Bring on Yin!

Yin Yoga is riding the crest of a popularity surge – as more yogis discover the joy of exploring asanas on a deeper level, slowing down and settling into their bodies.

At the gym where I teach, Yin classes are popping up on the timetable faster than it takes most members to run on the treadmill and most Yin Yoga sessions are fully booked. So, if you haven’t already – get on board and start discovering Yin for yourself.

We’re so lucky at IYTA as we have the fabulous Sarah Manning – a senior IYTA lecturer, who is based in Singapore but travels to Australia to run the IYTA Yin 1 and 2 trainings – and this year she’s been working with Dr Jeff Lou and together they are adding the Yin 3 training.

I’ve done Yin 1 and Yin 2 and loved both weekend workshops – Yin 1 is laying the foundations of Yin – the history, postures, an introduction to the meridians. Yin 2 focuses on themes, flow and safety within a yin class – covering the anatomy, physical form and joint safety of the yin postures.

All workshops include a combination of pre-learning, online lectures and face-to-face sessions and there are two options to choose from:

  1. Certificate of Attendance (14 contact hours); or
  2. Certificate of Completion (25 hours) with a combination of pre-learning, online lectures and face-to-face sessions.

Sarah and Dr Jeff Lou, a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Practitioner and Yoga teacher, together are facilitating Yin 3 in July – focusing on TCM and Yin. Sarah says: “We are painting a broad brush over TCM – including qi gong breathing, meridian theory and acupressure points and crystalising useful and relevant tools for yoga teachers who want to teach/practice yin postures.”

Sarah adds: “Dr Lou will provide all the TCM material and as a long-standing yoga teacher, will be able to authentically explain the TCM terms and bridge our understanding of the energetic body.”

The next Yin 3 workshop will be held at Thornleigh in northern Sydney on Jul 28-29.

Sarah says: “After completing Yin 3 yoga teachers will be able to teach yin postures in a general hatha class or yin yoga class with an understanding of the oriental energetic map and include five qi gong breathing/meditation techniques and ten acupressure points.”

Sarah is quick to point out that it is not a TCM training, nor is it about healing. She says: “In the same way yoga teachers are incensed when fitness instructors teach yoga after a weekend of yoga training. We emphasis that a TCM practitioner has five years full time training and years of experience – we make no attempt to diagnose or treat a symptom or student with TCM/ meridian theory or pressure points.”

* Although this is a yoga teacher training, yoga practitioners can also attend.

Yin 1 is a prerequisite for both Yin 2 and Yin 3, and you can do Yin 1 online or attend in Engadine NSW on July 21 and 22. Yin 1 and 2, with a Certificate of Completion (50 training hours), is considered sufficient for a yoga teacher to teach yin yoga classes safely and comfortably.

And will there be a Yin 4?

For those of us who can’t get enough of this ancient practice your luck is in! Sarah is in discussions with an Ayurveda practitioner for an Ayurveda and Yin module – watch this space!

Dr Lou may also be persuaded to run more sessions on Meridian Theory and Yin Yoga.

Find out more about YIN Training


About our Yin Instructors

Sarah Manning

A senior IYTA and Yoga Alliance Yoga teacher based in Asia since 1995, Sarah’s extensive teaching experience includes Yin Yoga, Yoga Therapy, Yoga for Back Care and Pre and Post Natal. Sarah studied Chinese Reflexology whilst living in China and has trained in Tuina (Chinese Meridian Massage) and Yin Yoga whilst living in Singapore. She leads the IYTA Yin Yoga Training and has led the development and introduction of all of the IYTA Post Graduate courses.


Jeff Lou

Jeff started his yoga and meditation practice with his mother as a child more than 30 years ago. Over this time he has studied and practiced extensively in styles such as Hatha, Ashtanga, Jivamukti, Yin, Anusara and Vinyasa. Yoga to Jeff is a pathway to self-love and self-acceptance, he believes only by knowing who you are, can you truly understand the world around you, thereby living in harmony with-in and with-out; and every other ‘physical improvements’ that comes with yoga are just the icing on the cake. Jeff is also a qualified and registered therapist in other healing modalities like Acupuncture, TCM, Shiatsu, Remedial massage, Spiritual Healing and Aromatherapy.

In Jeff’s classes, alignment, form and intention are emphasised. A steady practice where mind and body are equally important and responsible for reaching a level of mental peach and relaxation, while maintaining postures that may present a physcial challenge to the practitioner. This is the very essence of equanimity that yoga teaches us to manoeuvre through life’s many situations.