Guides · By Dr Kia Prescott, PhD · 4 October 2026
Yin yoga is one of the easiest styles to bring home. There's no flow to follow and nothing fast to keep up with: you settle into a handful of floor shapes and stay in each for a few minutes, breathing slowly. It's the style we teach in our weekly classes in Tarbock, and it's the one I'd suggest to anyone who wants a practice that calms rather than drives. Not sure how it differs from restorative? Read yin vs restorative yoga.
What is yin yoga?
Yin is a slow practice of long, mostly passive holds, usually on the floor. Instead of using muscle to hold a pose, you find a shape where you can soften and let gravity do the work. Teachers often describe it as working into the connective tissues around the joints; the research on exactly what happens there is thin, so I'd rather describe what you'll notice: a gradual easing of stiffness, a slower breath, and a mind that quietens because there's nothing to rush towards. The one randomised trial I know of followed 105 stressed adults: after five weeks of yin, they showed better scores on psychological health and a larger drop in a stress-linked blood marker than a group who did no yoga (Daukantaitė and colleagues, 2018). One trial is a start, not proof.
The aim in each pose is a gentle, steady sensation, never pain. If you're gritting your teeth, you've gone too far.
What props do you need, and what can you use instead?
- A mat or a rug with some grip.
- Two firm cushions or a folded duvet, in place of a bolster, to rest your chest or knees on.
- Two thick books in place of blocks, to bring the floor closer to your hands or hips.
- A blanket for warmth and for padding under the knees.
- A timer with a soft tone, so you're not checking the clock.
How long should you hold yin poses?
As a beginner, two to three minutes per pose is plenty. With time, some people stay four or five minutes. Come into each shape gradually, stay still once you're there, and come out slowly: moving out of a long hold can feel stiff, so take a breath or two lying flat between poses. Ten to twenty minutes, a few times a week, is a lovely place to start.
A gentle 20-minute yin sequence
- Butterfly, 3 minutes. Sit with the soles of your feet together and knees falling out, feet a comfortable distance from you. Fold forward a little, resting your head on stacked cushions if that helps.
- Caterpillar, 3 minutes. Legs out in front, knees softly bent over a rolled blanket, and fold forward without reaching. Let your back round.
- Sphinx, 3 minutes. Lie on your front and prop yourself on your forearms, elbows under or slightly ahead of your shoulders. If your lower back complains, lower down onto a cushion.
- Child's pose, 2 minutes. Knees wide, big toes together, and rest your chest on a cushion or two.
- Reclined twist, 2 minutes each side. Lie on your back, let both knees fall to one side, and rest them on a cushion if they don't reach the floor.
- Legs up the wall, 3 minutes. Hips near a wall, legs resting up it, or calves on a chair seat.
- Rest, 2 minutes or more. Lie flat with a blanket over you and let everything go.
Check with a professional first if…
- you're pregnant: some yin shapes need adapting, and the NHS advises against lying flat on your back for more than a few minutes in later pregnancy, so ask your midwife and look for a pregnancy-trained teacher;
- you're hypermobile or have very flexible joints: work well short of your range, because long holds make it easy to sink too far;
- you have a recent injury, joint replacement or osteoporosis: some folds and twists may not suit you;
- anything causes sharp pain, numbness or tingling: come out of the pose straight away.
How can you practise yin with RITUAL?
In the library you can practise along with me in a forty-minute Hip Mobility Yin Flow, or shorter sessions when time is tight: Neck & Shoulder Release and Sciatic Nerve Stretch & Release, around ten minutes each. In person, our ninety-minute yin yoga and sound bath runs in Tarbock, Knowsley, every Wednesday at 7pm and every Thursday at 6pm. Bring your own mat, or contact Kia beforehand to borrow one.