Yin yoga is about stillness, openness, and receptivity. Every practice is a combination and variation of 20 specific yin yoga poses. As an asana practice, yin is a slow-moving class where a specific set of poses are held for a longer period of time (usually 3-5 minutes), to allow the connective tissues in the body to release. It is a calm, peaceful practice that calls for students to be present, patient, and still in the mind and body, inviting release. In allowing our bodies to open in yin, we are learning to nourish both thoughts and behaviors with curiosity, and without judgment. Unlike more active asana classes, yin is focused on servicing the body’s connective tissue.
Experience the Slow, Patient Stillness of Yin
The aim of Yin is to build self-compassion and understanding through working the more subtle tissues and energies of the body. Yin is a cold, slow-moving class where poses are held for a longer period of time. The room is always cool and the sequencing is unlikely to produce any increase to student’s body temperature. The poses offered here produce passive, intense sensations for creating space in the joints and ligaments of the physical body. While it is slow-moving, Yin requires passive effort, meaning that while you won’t break a sweat, the asana is distinctly challenging and requires prowess and practice to maintain.
How To Prepare
Wear Comfortable Clothing
Bring Socks
Make sure that your last week was at least an hour before class begins.
Tips For Your Practice
- Be present at appropriate depths: Don’t push, invite.
- Resolve to remain still: dispel the thought to “get on with it already”
- Realize that the goal is to hold each pose for time.
Know Before You Go
Initially, the practice of yin yoga, is a challenging mental experience, as the mind and emotions often resist sitting in the slow, quiet. The truth is, each of us has natural human preferences that lean us toward one type of class over the others. However, each type of practice is beneficial in different ways. As you progress on your yogic journey, I encourage keeping in mind that sometimes, the classes we crave, are not necessarily the same practices that we actually need. If you’d like to learn more, visit our student resources page and explore the possibilities of practice a little deeper.
Meet all layers of your practice with acceptance.
Remain Open.
Be Soft.