Paulie Zink The practice of a series of long-held floor poses was introduced in North America in the late 1970s by the martial arts champion
Paulie Zink. In the late 1970s, Zink began to teach a synthesis of hatha yoga with Taoist yoga, as well as postures, movements and insights that he had developed himself. He later called this synthesis "Yin and Yang yoga". In his first years of teaching, many of Zink's students were
martial arts practitioners who had developed strong but tight muscles, and he taught them only beginner level Taoist Yoga, focusing on long-held yin poses to alleviate their lack of flexibility. However, as more students came he began to teach more advanced levels. He explained that in order to develop full flexibility, the student must restore his own primal nature, through several Taoist yoga practices, as follows: yin
asanas—mostly sitting or lying postures; yang
asanas—more active, strenuous postures; Taoist Flow yoga—both yin and yang yoga postures practiced in continuous, smooth and circular motions;
qigong—involving simple and gentle movement and breathing techniques; and Taoist alchemy—based, supposedly, upon the Taoist theory of the five elements used in
Chinese medicine. Taoist alchemy purports to embody the energetic attributes of various animals and to enliven the five alchemical elements believed to be contained in the body's energetic field, namely Earth, Metal, Water, Wood, and Fire. These are considered to animate distinct qualities in the body, namely calm, strength, fluidity, springiness and lightness, respectively. who had researched the physiology of Traditional Chinese Medicine and written on it extensively. Motoyama was interested in the physiology of the
meridians, or subtle pathways and vessels, and the
qi or subtle energy hypothesized to flow through or get stored in them. These are fundamental concepts in Chinese medicine and
acupuncture. He related these to the parallel concepts of the
nadi pathways and
chakras of Indian yoga, and the
prana said to be carried within them. Grilley began to teach a fusion of the Yin poses he had learned from Zink with hatha yoga and anatomy, and the teachings of Motoyama. Bernie Clark, a Yin Yoga author and teacher said that Grilley's synthesis of anatomy, Taoist Yoga, and meridian theory "resonated with many people who recognized the benefits of the practice and related to Paul's model of the body/mind/soul."
Sarah Powers One of Grilley's students, the yoga teacher
Sarah Powers, began teaching yoga in his style. She incorporated Buddhist psychology and put more emphasis on targeting the meridian systems for health and enlightenment. Her book,
Insight Yoga, explains Yin Yoga sequences designed to enhance the flow of
qi as understood in Traditional Chinese Medicine. She emphasized a conscious and systematic approach to breathing during yin practice. Grilley had at first called his approach Taoist Yoga, in deference to Zink's term. Powers, noting that the yoga she and Grilley were teaching was different from Zink's, suggested the term Yin Yoga. File:IMG 0222 2- Caterpillar.jpg|Caterpillar pose, the Yin version of
Paschimottanasana: in Yin Yoga, poses are held for an average of five minutes to improve flexibility and restore a fuller range of motion. File:IMG 0438 2-1- Saddle pose.jpg|Saddle pose, the Yin version of
Supta Virasana: this pose stretches the feet, knees, thighs, and arches the lumbar and sacral vertebrae. It is said to stimulate the Kidney meridian as well as the kidneys. File:IMG 0572 2 Square pose.jpg|Square pose, the Yin variant of
Svastikasana File:IMG 0549 2 Sphinx.jpg|Sphinx pose: In the more advanced version of this pose, the "Seal," the arms are fully extended and the back bend is deeper. Seal pose resembles
Bhujangasana, but is performed differently. ==See also==