YinSights was originally envisioned as an online resource to help students and teachers learn more about the philosophy and practice of Yin Yoga. As an online resource, the document allows the reader to link to other resources by simply clicking on the Web links embedded within the text. It is also easy to jump from one place in the document to another. This, unfortunately, is not possible in a print version, but we have attempted to keep some of the links in the print version; however, they can only be typed and are offered as footnotes. An e-book is also easy to update and keep current, which again is not possible for a printed book – short of publishing a new version on a regular basis. Unfortunately some of the links listed in this book will be out of date by the time you try them. A little searching on your own may help you rediscover where the page has gone.
Also, due to the nature of the Internet, readers can jump into and out of this HTML version at any point, so many key concepts are deliberately repeated at many places within the book. This is especially noticeable for the warnings about the possible dangers of the practice. We could have removed these duplications from the print version; however, most of them stayed. The reason? Repetition builds familiarity. When we see something once, we hardly ever remember it. When we see it twice, it seems familiar but is again forgotten. By the third time, we start to remember it. For this reason, we retained the original duplication we put into the HTML version. If this is annoying to some readers, please breathe deeply pause and smile slightly and move on.
Despite the advantages of the electronic version of YinSights, there are several drawbacks to that format: it is not comfortable to curl up at night with a computer, and it is not easy to lay a computer on the floor beside you and flip to the page you want to study as you do your practice. It is also difficult to read an electronic book when you are traveling: laptop batteries do run down. So, due to many requests, I decided to transform the e-book YinSights into a traditional print version.
The versions of YinSights, the print version, the PDF version and the HTML version, are not identical. The differences will grow over time. The HTML version has more images and will be continually updated, while the print version is, by its very nature, static. However, all versions are available, so the reader is encouraged to check this online version of YinSights occasionally to see what is new. We do expect to add new Yin Yoga asanas and flows over time. And as new research relating to Yin Yoga is conducted and released, this too will be documented.
One final note, on the use of gender-specific pronouns in this book: although yoga in India was predominantly a male practice, today, in the West, by far the greatest numbers of practitioners are women. Yoga has benefited greatly from this infusion of feminine sensibilities. In recognition of this fact, whenever the opportunity demands the use of the cumbersome phrases “he or she” or “his or hers,” I have chosen to simplify the wording and use just the feminine pronoun. Hopefully, any of my fellow men who are traumatized by this choice will get over it quickly. The term “yogi” is defined to be “a person who practices yoga” and so is gender neutral. When we wish to specifically refer to a male practitioner, the term “yogin” is used, and for a female practitioner, “yogini” is used.
(Next: Acknowledgements )