This yin yoga class is a beginner’s guide to fully body stretching. But actually in yin yoga, stretching is not the goal. We're not trying to stretch our tissues; we're trying to give them a gentle stress. This stress helps our body make important changes at a small level, keeping our joints and tissues healthy.

Most types of yoga focus on our muscles. But in Yin Yoga we go deeper into our body to affect the ligaments, joints, and deep fascial networks.

In Yin Yoga, we do things slowly. We sit or lie down on the floor and hold poses for a longer time, like 2 to 8 minutes. In this beginner’s guide to full body stretching, we will do 6 yin yoga poses, taking short breaks between them. This helps stress the connective tissues in our body.

Now, let's talk about stress and stretch. Stress is like the pull or push we put on our body parts, and stretch is how much they get longer because of that pull or push. But here's the thing: just because we stress something doesn't always mean it will stretch. Ligaments, especially, can be stressed in Yin Yoga, but they are not as stretchy as muscles. So, we're not trying to make them stretch; we're trying to give them a little challenge to stay healthy.

Gentle Yin: A Beginner's Guide to Full Body Stretching Sequence:

Supported Fish

Bananasana

Butterfly

Deer

Dragon

Half Dragonfly

Reclined Twist

Poem: Hold Out Your Hand by Julia Fehrenbacher

Props Needed: 2 Blocks