Tension & Compression in Yin Yoga

Tension and compression are the two stressors in the body during yoga

Tension

• Resistance met when tissue is stretched to its max length
• Usually talking about soft tissue which includes muscles, tendons and ligaments
• Tension is what people mean when they feel a stretch in the body.
• You will be more open will and tension decreases as the tissues opens up.
• The connective tissues has a small amount of stretch compared to muscles
• We hold poses in yin yoga longer to give the ligaments and tendons open up more since they open more slowly.

Compression

• Resistance where bone meets bone
• Cannot be safely increased over time
• Often a result of anatomical differences.

The Benefits and Limitations of Both

• Compression may shorten the area so that when it’s released it’s flushed out.
• Tension creates length and lubrication
• When you have stretched yourself to the max there will be no more tensions. When you hit compression you have no tension
• When we reach our physical limitation you will begin to release emotions and energy

Student Experience

• Tension is a stretch in a larger area of the body
• Compression can be pin pointed to a specific area of the body.
• If they feel pain that’s when they need to back off and avoid bone on bone. If they are feeling stuck sometimes we can get them to reshape the pose to accommodate
• There is no one right way to do a yin pose.
• Adjusting alignment helps fix compression
• We try to help our students unlock all the tension before they hit compression