The Five Yin Yoga Asana Archetypes (As Taught By Paul and Suzee Grilley)

Archetypes are notably recurrent themes that we experience when moving our body in asana. They are motifs, patterns, and help us to classify and understand the biomechanics of shapes that we use in (Yin) Yoga practice. Paul Grilley and his wife and teaching partner Suzee Grilley have devised five main archetypes that encompass the majority of the asana experienced in the Yin Yoga practice. (There are seven, they claim, that encompass the totality of Yoga asana.)

These archetypes are useful tools to adapt your own practice to your unique body and for understanding how to adapt students to the intention of your class. They allow for a greater scope of practice and understanding them will make you a better teacher. Guaranteed.

Yin YogaTahnee McCrossin27 October 2021yin yoga, paul grilley, archetypes, yoga theoryComment

What is Yin Yoga? (And What It Isn't!)

By now, most people who practice Yoga have likely stumbled upon Yin Yoga, a seemingly modern style that originated in its current form in the 90s in LA and has now made its way around the world. Over the last five years, Yin has become incredibly popular and is now a regular part of many practitioners’ daily or weekly practice (take a look at the Google Trends result for Yin Yoga over the last 5 years).