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Yin,
Yang and Yoga
 By
Marla Ericksen
“Most fitness classes are yang in nature, so you
need to find some yin repose,” explains Marla
Ericksen, creator of the DVD “Yoga Inspired Functional
Fitness” and owner of Empower M.E. Lifestyles,
a consulting business based in Ottawa. “The cool-down
is a great time to introduce and explore the mind-body
connection.”
The concept of yin and yang—the interdependent,
symbiotic
nature of all things—adds an interesting mind-body
perspective to the cool-down. Think of yin and yang
not as opposites or absolutes but rather as dynamic
and complementary qualities that reveal meaning and
purpose in one another. All things possess and exhibit
these qualities. Yin is dark, passive, downward, cold,
contracting and weak. Yang is bright, active, upward,
hot, expanding and strong. When applying the terms to
the world of fitness, you could say that a cardio workout
is yang and that stretching or range-of-motion training
is yin; that muscle tissue is yang, while connective
tissue is yin.
For a detailed look at two cool-down stretches that
 balance
yin and yang, read Ericksen’s article, “Light
and Dark” (IDEA Fitness Journal, February
2006). Learn how to incorporate more yin/yang principles
into your work as a fitness professional by attending
Ericksen’s “Yin Yoga for a Yang World”
this July at the IDEA
World Fitness Convention® in Las Vegas,
or call (800) 999-4332, ext. 7.
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