Free your body from being sore | Yin Yoga for skiers & snowboarders

This is a sequence for skiers and snowboarders whose bodies are tired from spending the day on the mountain and would like to truly relax.

This sequence is a beginner, stiff person-friendly sequence. If you’re looking for a more vigorous stretch, this isn’t the practice for you.

This Yin yoga sequence you’ll be able to rest your mind and your body. Whether you’re a weekend warrior, who’s driven for hours to the ski resort or a busy working seasonaire, rest assured that you’ll feel refreshed and a little less frazzled.

For those lucky enough to visit Myoko Kogen in winter, you’ll certainly be busy from a deep powder day skiing/snowboarding on the Japanese ski resorts.

Yin yoga is the perfect antidote to relax your body, before your next day on the slopes.

The long hold of these 4 yoga poses, let your body ease into the pose, where usually you’d feel tension, breathing through the tightness you may hold in your body, while gently stretching your body and letting your mind calm down from your busy everyday thoughts.

What is Yin Yoga you ask?

My fellow yoga teacher and friend Mary, who is an expert in Yin and Restorative yoga (if you’re in Ireland check out her yummy classes @holisticlife.ie)

Yin yoga is about being in a posture for a longer period of time, about 3- 5mins. It works on the connective tissues & fascia. You’ll be feeling mild sensations – the challenge for people is managing those.

Its not an endurance test or about getting to a particular shape- but paying attention to what’s going on and playing with your edge & going deeper or backing out as appropriate.

Props are used to help you maintain the posture but you’re not using your muscles to do it. It works on the meridians too. Yin yoga is a very meditative and inward practice.

What’s the benefit of Yin Yoga for me?

Yin Yoga has many benefits for your snowboarding and skiing. The queen of snowboarding Jamie Anderson, uses Yin Yoga as part of her yoga practice and to compliment her snowboard training, it helps her to keep a positive mind frame and to keep calm during stressful competitions.

Jamie Anderson is the first female snowboarder to win more than one Olympic Gold medal, so clearly yoga is a winning combination for this athlete.

Snowboarding and skiing, are very yang sports, meaning that they are very active, so the opposite is Yin, which is slow and relaxing. You need a balance between both, for your body to be able to recover and to go back to being active.

The benefits of Yin Yoga, are that you’ll deeply relax your body, balancing your nervous system. Which lets be honest, is always frazzled from daily stresses and all that social media zombie scrolling on your mobile.

When you’re well rested, this can also help to boost your immune system too, which can be helpful to avoid the winter season cold.

Many people end up so tired from the go go, of their snow holiday, that a good rest is also something that you may want to consider during your trip.

What you’ll need for this Yin Yoga practice

The time frame of the pose holds, are 5 minutes, but if you’re short on time, try to hold each pose for at least 2 minutes.

A useful app is Insight Timer, use it time yourself (in case you totally lose track of time and your body goes numb!). You can even add interval bells for each pose and the gong is a really nice sound, rather than the generic iphone alarm, which may make you lose your zen.

(I’m not sponsored by Insight Timer, *coughcough* I wish, it’s just a great free meditation app)

You’ll need 2 pillows, a block (if you don’t have a block that’s ok you can use the pillows instead) and Insight Timer app.

1. Breathing x10 times

2. Child’s Pose | Balasana 

You’ll need 2 pillows

Duration: 5 mins

Benefits: Child’s pose stretches the hips, thighs and ankles. This pose can reduce stress and fatigue. It gently relaxes the muscles of the front body, while it softens and gently stretches the muscles on the back of your torso. This pose will help to relieve stress and its a good pose to stretch your back.

3. Half pigeon | Kapotasana

You’ll need a block or a pillow under your bum cheek

Duration: 5 mins

Benefits: this pose will help to open the hips, you’ll be using your core strength to keep your hips level, so one hip doesn’t collapse to one side. This pose helps to calm your mind. While also stretching the thighs, psoas and groin area.

4. Bridge Pose | Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

Place a block under your lower back.

Duration: 5 mins

Benefits: bridge pose strengthens the legs and feet (make sure to press them firmly down), which you’ll be using from your day on the mountain. This pose will help to open your hips and opening your shoulders.

5. Bound angle pose | Baddha Konasana

Place a pillows under each knee, 5 mins

Benefits: this pose gently stretches the inner thigh, groins and knees. It helps to stimulate the heart and improves general circulation. It is a great pose to relieve fatigue and anxiety.

6. Savasana

Duration: 5 mins

Let your body rest and regroup

Benefits: the nicest pose to get into, but also the hardest in the sense that you are to completely let yourself relax. This pose helps with healing, leaving you refreshed, rejuvenated and savasana can even help increase your productivity.

While in savasana, the challenge is to let your body relax and your mind. Bringing both into a meditative state, without falling asleep! You can totally snooze, however the point to be in a state of awareness in that moment of relaxation.

Do you find that it helps you when you’re on the snow?

Have you ever tried Yin Yoga before? Let me know in the comments below.