Stillness, Depth & Re-Connection: Yin Yoga at Yantra
In a world that prizes speed and constant “doing,” Yin Yoga offers an antidote: a quietly transformative practice of being.
Long, supported holds invite your connective tissue to hydrate and unwind, your breath to deepen, and your nervous system to settle.
What Is Yin Yoga?
Yin Yoga is a slower, more introspective style that focuses on the body’s deeper layers — fascia, ligaments and joints — through poses held for minutes rather than breaths.
Instead of muscular effort (the “yang” quality), Yin invites steadiness, softening and sustained attention. The practice is influenced by Taoist principles of yin and yang and, for many practitioners, relates to the meridian pathways spoken of in Chinese medicine.
In class, you’ll settle into shapes (often on the floor), use props for support, and explore a balanced edge — enough sensation to stay attentive without forcing. Over time, the tissues adapt, hydration improves in the fascia, and spaciousness returns to places that feel compressed or stuck.
🪷 Good to know: Yin is not about forcing range. It’s about time, breath and a respectful relationship with your edges so tissues can respond safely.
What Yin Is Good For
Physical Benefits
Mobility & flexibility: Gradual, sustained load helps improve joint range and fascial glide.
Posture & balance: By easing deep tension patterns, your whole system can organise more efficiently.
Breath & circulation: Longer holds encourage diaphragmatic breathing and nourish tissues.
Mental & Emotional Benefits
Focus & presence: Staying with sensation trains attention and patience.
Down-regulation: The nervous system shifts toward rest-and-digest, supporting clarity and calm.
Emotional processing: The quiet space of Yin can help you meet and release held patterns.
For Athletes & Active People
Yin is a brilliant complement to training — whether you’re a runner, lifter, cyclist, team-sport player, or yogi with a strong flow practice. Where training stresses tissues to stimulate adaptation, Yin provides the recovery side of the equation:
Active recovery: Gentle, sustained positions encourage tissue hydration and mobility without adding fatigue.
Injury resilience: Better fascial elasticity and joint range support efficient mechanics and reduce overload.
Nervous system balance: Parasympathetic time supports sleep, hormonal balance and consistent training.
Performance & technique: When ranges open gradually and safely, technique often improves with less strain.
Think of Yin as the missing piece in a high-output week — the session that helps the next session feel better.
Does Yin Make You “Check Out”?
A common concern is that long holds might make you zone out. In well-guided Yin, the opposite tends to happen: you cultivate attentive calm. The body softens, but awareness stays engaged. We work with a mindful edge, use props and options, and encourage you to adjust hold times to stay present and safe.
The goal isn’t collapse; it’s conscious relaxation and interoceptive listening.
If you’re new, you’ll learn to distinguish “productive sensation” from strain. If you’re experienced, you’ll refine how you relate to your edges so the practice remains nourishing rather than depleting.
Yin & Yang: Why Balance Matters
Dynamic practices, sport and strength work are essential (yang). Without their counterpart, though, many of us accumulate tension, mental noise and fatigue. Yin re-introduces the receptive qualities — slowness, breath, patience — that let adaptation land.
You don’t need to choose one or the other; the sweet spot is the relationship between them.
Introducing Embodied Yin with Naomi (Tuesdays 7:30pm)
Embodied Yin at Yantra is our weekly invitation to unwind and reconnect.
Naomi weaves traditional Yin shapes with embodied cues — guidance that helps you sense from the inside out. Expect a warm, inclusive space; thoughtful sequencing; longer, supported holds; and time to integrate at the end so you leave grounded and clear.
Who it’s for: Absolute beginners to seasoned practitioners, including athletes seeking mobility and recovery.
How it feels: Unhurried, supported, meditative — with options to suit your body on the day.
What to bring: Curiosity, comfortable layers and (optional) your favourite blanket.
👉 Reserve your mat for Tuesdays at 7:30pm
Getting Started: A Few Tips
Arrive a little early to settle and choose props that support you.
Find your edge — just enough sensation to stay present — and let time (not force) do the work.
Use your breath as an anchor. If breath becomes strained, ease out or add support.
Be patient. Change in connective tissue is gentle and cumulative.
After class, notice the ripple effects: steadier mind, easier posture, deeper sleep.
That’s Yin doing its quiet work.
Class: Embodied Yin with Naomi — Tuesdays, 7:30pm
Where: Yantra Studio (see our Timetable page for details)
Ready to experience the power of stillness?
Join us for Embodied Yin — a weekly space to soften, ground and reconnect.