My friends were raving about Travis Elliot Yin Yoga videos. So, I had to view them myself. Read this professional review of Travis Eliot’s Yin yoga guides.
Introduction
If you’re like me, you don’t like Yin Yoga. You find it boring and not engaging. I avoided Yin Yoga like the plague for many years. But after a few months of working from home, I knew I had to do something about my back pains. The first thing my friends Irene and Grace suggested was to practice Yin Yoga. My first answer was, “No, thanks. That’s boring.” Then they sent me links to Travis Eliot’s Yin Yoga videos on YouTube. I opened one of them, and I’ve been a fan since. In this article, I will explain why, from being a skeptic, I became hooked on Travis Eliot’s Yin Yoga videos.
Top Travis Elliot Yin Yoga Videos
Travis Eliot has a Youtube Channel with guided yoga videos of different styles. I will sample my favorite Yin yoga videos from the series here.
60-Minute Complete Yin Yoga Live Class
The first Travis Eliot’s Yin Yoga online class I tried was this one: Yin Yoga class. It’s a 60-minute video, so it’s a complete yoga class. So, it feels like you’re in the studio, even at home in your pajamas.
That’s what I love about this video: It feels like you’re one of the students in the studio with him. Furthermore, Eliot explains in this video how Yin Yoga works. His instructions were unambiguous and concise that even people who are new to Yin Yoga would be able to follow. Therefore, people new to Yin Yoga will learn the science behind the practice.
I admit I didn’t find this class boring – I take back my words! Eliot was talking through the whole class. At some point, he was storytelling. But that was alright with me because he is good with words. And his voice is calming.
This video is old, so it’s not so clear. But you don’t need to watch the video to perform the poses – that was how clear his instructions were! Furthermore, Eliot gives instructions for a lot of modifications.
See Also: Yoga Teacher Training Online
Short and Sweet
Another Yin Yoga Video from Travis Eliot is this one. It’s a 30-minute class, so it’s pretty short. I love following this video after strength training or the night before; my muscles are sore.
The class is intelligently sequenced. It starts with supported poses such as Down Dog and ends in Supine positions so that you can relax.
I also find this video beneficial when I am about to go to bed. In Travis Eliot’s usual fashion, he explains the philosophy and science of Yin yoga. Because you don’t hold the poses very long, just 90 seconds to three minutes. It’s not so intense, so you can relax.
Flexibility and Beyond
Flexibility and Beyond is an 8-week Yin Yoga Programme developed by Travis Eliot. It’s the first yoga program that I have ever completed! I often join yoga course programs and end up never finishing them. Either because I got bored with it or the classes are too similar. This course is not like that at all.
Each video from Flexibility and Beyond is different. And when you anticipate the pose that will follow the one you are performing, you will be surprised when it turns out to be a different one.
Travis Eliot also makes Yin Yoga accessible to most people by giving multiple modifications. I also like that he and his students use props in their videos. So, it makes you feel like they are as inflexible as you.
Yin Yoga is based on the concept of Taoism, Yin and Yang. So, by practicing this meditation, we will experience the very root of Yin Yoga. The program also includes a Taoist guided meditation video.
The Things Travis Gets Right
Since I discovered Travis Eliot, I have started deepening my knowledge about Yin Yoga. I took many Yin Yoga courses and a Yin Yoga Teacher Training from Siddhi Yoga. My Yin Yoga Teacher Certification is worth mentioning because I found many similarities between Travis Eliot’s and Siddhi Yoga’s Yin yoga principles. Travis Eliot gets many things right about Yin Yoga because of these similarities.
The Science
In almost all of his classes, Travis Eliot explains why Yin Yoga differs from Yang styles such as Ashtanga and Vinyasa. In Yin Yoga, poses are held longer while the muscles are relaxed. Doing this can give a sustained load to the fascia, which needs stretching to be healthy.
Similar to what I have learned from my Yoga Teacher Training at Siddhi Yoga, Travis Eliot’s Yin Yoga is not Restorative Yoga. Many yoga teachers confuse the two. While the two may be similar, the science behind the two styles of Yoga is different. Restorative supports your body for relaxation and healing. Yin Yoga gives gentle stress to the joints, ligaments, and fascia to keep them healthy.
In Eliot’s premium courses and even free Yin Yoga videos, he explains the importance of the breath and how it can control our nervous system. He explains that by controlling the breath, you can switch between the nervous system’s sympathetic (flight or fight response) and parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest response).
Taoism
Travis Eliot’s Yin Yoga honors Taoism while also staying true to Yoga. Taoism’s belief inspires Yin Yoga in the Yin and Yang and Traditional Chinese Medicine’s Meridian Lines. Eliot includes this in his teachings while also including the philosophy of Yoga, such as Pranayama and even Chakras.
Modern Day Application
Travis Eliot’s Yin Yoga classes and courses apply to our modern-day lives. He emphasizes how you can practice Yin Yoga wherever and whenever. Eliot also creates yoga classes to address common pains, such as sitting too much.
Reasons to go Deeper
There are two reasons you should go deeper into your Yin Yoga practice. Let’s explore these reasons here:
To Test Your Limits
As you regularly practice Yin Yoga, your flexibility is getting better. The more you stretch your fascia, the more flexible it becomes. There is no way to figure this out if you don’t try to go deeper into the pose.
To Enhance Your Flexibility
The idea behind Yin Yoga is to stretch the fascia and enhance its flexibility. The asanas are held passively for longer than in Hatha Yoga because connective tissues need gentle stress. If you have been practicing Yin Yoga regularly and don’t go over your edge, the connective tissues will get used to the usual load and not think of it as stress. Therefore, it will not stretch and enhance your flexibility.
The Bottomline
There are so many yoga teachers and courses out there. So, find a teacher that stays true to Yoga and its philosophy while making it accessible to everyone, such as Travis Eliot and Siddhi Yoga. Deepen your knowledge about Yin Yoga and help your students live better. Sign up for our Yin Yoga Teacher Training Course.
