thickness of the cerebral cortex in the brain.
This is the area associated with attention, memory and emotion. The research also found the amygdala, the area associated with our ‘fight or flight response' to have reduced in size, creating a reduction in stress levels.
Top 5 Yin Yoga Poses
A lot of yin yoga poses, or asanas as you would say in Sanskrit, are similar to poses you would find in a yang style of class, such as vinyasa, hatha or power, but have different names.
Here are 5 popular asanas you would find in a yin yoga class.
#1 Swan Pose - Variation of Hamsasana
- Start in a tabletop position, hands under shoulders and knees under hips.
- Slide your right leg forward, taking your knee towards the right side of the mat and your foot towards the left side.
- Keep your hips square to the top edge of the mat and place your hands down just in front of your hips.
- You have the option to stay here in an upright position or you can bring your forearms onto the mat or extend the arms in front of you and rest your forehead on the floor.
Swan pose is a strong and deep hip opener allowing external rotation of the front hip and a nice stretch for the hip flexor muscles. Opening the hips is beneficial for any lower back pain and helps to release stress and tension.
#2 Seal Pose - Variation of Bhujangasana
- Start by laying on your front, keeping your head and neck in line with your spine.
- Bring your elbows just in front of your shoulders and lift your head and chest up off the floor.
- Then begin to push through your hands and extend the arms.
This is a fantastic pose for the spine, offering a deep compression to the lower back and toning the spine. Prolonged sitting in chairs can cause us to lose the natural curve of our lower spine, practicing seal is a lovely way to reestablish this.
Nine Yin Manual Techniques Examples
#3 Dragon Pose
- Come into a low lunge with your back knee on the floor and the toes released.
- Walk your front foot out to the side, making sure your foot is facing the same direction as your knee.
- Take your arms to the inside of your front leg and lower onto your forearms. If this feels too strong you can always lift up onto your hands or use a block to rest the forearms on.
This pose is another great hip opener and also stretches the back of the leg, the hip flexor muscles and the quadriceps. The hips can be a storage ground for tension and emotional stress, so practicing these deep hip openers are a beneficial way of releasing this built up tension.
#4 Caterpillar Pose - Variation of Paschimottanasana
- In this pose either sit on a cushion with your legs extended forward and gently fold over them. Or you can rest a bolster on your legs and fold forward, resting your head on the bolster.
- As opposed to a yang style forward fold you want your muscles to be relaxed. Curve the back as you fold forward and allow the body to soften.
Caterpillar pose is very beneficial for anyone who has a compressed spine from sitting all day. This pose lengthens the spine and compresses the stomach organs which stimulates your digestive system.
#5 Butterfly Pose - Variation of Badhakonasana
- From a seated position, bring your feet together in front of you and slide them forwards slightly.
- Take your hands onto your feet or gently rest them on the floor.
Butterfly pose is a gentle stretch for the hamstrings and the hips and improves the flexibility in the groin region. Practicing this pose relieves fatigue from a long day on your feet and can ease the discomfort from menstrual cramps and menopause.
via yogabycandace
Top Youtube Videos On Yin Yoga
1. For an introduction to yin yoga, try this class with yoga teacher Adriene Mishler (6). This is a great class for those new to the practice of yin yoga.
2. Practice a full and in depth yin yoga class with Travis Eliot (7)
Dance movements sparke pdf merge. 3. A deep stretch yin yoga class with the popular yoga teacher Lesley Fightmaster (8)
This is a fantastic pose for the spine, offering a deep compression to the lower back and toning the spine. Prolonged sitting in chairs can cause us to lose the natural curve of our lower spine, practicing seal is a lovely way to reestablish this.
Nine Yin Manual Techniques Examples
#3 Dragon Pose
- Come into a low lunge with your back knee on the floor and the toes released.
- Walk your front foot out to the side, making sure your foot is facing the same direction as your knee.
- Take your arms to the inside of your front leg and lower onto your forearms. If this feels too strong you can always lift up onto your hands or use a block to rest the forearms on.
This pose is another great hip opener and also stretches the back of the leg, the hip flexor muscles and the quadriceps. The hips can be a storage ground for tension and emotional stress, so practicing these deep hip openers are a beneficial way of releasing this built up tension.
#4 Caterpillar Pose - Variation of Paschimottanasana
- In this pose either sit on a cushion with your legs extended forward and gently fold over them. Or you can rest a bolster on your legs and fold forward, resting your head on the bolster.
- As opposed to a yang style forward fold you want your muscles to be relaxed. Curve the back as you fold forward and allow the body to soften.
Caterpillar pose is very beneficial for anyone who has a compressed spine from sitting all day. This pose lengthens the spine and compresses the stomach organs which stimulates your digestive system.
#5 Butterfly Pose - Variation of Badhakonasana
- From a seated position, bring your feet together in front of you and slide them forwards slightly.
- Take your hands onto your feet or gently rest them on the floor.
Butterfly pose is a gentle stretch for the hamstrings and the hips and improves the flexibility in the groin region. Practicing this pose relieves fatigue from a long day on your feet and can ease the discomfort from menstrual cramps and menopause.
via yogabycandace
Top Youtube Videos On Yin Yoga
1. For an introduction to yin yoga, try this class with yoga teacher Adriene Mishler (6). This is a great class for those new to the practice of yin yoga.
2. Practice a full and in depth yin yoga class with Travis Eliot (7)
Dance movements sparke pdf merge. 3. A deep stretch yin yoga class with the popular yoga teacher Lesley Fightmaster (8)
4. Enjoy a gentle 30 minute yin yoga practice for easing stress and anxiety.
We need balance in all areas of our life. If you take a look at the Yin and Yang symbol it clearly shows that in both states you need a little of the other.
Nine Yin Manual Techniques Handout
In yin yoga we have a greater and deeper connection to our body, allowing us to really let go in the situation.
Balance is the key to living a more peaceful life, so introducing yin yoga to your regular yoga routine can have a positive impact on the way you live. So find a yin yoga class near you (or join an online studio) and bring balance to your yoga practice and to your body and mind.
Ouyang Feng | |
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Condor Trilogy character | |
Created by | Jin Yong |
In-universe information | |
Nicknames | |
Gender | Male |
Affiliation | White Camel Mountain Manor |
Family |
|
Ouyang Feng | |||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 歐陽鋒 | ||||||
Simplified Chinese | 欧阳锋 | ||||||
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Ouyang Feng is a fictional character in the wuxia novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes and its sequel, The Return of the Condor Heroes, by Jin Yong. He is the 'Western Venom' of the Five Greats of the wulin (martial artists' community) during the Song dynasty, alongside Wang Chongyang, Hong Qigong, Huang Yaoshi and Duan Zhixing. Ouyang Feng is best known for his signature martial arts technique, the Toad Skill, and his expertise in toxicology. In the first novel, he is depicted as a ruthless villain who resorts to all sorts of unscrupulous means to achieve his goal of becoming the most powerful martial artist in the jianghu. He attempts to seize the Nine Yin Manual, a book detailing powerful martial arts and inner energy techniques, but is tricked into practising skills based on a corrupted version of the manual. He becomes insane eventually as a consequence, but his prowess in martial arts also increases tremendously in an unorthodox manner. In the sequel, Ouyang Feng accepts Yang Guo as his godson and teaches him the Toad Skill. Later in the novel, he dies in the midst of laughter and forgotten past feuds alongside his rival, Hong Qigong. He is buried on Mount Hua beside Hong Qigong by Yang Guo, who succeeds him as the 'Western Eccentric' of the new Five Greats.
Fictional character biography[edit]
The Legend of the Condor Heroes[edit]
Ouyang Feng is the master of a manor on Mount White Camel in the Western Regions. He specialises in toxicology and rears venomous snakes as pets. He participated in the first martial arts contest held on Mount Hua, emerged as one of the top five champions, and earned himself the nickname 'Western Venom' (西毒; xī dú). He makes his first appearance while visiting Huang Yaoshi on Peach Blossom Island with his nephew, Ouyang Ke. He wishes to arrange for a marriage between his nephew and Huang Yaoshi's daughter, Huang Rong. However, Guo Jing contends with Ouyang Ke for Huang Rong's hand-in-marriage, with Zhou Botong and Hong Qigong supporting him. After a competition involving three rounds of tests between the two young men, Guo Jing wins the contest but incurs the displeasure of the Ouyangs.
Later in the novel, Hong Qigong, Zhou Botong and Guo Jing are stranded at sea and picked up by Ouyang Feng's ship. When Ouyang Feng realises that Guo Jing has memorised the Nine Yin Manual, he attempts to con and coerce him into writing a copy for him. However, acting on Hong Qigong's suggestion, Guo Jing deliberately writes a corrupted version of the manual for Ouyang Feng, with verses written in reverse manner. Ouyang Feng believes that he has gotten what he wants and tries to kill Guo Jing and Hong Qigong. Hong Qigong and Ouyang Feng fight on the ship, which sinks. Hong Qigong was poisoned by Ouyang Feng during the fight and loses all his inner energy after using it to purge the venom from his body. The now powerless Hong Qigong, accompanied by Guo Jing and Huang Rong, are at the mercy of the Ouyangs, because the five of them are stranded on an island. Huang Rong tricks Ouyang Ke into loosening a boulder, which falls and crushes his leg. Ouyang Feng forces the three of them to look after his nephew and provide them with food. In return, he promises not to harm them as long as they are still on the island. At one point, Ouyang Feng reveals that he is actually Ouyang Ke's biological father after having an affair with his sister-in-law. The Ouyangs are eventually picked up by Wanyan Honglie's ship.
After leaving the island, Ouyang Feng practises the Nine Yin Manual obsessively since he believes that the copy Guo Jing gave him is genuine. He kidnaps Huang Rong and tries to force her to interpret the verses for him, but she provides him with wrong information, without him knowing that he has been deceived. At the end of the novel, Ouyang Feng becomes insane due to practising the manual's skills wrongly, but his prowess in martial arts has also improved tremendously, and he defeats Guo Jing, Huang Yaoshi and Hong Qigong at Mount Hua.
The Return of the Condor Heroes[edit]
Ouyang Feng makes a few brief appearances in the sequel. He is now insane and meets the young Yang Guo, whom he accepts as his godson without knowing that the boy is actually Yang Kang's son. Yang Guo learns the Toad Skill from Ouyang Feng and uses it on two occasions for self-defence against bullies, but refuses to tell the truth when Guo Jing and Huang Rong ask him how he learnt the skill. Ouyang Feng appears again when Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü are practising martial arts on Mount Zhongnan. Ouyang Feng wants to teach Yang Guo some skills but does not want Xiaolongnü to overhear him so he immobilises her. He enters a fit of insanity later and leaves.
Ouyang Feng appears one last time on Mount Hua, where he meets Yang Guo and Hong Qigong again. He fights with Hong Qigong again – this time for a period of four days. The fight is interrupted when Yang Guo comes at intervals to serve them meals. The animosity between the two rivals is too strong for them to bear and they continue to pit their inner energies against each other for a full day. Both of them suffer from exhaustion but they are unwilling to back down. They decide to use Yang Guo, who has been an observer for the past few days, as an intermediary. They teach him their respective skills and ask him to perform for each other to see.
Hong Qigong teaches Yang Guo his Dog Beating Staff Technique. Ouyang Feng has apparently lost after Yang Guo performed the last stance, No Dogs Under Heaven. Ouyang Feng spends the following night thinking of a countermove. The next morning, he asks Yang Guo to perform for Hong Qigong, who is shocked when he sees that Ouyang Feng has overcome his most powerful skill. Hong Qigong finally realises that there will be no eventual victor between the two of them. He laughs hysterically and embraces Ouyang Feng in defeat. At the same time, Ouyang Feng seems to have recovered from his insanity as he finally recognises Hong Qigong. The two rivals die together in the midst of laughter and forgotten past feuds. Yang Guo buries them side by side on Mount Hua.
Martial arts and skills[edit]
- Toad Skill (蛤蟆功; hámǎgōng) is Ouyang Feng's signature martial arts technique. Its greatest weakness is that it can be overcome by a combination of Wang Chongyang's First Heaven Skill and Duan Zhixing's Yiyang Finger.
- Nine Yin Manual (九陰真經; jiǔyīn zhēnjīng): Ouyang Feng is tricked into practising the conventional version of the manual's skills in a reverse manner. He becomes insane as a consequence, but his prowess in martial arts improves tremendously.
- Divine Serpent Fist (靈蛇拳; língshé quán) is a type of fist style that involves snake-like twirling and curling movements to strike an opponent from various angles.
- Divine Serpent Staff Skill (靈蛇杖法; língshé zhàngfǎ): Ouyang Feng wields an iron staff with a poisonous snake perched on it. His staff movements will cause the snake to bite his opponent at will and the snake's venom can cause immediate death.
- Thousand Li in One Moment (瞬息千里; shùnxī qiānlǐ) is Ouyang Feng's qinggong.
- Force Reverse Meridian (逆轉經脈; nìzhuǎn jīngmài) is Ouyang Feng's inner energy cultivation technique.
- Divine Camel Snowy Mountain Palm (神駝雪山掌; shéntuó xuěshān zhǎng)
- Bone Penetrating Dianxue Skill (透骨打穴法; tòugǔ dǎxué fǎ) is a type of acupuncture point sealing technique.
In film and television[edit]
Notable actors who have portrayed Ouyang Feng in films and television series include Lo Lieh (1983), Tony Leung (1993), Leslie Cheung (1994), Richard Low (1998), You Yong (2003) and Elvis Tsui (2008).
References[edit]
Nine Yin Manual Techniques Free
- (in Chinese) Tan, Xianmao (2005). Ouyang Feng: Too Smart to Fall for Any Tricks. In Rankings of Jin Yong's Characters. Chinese Agricultural Press.