Yin Yoga
24 poses · beginner friendly
Yin yoga is the slow half of practice. Instead of moving between poses, you settle into one shape — mostly seated or lying down — soften your muscles, and stay for one to five minutes. The long, passive hold works on the connective tissue around the hips, pelvis, and spine rather than on muscle strength.
Most Yin poses are familiar shapes with new names: Caterpillar is a relaxed Seated Forward Fold, Swan is Pigeon, Saddle is Reclining Hero. The renaming is deliberate — it signals that you're not aiming for the tidy alignment of the active version, just a shape your body can rest inside while time does the work.
A Yin class feels quiet and slightly confronting: long holds give your mind nowhere to go. Props help you stay — bolsters, blocks, and blankets are standard equipment, not cheating.
What it's like
- · Long passive holds, typically 1–5 minutes
- · Floor-based — almost no standing poses
- · Muscles stay soft; gravity and time do the work
- · Props (bolster, blocks, blanket) are standard
- · Cool room, slow pace, few poses per class
Good for
- ✓ Anyone stiff from sitting, training, or stress
- ✓ Active people who need a counterweight to hard workouts
- ✓ Practitioners who want a meditative, inward practice
- ✓ Beginners — no strength or flexibility prerequisites
Yin poses
Hips & inner thighs
- Butterfly= Bound Angle Pose
Feet further from the body than the active pose; spine rounds freely.
- Half Butterfly= Head-to-Knee Pose
One leg long, one foot in; fold loosely over the long leg.
- Swan / Sleeping Swan= Pigeon Pose
Upright is Swan; folding over the front shin is Sleeping Swan.
- Dragon= Low Lunge
Back knee down, hips heavy; several arm variations, all held long.
- Frog= Frog Pose
Knees wide, hips level with knees; use a bolster under the chest.
- Shoelace= Cow Face Pose
Legs only — knees stacked, fold forward; arms stay relaxed.
- Square= Fire Log Pose
Shins stacked; fold only until you feel the outer hips.
- Squat= Garland Pose
Heels on a rolled blanket if they lift; can hold the pose resting against a wall.
- Deer PoseMrigasana
Yin's stable alternative to Pigeon for cranky knees.
Forward folds & spine
- Caterpillar= Seated Forward Fold
Round the spine completely — the opposite of the active pose's flat back.
- Dragonfly= Wide-Angle Seated Forward Fold
Legs wide, fold anywhere comfortable; bolster under the chest helps.
- Dangling= Standing Forward Fold
Knees bent generously, elbows held; sway is welcome.
- Child's PoseBalasana
A resting pose between holds; knees wide, arms anywhere.
- Snail= Plow Pose
A soft, rounded version — no shoulderstand alignment; skip with any neck issues.
- Toe SquatVajrasana (toes tucked)
Kneel with toes tucked; intense for the feet — start with 1 minute.
Backbends
- Sphinx / Seal= Sphinx Pose
Sphinx on forearms; Seal straightens the arms for a deeper bend.
- Saddle= Reclining Hero
Recline between the heels only as far as the knees allow; bolster under the spine.
- Camel PoseUstrasana
A gentle, supported version — hands on blocks or lower back, held briefly.
- Melting Heart (Anahatasana)= Extended Puppy Pose
Chest melts toward the floor while hips stay over knees.
Twists & side bodies
Rest
Take this sequence off-screen
The Yin Canon Deck — all 24 yin poses as printable practice cards.
How Yin compares
Head-to-head against other styles, counted on the actual pose canon of each.
Explore more
Every pose above links to full step-by-step instructions, or browse the complete pose library and all styles.