Time, not effort — a practice of stillness, sensation, and deep release. If you've ever needed permission to slow down, this is a practice built for exactly that.
Yin yoga is a slow, floor-based practice that uses time — not muscular effort — to create change in the body. Poses are typically held for 2–5 minutes, allowing connective tissues (fascia, ligaments, joints) to gently stress, hydrate, and release. It's a practice of stillness, sensation, and deep listening.
Yin yoga draws from the Hatha yoga tradition, Daoist yoga (Tao Yin), Classical Chinese Medicine, and fascial science. It was developed and popularized by Paul and Suzee Grilley, who integrated anatomical variation, biomechanics, and energetic principles into a functional approach to yoga.
Unlike more active (yang) yoga styles that emphasize muscular engagement and movement, yin yoga invites you to settle into stillness and allow time to do the work. The goal isn't to stretch to your limit, but to find "middle effort" — about 50–70% of your range — and rest there while tissues gradually open.
Fascia is living, responsive tissue that surrounds and connects muscles, bones, and organs. Research shows that sustained, gentle pressure stimulates the release of hyaluronic acid, which binds with water and draws more hydration to the area. By gently stressing these tissues — not through force, but through time — you support improved mobility and range of motion, release of muscular tension, nervous system support, and energetic harmony through alignment with Chinese Medicine channels.
Middle effort — settling at about 50–70% of your range of motion — allows you to relax muscular tension and let connective tissues gradually open without strain. Time, not force, creates change.
Rebound — after each pose, we pause in a neutral position to feel the body recalibrate. This moment of integration is just as important as the shape itself.
Yin yoga aligns with Chinese Medicine channels — often called "meridians," but more accurately understood as energetic pathways. The shapes and movements we explore can support circulation of qi and harmonize the body's systems — potentially supporting sleep, digestion, emotional steadiness, and overall well-being.
As I guide you into a yin shape, I'll identify the target area — the primary area we are stressing and where you may notice a sensation of stretch. We simplify these areas into skeletal references or myo-fascial groups, which makes it easier to find the right amount of sensation and distinguish it from discomfort that signals you to ease back.
The hips — quadriceps and hip flexors, glutes and IT band, hamstrings, inner thighs and groin. The spine and torso — the five essential movements of the spine: flexion, extension, lateral flexion, rotation, and axial elongation (Thoracolumbar, Rectus Abdominis, Obliques / side body). The upper body — the shoulder girdle, arms and outer arms, upper spine and cervical fascia.
These classes bring the principles of yin yoga — and its Myo-Yin blend — to Chicago studios:
A slow, floor-based practice holding poses 2–5 minutes. Integrates somatic awareness and nervous system support throughout. Available Sundays and Thursdays at Astute Counseling & Wellness.
Book at Astute →Sunday evening yin practice. A generous, unhurried class designed to close the week with ease. Coconut Yoga Chicago, Sundays 5:30–6:45 PM.
Book at Coconut Yoga →Pairs yin yoga with self-myofascial release using therapy balls and props. Works the connective tissue and the nervous system together. Available at Astute Counseling & Wellness.
Book at Astute →Yin yoga is supportive when you need to slow down and create space for rest, release, and restoration. When you're navigating stress or overwhelm. When you're experiencing tightness or tension that active movement doesn't address. When you want to build interoceptive awareness — stillness creates the conditions for deep listening. When you're balancing active movement and want complementary recovery support. And when you want to cultivate self-compassion — yin yoga invites you to meet yourself with kindness, honoring your body as it is.
Yin yoga isn't just about flexibility. It's about creating the conditions for deep listening, nervous system fluidity, and energetic balance.