Yin and Pin mini-retreats – Are they for you?

Yin and Pin is a combination of three powerful forms of healing modalities – Yin Yoga, Acupuncture and Yoga Nidra/Body Scan. On their own these are fabulous for the individual to achieve calmer states of mind, however together you give yourself the ability to really allow your body and mind to settle into a deep and healing state of calm and relaxation.

If you have never tried any of these modalities before, it is important to allow yourself to be open to trying them, particularly if someone has told you it could be good for you.

Understanding Acupuncture

The first thing most people think about are the needles and get put off because they think that the needles must be so terrible. When in fact the needles are very thin and only sometimes create a sensation that lasts for only a few breaths on average. But we are aware that for many people the biggest block they have to trying Acupuncture is the needles.

 Acupuncture is a very old, whole body healing modality. We know it best in New Zealand because of the ACC funding for musculoskeletal recovery, which it is good for. But it also has a significant effect on our hormonal body, our central nervous system, and our energetic body. The good thing about having a yoga practice is that you will understand the role these systems play in our overall health and wellbeing. Acupuncture is a successful treatment for female health, reproductive health, chronic pain, chronic fatigue, undiagnosable illness and many other health concerns.

In Acupuncture we refer to the chi and the blood, the chi is when we are working on the energetic level and the blood is when we are working on the denser body level. It’s a little bit like the Yin and the Yang that many people know about.

Most of our nerve endings are on the superficial layers of our skin, so when we put the needle in it connects with the nerve endings very quickly and most people don’t even notice it. The good news is that the superficial nerve endings still access the deeper nerves and have the effect on your brain and your body.

From time to time you will experience a jolt or some pain when the needle goes in, particularly if you are feeling a little nervous or intimidated. These are just the different sensations you may experience, but none of them mean that there’s any damage or trauma to your body. What it is indicating is that your nervous system is picking up the needle. After a few breaths any sensation that you experience with the needle going in will die off and you won’t feel anything.

Acupuncture points used in Yin and Pin mini-retreats

Given these sessions are for the general public the points are not specific to the individual, this happens when you have a private acupuncture session. The points are chosen based on the theme, focus and intention of the Yin and Pin mini-retreat.

In a Yin and Pin we hit the key points in the body that we know will nourish everyone. These are called regulatory points and they have a function that depending on what you need, they will support you finding balance.

The regulating action means if you are feeling anxious they will bring you down, but if you are feeling depressed they will bring you up.

The points are all readily accessible, so there is no requirement to remove any clothing or reveal your stomach area. The hands and feet are densely populated by nerve endings, so these are very powerful points in the body with a lot of qui. Which means we can access a lot of the body’s energy, without having to go into more private areas. We also use the head, which has several calming points on it and is the safest place to be putting an Acupuncture needle, given there is a big bone right at the surface of the head.

Yin Yoga

While all yoga is eastern, this type has alignment with the Acupuncture and a class can be planned to support a certain organ or your nervous system, just like the Acupuncture points can.

Yin yoga provides an opportunity for the joints of the body to be held in support as they are slowly stretched and/or compressed to work together to create a sense of harmony. Stress then rest is the theory behind exercising in Yin yoga.

The plastic tissues of the body such as fascia, ligaments and joints need to be stressed and compressed over longer periods than more yang-aligned tissues.

Yin yoga invites you to slow down and connect with the inner reptilian and lunar parts of you. It invites you to hold the poses for longer. To be aware of the sensation in one part of your mind and to be without sensation in another.

Balancing the Yin element is essential to be able to relax muscles and joints, strengthen immunity, mental clarity and overall vitality and health.

Best to make this a regular wellbeing practice

You will get something out of attending one mini-retreat, but like everything you get the best long-term results when you make it a regular practice. It becomes a preventative support practice, rather than a cure response approach.

Yin and Pin sessions are designed to give you two hours out of your normal life to settle and calm your nervous system. The tricky part about when you are living in a stressed-out state is that you feel like the best thing to do is to keep going, soldiering on, and surviving until we crash.

This mini retreat is designed to allow you to step out of your survival state. It’s important when you are looking after your health and wellbeing that you attempt to manage it with less invasive lifestyle approaches with fewer side effects in the first instance; like changing your diet, adding in exercise, getting a massage, seeing a counsellor/coach, or Acupuncture. When these lifestyle factors are not enough, then go in with the pharmaceutical approaches. We always recommend talking to your doctor about your plans to change your lifestyle, so you are supported to do this.

In a group of limited numbers, you will start by engaging your body deeply with gentle yin-style yoga for 40 minutes. Following this, you will make yourself comfy with your mat and blocks/blankets (provided by us) and have five acupuncture needles carefully and gently placed at special acupuncture points to reinforce and deepen the yoga work. During the acupuncture and for the next half an hour the yoga instructors will carry you through a restorative, calming, and deeply relaxing body scan meditation and Yoga Nidra.​

This is a beautiful, shared, and safe space for healing and the perfect way to regularly anchor back into your best self for the coming month.

 What previous participants have said about our Yin and Pin mini-retreats:

"Relaxing and nourishing for the mind and soul"

"Some time to appreciate myself"

"Lovely and relaxing"

"It was great!"

"Really enjoyable, lovely hosts, very relaxing"

"Amazing! I felt emotions releasing before the workshop even started"

"Friendly, positive, calm."

“Thank you for sharing this! I Loved the first session. Coming back for more.. thanks Ladies.. a relaxing combination at yin yoga .. acupuncture and a body scan meditation . A beautiful way to spend a Sunday afternoon ”

To book your spot in our monthly Yin and Pin sessions follow the link : Live sessions in Christchurch NZ (yogatotransform.com)