Back to the original (or orig-yin-al)

In what now feels like a completely different lifetime, I borrowed Yin Yoga: The Foundations of a Quiet Practice on DVD from my local library—and kickstarted my love of yin yoga. 

Laura settling in to a yin squat pose
Me settling in to a yin squat

The DVD led me to seek out yin yoga in real life and I stumbled into an amazing class at a local community centre with the knowledgable, approachable, sensitive, fantastic Brenda from Beautiful Yoga.

Eventually, I was able to stop repeatedly borrowing the DVD when I received it as a Christmas present. Again and again and again I followed Paul & Suzee Grilley (its ‘stars’) through their slow, mindful sequences—and went to a real-life class one evening a week.

I left Foundations of a Quiet Practice behind when we moved to Europe in 2013 as the Canadian DVD would be about as useful as a Frisbee in German DVD players. But I never left behind the practice of yin yoga. 

After unsuccessfully searching for a digital edition of Foundations of a Quiet Practice and contacting Pranamaya (the distributor) several times over the years begging for online access*, I had brilliant revelation. My husband’s Xbox, which includes a DVD/Blu Ray player, is from Canada and works in Europe! I’m slightly ashamed to admit how long it took me to realise that I could play North American-region DVDs in Europe by simply using the Xbox. 

This delight was short-lived, however, as I realised that I no longer had the DVD itself. 

My mum came to the rescue, digging through the media cabinet in my parents’ house and unearthing my original Yin Yoga: Foundations of a Quiet Practice, minus the case. And who needs the case!

She brought it along when my parents came to Europe this past April and I’ve been practicing alongside Suzee, with Paul guiding the practice, in our Zürich apartment since then. Hearing Paul’s straightforward cues, watching Suzee’s smooth flow, and getting back to the original handful of simple yin poses has taken me back to the roots of my yin yoga practice—and let me re-discover why I love it so much. 

As I shared in a post long ago about the ‘Why’ of yin yoga, the practice is more than physical; it’s really the psychological impact that keeps me coming back to yin yoga. The quietness of the poses helps me quiet my mind, while the introspective nature helps me be more patient in my life off the yoga mat.

Returning to my orig-yin-al yoga practice with Paul and Suzee feels a little like coming home—and it’s so nice to feel at home. 

Suzee and Paul Grilley (photo from paulgrilley.com)

*Of course, a couple of months after my mum brought the discs to Europe Pranamaya released Yin Yoga: Foundations of a Quiet Practice online. Ha!

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