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Yin Yoga vs Restorative Yoga: What’s the difference?
Both Yin and Restorative are gentle yoga practices suitable for beginners to advanced students.
The ultimate goal of Restorative Yoga is to bring an injured body back to its normal health. Restorative Yoga uses props to encourage your body to completely relax. There is no active stress on the body. This allows the mind to relax and the body to move into a state of renewal, rejuvenation, and healing.
The ultimate goal of Yin Yoga is to bring a healthy body to optimum health. It helps increase blood circulation, mobility, and flexibility. Although Yin is considered gentle, it does not mean it’s an easy practice. You are placing a healthy stress on the deep connective tissues of the body that surround the joints, tendons, and ligaments. It is actually a form of acupressure where the body presses against props, the floor, or other parts of the body to create a healthy stress.
Both Yin and Restorative Yoga use props to support the bones and muscles. When you support the body, it triggers the muscles to relax. You may have heard, “Props help bring the floor closer to you.” or “Use a prop if you can’t… or need….” Totally change your view of props! Using props can be so much fun! There are so many creative ways to use props to support the body and relax the mind.
In Restorative Yoga, your back may rest on a bolster, your hands and feet may be covered, or a blanket may be tucked around your head. Props in Restorative helps you to completely relax, fully surrender, and be 100% comfortable as you hold poses for 10-20 minutes. This total relaxation helps reduce anxiety, manage pain, and increase flexibility.
In my Yin, you settle into poses at your edge, the place where you feel sensation. Then, I support your body with as many props as possible! It’s a running joke in my class that it looks like a Toddler Me Yoga room with all the props we use! In Yin Yoga, your arms may rest against a rolled blanket, your leg may lie across a bolster, or you may have a sandbag across your lower back. Your mind and body are relaxed, but you are keenly aware of sensation as you hold poses for 3 minutes. Not only are poses held for less time in Yin, but there’s 30 seconds where you can return to the stillness of a mini-Savasana or invite Yang movement. These counterposes help to release the static Yin poses, allowing the blood to rush back into the connective tissues of the targeted areas.
It is not uncommon to have one or two Restorative poses in a Yin class. This often occurs in my Yin classes. Although similar, Yin and Restorative Yoga have unique goals and can effectively compliment your Yang yoga practices. Both Yin and Restorative Yoga are gentle practices that creates awareness, sustainability, mindfulness, and peace.
Settle into the peace and stillness of Yin Yoga. Join me for in-person Yin Yoga at Full Distance or live online and on-demand Yin on Burnalong:
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