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我们说过很多次每个⼈都应该有⼀个减压系统。迪帕克 • 乔普拉曾经说过⼀句话让我印象深刻：你的情绪就是你的⽣理。难怪在美国，75% 到 90% 的医⽣接诊都是与压⼒有关的疾病。
We’ve talked about many times how important it is for every person to have a stress management system. Deepak Chopra once said something that got stuck in my mind: your emotion is your biology. It is no wonder that 75% to 90% of all doctor’s visits in US are estimated to be stress-related ailments.
建立⼀个减压系统说起来容易做起来难，到底该怎么做呢？我在过去的这些年慢慢组建了⼀个装有多种工具的工具箱，来给自己放松和充电。最近我新添了⼀个工具进去，在这里和大家分享。
It’s easy to say you need to manage your stress, but how do we do it? For me, I’ve built a toolbox over the years to relax and recharge myself. I’ve recently added something to this toolbox that I want to share with you.
我开始爱上了阴瑜伽。
I’m falling in love with yin yoga.
我的男性读者朋友们，如果你读到这儿就想退出了，因为你觉着那是女人做的东西，请听我多说几句。我最喜欢的阴瑜伽课程，让我开始研究并爱上阴瑜伽的原因，是⼀位男性瑜伽教练的课。
For those male readers out there who tempt to stop reading at this moment because you think this is only for women, please stay with me a little longer. My favorite yin yoga classes, which got me exploring and loving yin yoga, are taught by a male yoga instructor.
我之前也时不时做过阴瑜伽，没什么太大的感觉，就觉着它是⼀种温和的瑜伽形式，对于那些我需要舒缓运动的日子⽐较适合，而且我也以为主要是针对女性的。前段时间，我开始参加美国加利福尼亚州瑜伽⽼师 Travis Eliot 的在线阴瑜伽课程，有了⼀些意想不到的体验。课后，我感受到⼀种深深的平静与安宁，持续了好几个小时。当然，任何瑜伽都会帮我多⼀些从容，但不是这种深度的心如止水。
I tried yin yoga before, but never thought much of it. I only regarded it as a gentle form of yoga that is reserved for days when I need more relaxed movements, and, mostly for women. Then some time ago, I tried an online class by Travis Eliot, a yoga teacher in California, US. Something interesting happened. After the class, I felt this sense of peace and stillness. It stayed with me for a few hours. Yes, yoga always calms me, but not this kind of deep quietness.
我开始感到好奇，于是做了点研究。
Intrigued, I looked into it a bit more.
原来，阴瑜伽的起源可以追溯到中国。清末，⼀名拳师因不慎杀⼈⼊狱。在监狱⾥，他唯⼀可以看到的外⾯的东⻄就就是树。他开始对树上的猴子着迷，研究它们的⼀举⼀动，并且开始将这些动作融⼊他的功夫习练中，这就是猴拳的来源。出狱后，他开始向⼈们传授这种功夫，其中包括他的⼀个叫做Cho的侄⼦。 Cho 后来移⺠到加利福尼亚，开始教授猴拳和道教。 Cho有⼀个弟⼦叫Paulie Zink， 他获得了很许多功夫冠军，并结合道家和哈达瑜伽的原理创⽴了阴阳瑜伽。Paulie Zink 的⼀个学⽣ Paul Grilli 发现⾃⼰对阴阳瑜伽中阴的⼀⾯特别有共鸣，于是开始只教授阴瑜伽。
Turns out Yin Yoga actually has its origins in China. At the end of Qing dynasty, a boxer was thrown into prison for accidentally killing someone. While in prison he became fascinated with the monkeys on the trees, which are the only things he can see from his prison cell window. He started incorporating their movements into his kungfu practice, which is where monkey kung fu comes from. After release from prison, he began to teach this type of kungfu to people, including one of his nephews named Cho. Cho later immigrated to California and started teaching monkey kungfu and Taoism philosophies. Paulie Zink, Cho’s disciple, won many championships and went on to found Yin and Yang Yoga by combining Taoism and Hatha yoga principles. Paulie Zink’s student, Paul Grilli, found himself especially resonated with the more Yin aspect of the yoga, and started just teaching Yin Yoga.
我提到的瑜伽⽼师 Travis Eliot 就是这样发现阴瑜伽的。Eliot 本⼈也有⼀个⾮常有趣的故事。在⼀次交通事故中，他的⼀个膝盖受了重伤。尽管花费了成千上万美元寻求各种帮助，他还是不能跑步，不能做⼀些运动，这曾让他⼀度陷⼊忧郁。后来，他发现了 Paul Grilli 制作的 DVD，开始跟随DVD进⾏缓慢的深度拉伸。奇迹发⽣了。他的膝盖开始往好的⽅向转变。六周后，他的膝盖已经完全愈合。不仅愈合了，甚⾄⽐事故前还要好。此后他迷上了阴瑜伽，并专门写了⼀本关于阴瑜伽的书。
This is how the yoga teacher I mentioned, Travis Eliot, found about Yin Yoga. Eliot has also a very interesting story. One of his knees got very badly hurt during a traffic accident. As a result, he lost his ability to run and move freely, despite thousands and thousands of dollars spent seeking all sorts of help. This even got him into depression. Eventually he landed a DVD made by Paul Grilli, and started doing the slow deep stretches. Something miraculous happened. He started feeling better. Six weeks later, his knee was completely healed. Not only healed, it was even better than before the accident. He got hooked on yin yoga after that and went on to write a book specially about yin yoga.
这个故事背后的生化科学也很有意思。为什么⼀些身体部位的伸展可以治愈任何医⽣都⽆法治愈的东西？
The science behind Eliot’s healing is also quite fascinating. Why can some deep floor stretches heal something that no doctor can?
我们体内最⼴泛的⽹络是我们的结缔组织，包括肌腱、韧带、软骨关节和筋膜。它为我们的内脏提供⽀持和保护。结缔组织的⼀部分，筋膜是由胶原蛋白组成的，包裹着器官的⻣骼和肌⾁。阴瑜伽通常每个姿势会保持约 3 到 5 分钟。当你保持这种深度拉伸超过 90 秒时，你的身体开始发⽣⼀些变化。压⼒从浅表组织传递到更深的筋膜，身体会开始激活⼀种叫做成纤维细胞的东西。你可能不知道成纤维细胞，但我相信你肯定听说过玻尿酸。玻尿酸被认为是大自然的保湿剂，它是由成纤维细胞产生的。所以成纤维细胞让你的筋膜更强壮、更有弹性和耐力，也就是说让你更年轻。
The most extensive network in our body is our connective tissues, including tendons, ligaments, cartilage joints and fascia. It provides support and protection to our internal organs. Fascia is made up of collagen and wraps around the bones and muscles in your organs. Yin yoga typically holds each pose for about 3 to 5 minutes. When you hold that deep stretch on the floor for more than 90 seconds, something changes. The pressure goes from the superficial tissue to the deeper fascia, and the body reacts by activating something called fibroblast. You may not know fibroblast, but I’m sure you’ve heard of hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid, which is considered nature’s moisturizer, is produced by fibroblast. So fibroblast makes fascia stronger, more resilient and durable, namely, making you younger.
但我是在知道这个之前就爱上了阴瑜伽。让我⼀次⼜⼀次地习练它的原因是它可以让我安静。要理解阴瑜伽为什么会有这样的效果，我们需要再次提到 ANS (Automonic Nervous System)：我们的⾃主神经系统，⾃主神经系统负责那些我们不需要有意识地去控制的⽣理活动，⽐如呼吸和消化。 ANS有两个分⽀：交感神经：主宰战⽃、逃跑、冻结；和副交感神经：主宰休息、放松、恢复。当你停留在⼀个深度拉伸的姿势，呼吸缓慢⽽稳定的时候，你的身体会从交感神经状态慢慢过渡到副交感神经状态。我之前已经说过很多次，但值得重复：只有在副交感神经状态下，你的身体才有⾃我愈合的能力。
But I was in love with yin yoga before I was aware of this. What kept me going back to it again and again was its extremely calming effect. To understand why, we need to talk about ANS again: our autonomic nervous system, the system that is in charge of the activities that we don’t need to give efforts to, such as breathing and digesting. ANS has two branches: sympathetic: fight, flight, freeze; and parasympathetic: rest, relax, restore. When you hold that pose for several minutes, with slow and steady breathing, it is helping your body transition from the sympathetic state to parasympathetic state. I have talked about this multiple times before, but it is worth repeating: only in a parasympathetic state can you body turn on self healing.
减压，逆龄，自愈，你难道还需要更多的动力来试⼀试阴瑜伽吗？
Reducing stress, reverse aging, healing your body. What else do you need to give yin yoga a try?
