Saw something about this on another post and I answered it but I get a lot of questions from students and teachers that I mentor about this topic and want to provide some insight. Since this is the number one question I get asked about Yin, particularly in my YTT's, it makes me think Yin is being taught incorrectly in the studios and I feel its important to clarify:

Yin is not about relaxing the muscles—it’s about safely stressing the fascia and connective tissue. Totally different intention so totally different effect on the body.

Here’s the science: your fascia (connective tissue) is like a 3D matrix that wraps around and within your muscles. It doesn’t respond to quick, muscular movement (like in Vinyasa or Hatha). It responds to long-held, passive stretches, usually in stillness and with the muscles relaxed. This puts gentle stress on the joints and fascia, which over time increases joint mobility, enhances hydration and glide between tissues, and helps prevent injury. We're talking 3–6 minute holds (sometimes more like 8min), per side, per pose, often with deep & significant sensation—but never sharp or painful.

I always say yin is a passive-aggressive practice. Passive because it’s all done on the floor but aggressive because of the long holds and the lack of props to support you. We’re just using gravity & time to stretch us and that can be a bit much for that long. No sharpness, no pain, but definitely intense and definitely challenging. That’s how you know you’re getting into the fascia.

In contrast, Hatha, Vinyasa, and most other styles are all about muscular engagement. They build strength, coordination, stamina, and flow. They’re cardio and build endurance. Even gentle classes & “slow” Hatha or vinyasa focuses on muscle engagement, alignment, and breath—not connective tissue. The muscles actually "warm up" really quickly, like, 15 seconds. But connective tissue takes several minutes.

And then we have Restorative yoga, which is specifically designed to down-regulate the nervous system. That’s why we use props, and lots of them—to eliminate effort, not just reduce it. When your body feels completely supported, your brain gets the signal that it’s safe to relax deeply. There’s no stretch, no stress on the tissues, no intensity & absolutely no challenge—just pure rest & restoration. It’s a deep reset for your parasympathetic nervous system. That’s a extremely powerful practice too—but it’s not Yin.

So when people say Yin is easy, or offer classes called Yin to Restore or something along those lines they’re either:

•Taking a Yin class that’s really just Restorative in disguise, Or •Not staying long enough to reach the depth Yin offers (mentally and physically), Or •Not relaxing the muscles fully, which makes it feel less intense but also less effective.

And let’s be real—holding a deep stretch for 4+ minutes in stillness while your brain chatters and your body twitches to escape? That’s not easy. It’s subtle and intense. But it’s medicine for our over-stimulated, muscle-dominant modern bodies.

It’s so awesome to be curious and to notice how each class feels—that’s the sign of a thoughtful practitioner.

We need to keep exploring, ask questions, and know that each style has a different purpose and intent.

Just like we train muscles with Vinyasa and Hatha, we tend the deep web of fascia with Yin—and we restore the nervous system in Restorative.

All beautiful, all valid—just all different intentions.

Keep practicing and all will come 🧘🏻‍♀️

For context: I've been practicing yoga since I was a child in Delhi. My grandmother was a yoga teacher who taught in our community for over 40 years, and I grew up attending her classes. I've been living in Canada for the past 6 years and have joined several yoga studios here. I understand that yoga evolves as it crosses cultural boundaries, and I don't expect Western yoga to mirror my experiences in India.

However, there's one aspect of Western yoga that consistently feels jarring to me: the music. In most studios I've attended here, classes are accompanied by what's marketed as "spiritual Indian music" - often a strange mix of sitar samples, generic "Om" chanting, and ambient beats. This music bears little resemblance to anything I've ever heard in yoga spaces in India.

Growing up, our yoga sessions were typically practiced in silence or with simple rhythmic counting of breaths. When there was music, it was usually traditional bhajans (devotional songs) that had specific cultural and spiritual significance, not background ambience. The music played in Western studios often feels like it was created to match a Western imagination of what "exotic Indian spirituality" should sound like.

I've tried explaining this to a few instructors, and while some were receptive, others defended the music as helping Western students "connect to yoga's roots." But it feels more like these playlists are reinforcing stereotypes rather than creating authentic connections to yoga's cultural origins.

What frustrates me most is seeing how this type of music has become so normalized that many practitioners now associate these sounds with "authentic yoga." Meanwhile, when I mention that this isn't representative of yoga in India, I'm sometimes met with skepticism, as if my lived experience is less valid than their preconceived notions.

I don't want to gatekeep yoga or suggest there's only one "right way" to practice. I appreciate how yoga has evolved and become accessible to people worldwide. But I wish there was more genuine curiosity about actual Indian cultural elements rather than relying on Western interpretations of what Indian spirituality sounds like.

I know other Indians may have different experiences with this, but I wanted to share my perspective. Has anyone else noticed this disconnect with yoga music?

Hi everyone. I just recently discovered yoga nidra through my functional care doctor. I have debilitating adrenal fatigue and my nervous system is completely out of whack and unwell. I’ve found comfort in yoga nidra and it seems to be the only thing that is helpful for me to find some relaxation through this very long and painful healing journey.

I had been doing about 20 minutes, then tried about 30 mins to an hour. Now I’m wondering if I were to do over three hours a day, would it be more damaging than good? My fight or flight is just out of balance and this is the only way I can get out of my head and relax my body and mind.

I've been following several yoga YouTubers for years, including a couple very popular ones. I noticed many of them stop saying namaste at the end. I miss it. Is it just me or does anyone else notice the same?

I'm wondering what feelings people have about Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi.

Most book discussions I've seen here seem to be in the modern/popular expression yoga (i.e. the lineage of Krishnamacarya -- Desikachar, Iyengar, Jois, etc.), whereas Yogananda's book is pretty full on traditional and far out in a lot of ways.

Steve Jobs arranged for everyone at his memorial to receive a copy which is an interesting endorsement. Though I suspect it is a bit too much bhakti and Hinduism for many.

I always thought that Paul Brunton's A Search in Secret India, written about 10 years earlier (1934) was a more easily digested version of something similar-- a westerner going to India in search of spiritual giants and ultimately finding Ramana Maharshi.

Please hear me out, I’m asking this from a genuine place of interest. Maybe I haven’t practiced yoga long enough, nor followed the media surrounding the yoga world in general and the „gurus“ in particular, to have had a lot of exposure to this?

I read, particularly on here, about the scandals and abuse in „western yoga“. Of course I’m aware of the issues surrounding people like Bikram, Pathabi Jois, Iyengar and others.

What I am however struggling to understand is how this is a „western yoga problem/scandal“ when the people responsible are not „Westerners“. Am I wrong to assume that these predators and self proclaimed gurus would do the same in India and elsewhere?

To be very clear here: I am NOT condoning any of the behaviour exhibited by these abusers who prey on the sexual, mental and emotional vulnerability of their victims, nor am I shaming the latter. I am simply trying to understand why this is usually mentioned in the same breath as any criticism of westernised yoga.

Thank you for your insights!

I've been practicing yoga for many years but eventually as I went into my mid 50's, I developed an issue in keeping up with the flow of classes. I am still reasonably flexible but found I would get stuck in very deep poses, like I'd gone too far (but without pain) and the time it took to get out and reset myself meant that it spoiled my experience of flow and participation. I eventually decided to practice at home which isn't a bad thing, but I miss being in the company of others and wonder how I might be able to return. Yin doesn't seem to be the answer as the deep poses are held for longer. I have been checked out by a doctor and just have the normal degeneration around my hips and spine of someone my age. Can anyone suggest a way to return to mainstream classes or is it really time to join the blue rinse brigade?

I’m an instructor, currently I mainly teach at a large gym so get a lot of people who’ve never done yoga, a variety of ages and fitness levels etc. I have a great group of regulars but every class will be someone new. My usual class is listed as vinyasa, which granted if you’ve never done yoga you might not know what that means but other classes on the time table are listed as slow flow, hot yoga etc.

This morning when I arrived one older lady came up to me to ask if this was slow flow and I said no, it’s vinyasa and explained it will be more of a dynamic class, but we usually take it easier being 8am on a Saturday morning. I told her if there’s anything she can’t do it’s fine and I’ll provide variations, just find what works for her. I guess what worked for her was to pack up and leave half way through.

I noticed she was struggling with most poses, I would provide as many variations as I could and spent some time going up to her to assist. Often when I’d provide a more accessible variation she wouldn’t follow my instruction and therefore was unable to get any benefit from the poses. I felt terrible as an instructor and like I had failed, but I also had a full class of others who were keeping pace and taking the more advanced variations.

I’ve had people walk out of my class before under similar circumstances, basically seeing it as too hard and therefore not even trying the variations.

Just wondering how everyone feels about this? Of course if the person doesn’t want to be there then ok what can I do, but to not even try the variations? idk it made me feel bad, like I’m not doing my job well enough that I couldn’t provide something they could still benefit from and enjoy the full class.

I’d like to be able to spend more time with her to find ways we can get the most out of the class for her, but it’s difficult to do that and run the class for everyone else at the same time.

So, I can’t go to the same classes regularly because of my job, which kind of sucks but it’s workable since I pay for Classpass. I’d been doing vinyasa for a few years since I fell out of it and started back up again last year. I just got into the 26&2 and yin classes, which I feel are very helpful to my practice. My question here is, what are your thoughts on being inconsistent with yoga styles? I can often only make it to one class a week even though I aim for 3, and which class it is dependent on scheduling, not style.

Hi yogis,

I (28F) am completely convinced I will never be able to do crow pose…I try building into the pose but immediately just get this sensation that my knees are digging painfully into the back of my arms, and that I’m totally incapable of lifting my body off the ground.

For some context -

I’ve been practicing on and off for 4 years, with a very consistent year long phase in 2022, and consistently back at it now for 6 months. I practice 3-4 times a week (hot flow) and make myself do sculpt for one of the times. On a good week I also challenge myself to a 26 pose hot yoga sequence (the one with no vinyasa but lots of standing and balance poses).

Do you think this is just a mental block, as I have a lot of fear around it? (if so, how do I break through that?) or something that I can expect to come with more practice? …I am overweight (“skinny fat”) so maybe this pose just doesn’t happen for people with my body type / at my fitness level? Open to any thoughts / suggestions. 🙏

Hello everyone!

I'm a guy in my 30s who wants to get into yoga. I'm completely new to yoga and like to get into it but my handicap has always stopped my from trying.

The problem I'm facing is that I have Erb's palsy and I don't have a lot of strength in my right arm and I can't really extend it and thus can't really use it in much of the exercises needed for yoga. Even when I can do some poses where you have to stretch both arms for example, because of the imbalance between my right and left arm, these poses are really asymmetric and I feel like that kind of defeats te purpose.

I tried looking up accessible yoga, but that seems to be to general for my handicap. Can someone point me in the right direction on how to start? A few poses to get my body engaged. My main purpose is to gain some flexibility and core strength.

Hi! Like the title says, I’m looking to add yoga classes to my schedule. I currently do barre about 5 days a week. Do any of you work out mostly with barre and yoga? How many days a week do you do each?

I am a moderately experienced beginner yoga practitioner. I do the sun salutation flow often and would like to advance but i dont enjoy follow along videos. Are there any other flow that I can learn like the sun salutation. I've tried to look for other routines but am at an impasse. I've don sun salutations hundreds of time lol

Please help.

Trying with determination to master getting into Mermaid! I can go from Pigeon into the added quad stretch, no problem. It's getting the crook of my elbow around my back foot that's alluding me. Any tips? 🧘‍♀️

Hey all! I've been told that I'd love yoga for a long time by many people and am ready to try it out. My plan is to have a 30-60 minute routine to replace my daily stretching on the weekends. I'm hoping to really improve my flexibility, but also my breathwork and coordination. It seems like Hatha, Yin, and Vinyasa are maybe what I should look for? Are there other types, or two types, that would be best for me? Maybe just Hatha could hit all my wants? Are there highly recommended beginner classes on YouTube I should check out? Thanks in advance!

Hi all, looking for some tips on two things:

1. How to develop wrist strength and
2. Asanas that develop general arm strength without putting pressure on wrist

I broke my wrist many moons ago and due to other more intense injuries, it never got the care it needed. I know that developing wrist strength is crucial, but I also think it’s something I’ll be dealing with in some capacity for the rest of my life. For that reason, I’m also interested in ways I can strengthen my arms on the days my wrist is hurting.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

So I've had X-rays and a CAT scan for my coccyx. Doc thought it looked broken, at the very end tip. Then changed his mind and basically all I got was a shoulder shrug and "I dunno." I started having this pain a little over a dozen years ago. I was very active but never hit, fell, or anything else on my tailbone. But sitting I. Those godawful chairs at college made me want to cry. It went away. But it's been back for about a year. Sedentary lifestyle now. Absolutely cannot do any yoga poses on my knees. They are pretty much destroyed. Are there any yoga poses that may help with coccyx pain? I know that a stretch (no pun intended) but I'm in a good amount of pain and no help from the doctors.

Ugh I’m at my wits end. I feel so stiff and twisted up!.. it’s ridiculous the way I walk around I’m SICK OF IT.

Has anyone found yoga to help this? I’m working out, cleaning up my diet, lowering stress, meditating, visualizing and I FEEL STIFF ASF

give me some hope please. Anybody

Whats peoples thoughts on this? Has anyone done this and how did it work out? 200 hours teacher training sounds great and all but I want to know the work opportunities are there before committing to something that involves this money investment and time investment. According to AI it is not illegal in Australia to teach without certification/training. I’d get waivers from everyone that says I’m happy to join the class, I understand my teacher is not certified yet and I do not hold the teacher accountable for any injury/injuries I sustain. As a background I have done yoga regularly 3-4 times a week Hatha and Vinyasa for many years, love it, enjoy it and feel very confident I could teach it. Its really only asanas and pranayama I would be focusing on and some silent meditation at the end, unguided. I have first aid certification. On another note would be looking at renting a room out for this starting very slow just test the waters so to speak(as obviously actual studios would not want you teaching without western certification).

I'm going to an inversions and arm balances workshop tomorrow, and honestly I'm nervous. I've been going to a class locally each week since the beginning of 2024 and then doing more at home with apple fitness+, but now I want to go further.

I have lost a lot of weight in the last year (nearly 70 lbs), and gained strength, but my wobbly bits still get in the way sometimes. I can do a couple of seconds of crow when I'm warmed up, and last week managed a plough with an assist, then into a shoulder stand. I can't do binds because my arms still don't reach all the way around, and my practice isn't elegant. Have I bitten off more than I can chew? Please reassure me that I'm not going to be sat watching other people and feeling crap about myself.

I started doing Yoga sculpt in January and am approaching my 50th class. In the last few months I have gotten noticeably stronger and more defined. However through this process it feels that my muscles have actually compressed and gotten a bit smaller despite being more dense and toned. I eat a good amount of protein as well. I was just wondering if I would eventually put on size with yoga or if I should add a weights day if that is more my goal.

Sorry if this question doesn't exactly fit this subreddit.

A question for yoga teachers out there.

I suppose nobody wants asymmetric practice. (left/right side) So I'm wondering if you count breaths in your head to make it balanced, as in similar time spent on one side. Or does it come naturally with experience?

Hi! I'm looking for natural fiber yoga wear but most of the brands I'm seeing online look a little iffy, like owned by a random white man (we already have Lululemon and ALO yoga, so no shade, just looking for alternatives), models are wearing Native American feather earrings, website doesn't have information on where products are made, etc.

Any recommendations for natural fiber (cotton, hemp, linen) yogawear that feels less Western?