Yin Yoga for When You Want (Need!) an Intense Stretch

This yin yoga sequence is designed as an intense stretch that brings release to your entire body. It’s designed for those familiar with the stretches of yin yoga and know how to find the balance of effort and ease. If you’re newer to these stretches, there are options and variations for each pose to help you find a shape and a stretch that’s right for you.

Remember that in yin yoga, you’re not pushing or pulling or trying to force yourself into any type of depth in each shape. You never want to feel like you’ve gone too far into a shape so that it feels challenging to stay in it. Once you’ve found the version of each stretch that you can settle into, resist the urge to fidget or move too much. You simply want to hold it in stillness as you breathe.

Sometimes in more intense stretches there’s a tendency to hold the breath or let it become tense or shallow. Focus on letting your breath relax a little more with each breath out. The longer you hold the pose, the more your body will release on its own.

60-Minute Yin Yoga Sequence for an Intense Stretch

You’ll want to stay in each pose for about 3 minutes. You don’t need any props although you can always use a block, bed pillows, couch cushion, or folded blanket anytime you prefer more support.

Half Saddle

Sit on your mat with your legs in front of you. Bend your right knee and tuck your right foot alongside your right hip. Keep the top of your foot pressing against the mat. You want to keep your knees hip-distance apart as you bend your left knee and place that foot on the mat. Take your hands behind you and lift your hips a little and scoop your tailbone underneath you before you set your hips down. You want to start to feel a stretch along your quads.

You can keep your left foot on the mat, lower your left knee to the side, or straighten your left leg in front of you. Stay here in this yin version of Reclining Hero or maybe you lower back onto your forearms. Some pillows beneath the upper back can be nice here. If you want to intensify the stretch, come all the way down to the mat.

Wherever you are, you want to feel as though you can relax rather than remain tense. This yin yoga pose doesn’t always feel good for everyone, so if you feel any pinching or discomfort, especially in your knee or lower back, slowly come out of the pose, straighten your legs in front of you, recline again, and draw one knee toward your chest for the duration of this stretch. You’ll still experience release in your quads.

Ease your way out and come to a seated position. If you’re all the way back, try pushing your elbows into the mat to lift yourself up.

Half Butterfly Pose

Extend your left leg straight in front of you, bring your right foot toward your inner right thigh, and start to lean forward. If you have a block, it can be a nice way to support your forehead, or you can omit that and simply let gravity do the work for you.

Allow your spine to naturally round. You’re stretching through your hamstrings and along the spine. Don’t force the stretch, especially in your first forward fold. Simply try to relax and perhaps let yourself release a little more each time you exhale.

Push your palms into the floor and slowly lift yourself back up to sitting. Take your time.

Cow-Face Pose

Cross your legs and try to stack your right knee on top of your left. Bring your heels toward your hips. Then fold forward from here. See if you can bring your shoulders away from your ears and let your weight sink into your hips. Again, you can use a block beneath your forehead here or you can go without a prop and let yourself dangle as gravity pulls you into your expression of the pose.

If this is not working or not feeling appropriate for you today, bring your right shin staggered slightly in front of your left shin and stay here or lean forward.

When you’re ready, push your hands down into the mat and slowly rise back up. You’re not rushing. Uncross your legs and maybe straighten them out and take some windshield wiper motions with your knees.

Then repeat Half Reclined Hero, Half Butterfly, and Cow-Face Pose on the other side.

Sphinx Pose

Transition into lying on your belly and prop yourself up on your forewarms. You can control the intensity of this backbend. If you want to lessen it, walk your elbows farther out in front of you. If you want to intensify it, bring the elbows toward you. Think of this as an expansion through your chest as you draw your shoulder blades back.

Broken Wing

Release your chest to the mat. Bring your left arm straight out to the side, bend your left elbow, and bring the elbow a little closer to the front of the mat than your shoulder. Roll onto your left hip, shoulder, and ear. I find it easier to bend my knees in this stretch. And then use your right hand to press into the floor a little as you play with the intensity of the stretch along your left shoulder and chest.

You can also play with the angles of your head and arms. Try to relax your jaw, your neck, and your chest. The only effort you’re making is a little pressure exerted by your right hand to help you hold the shape of the pose.

When you’re ready, straighten your legs as you release the stretch on this side. Then repeat the stretch on your other side.

Child’s Pose

Come back to center and push yourself back into Child’s Pose. You can take your knees as wide as you like and then shift your hips toward your heels. Walk your hands out and bring your chest down. You can take a block beneath your forehead if you like. Let your arms relax and your shoulder blades slide down your back. Let your breath relax a little more with each breath.

Walk your hands in and slowly lift yourself.

Reclined Twist

Lower yourself onto your back, however you’d like to get there, and then take the reclined twist of your choice. You can either pull your right knee toward your chest and then cross it over your body toward the left. Or you can do the same twist with both knees.

Rest your right hand on top of your left thigh. Think of releasing your right shoulder blade into the mat. Breathe here.

Slowly make your way through to center and then come into the twist on the other side, lowering your knee(s) toward the right.

Reclined Butterfly

Let the bottoms of the feet come together and your knees fall apart and lower toward the sides in Reclined Butterfly or what you might recognize as Reclining Bound Angle. Rest your hands on your belly, along your sides, or reach your arms alongside your head for more of a stretch across the chest.

Think of having absolutely no tension in your body and letting your weight sink into the mat as you become heavier and heavier with each breath.

Happy Baby

The last pose in your yin yoga sequence is a stretch for your hips that helps release the lower back. Use your hands to help bring your knees together and draw them toward your belly. Maybe you stay here and hold your knees apart, almost as if you’re doing Child’s Pose on your back. Otherwise take hold of your big toes with your peace fingers or the sides of your ankles or shins. Stack your ankles over your knees, elbows to the insides of your knees, and think of pressing your tailbone toward the mat. Keep your head and shoulders grounded.  You want to use a little arm strength to hold the pose but not so much that you’re actively engaging or straining.

Savasana

Release your legs to the mat and take any final movements or adjustments here that you’d like and when you’re ready, find your Savasana by straightening your legs, releasing your arms at your sides with your palms facing up, and closing your eyes. This is your time to integrate all the work you’ve just done.

Closing

When you’re reading, start to turn your head side to side and take any other simple stretches that you like. Slowly make your way into a seated position. Sitting tall and closing your eyes, shrug your shoulders down and away from your ears. Simply take a moment to notice how you feel after your practice.

Thank you for practicing this stretchy yin yoga sequence with me and I hope you feel better in your body than before the class.