When you look at a yin class from the outside, it appears quiet. People are lying down, holding shapes for longer periods of time, moving very little. Compared to more dynamic styles of yoga, it looks like the place where the nervous system would finally get a chance to settle.

But what I’ve seen over the years, both in my own experience and in teaching, is that slow does not automatically mean safe and stillness does not automatically lead to calm.

In fact, for many people, stillness can be the very thing that brings them into contact with discomfort they weren’t expecting. Because when we remove movement, distraction, and constant input, something else becomes more noticeable.

The body, the breath, sensations that might have been there all along but were easier to ignore. And sometimes, emotions that don’t have a clear explanation, but are very present in the body.

For a nervous system that is already overwhelmed, overstimulated, or used to staying in motion, that kind of stillness can feel unfamiliar. And what is unfamiliar does not always feel safe.

So instead of softening, the body might respond by bracing. Instead of relaxing, the mind becomes more active. Instead of feeling calm, there might be restlessness, irritation, or even anxiety.

And this is the part that often confuses people.

They come to yin yoga expecting to feel better, more relaxed, more grounded. And when that doesn’t happen, they assume something is wrong with them. That they’re not doing it properly. That they just need to try harder to let go.

But often, what’s actually happening is that the nervous system is responding in a very intelligent way. It is noticing that something feels unfamiliar, and it is trying to protect. Long holds, especially when there is no clear permission to adjust, move, or come out of a pose, can amplify that experience. Because when the body feels like it has to stay, even when something doesn’t feel right, it can start to interpret the situation as unsafe.

And that’s where a practice that is meant to support regulation can begin to create the opposite effect, because the way yin yoga is often taught doesn’t always take the nervous system into account. This is where I feel there is a missing layer in many yin yoga spaces.

An understanding that regulation is not about becoming calm. It’s about developing the capacity to move between different states of the nervous system without getting stuck in them. There are moments in life where activation is needed. Where focus, alertness, and energy are appropriate responses. And there are moments where rest, softness, and stillness are supportive. A regulated nervous system is not one that stays in one of these states all the time. It’s one that can move between them with some degree of flexibility.

And yin yoga, when approached with that understanding, can become a very powerful way to support that flexibility and resilience.

But it requires a different relationship to the practice. It requires choice and agency. It requires the understanding that you are allowed to move, to adjust, to come out of a pose if something doesn’t feel right. It requires a language that invites exploration rather than endurance. And it requires an awareness that stillness is not something we force onto the body, but something we allow when the body feels ready for it.

When those elements are present, the experience of yin yoga changes quite significantly.

Practitioners begin to trust themselves more, notice the difference between sensation that feels supportive and sensation that feels overwhelming. They learn how to stay with their experience without overriding it. And from there, regulation becomes something that emerges, rather than something that is imposed.

For teachers, this shift is just as important. Because the way we guide a practice shapes how people relate to what they are feeling. If we present stillness as something that should feel relaxing, students may stay in poses that are not supportive for them, simply because they believe they are supposed to.

But if we acknowledge that stillness can feel different for everyone, and that all responses are valid, we create space for a much more honest and safe experience.

This is the kind of approach that has shaped my work over the years. Once you begin to see that layer, the practice changes. It becomes less about holding poses for a certain amount of time, and more about how you are relating to yourself within that time.

If you’re curious to experience this in a simple and accessible way, I invite you to start with a felt experience in my free Yin Reset practice. It’s a gentle entry point into this way of practicing, where you can begin to notice how your nervous system responds to stillness when there is space, choice, and awareness.

And if you feel ready to explore this more deeply, YinMersion is coming back in June. It’s a free three-day experience where we begin to unpack these layers in a more structured way, whether you’re a teacher wanting to hold space more safely, or a practitioner who senses that there is more to yin yoga than what you’ve been taught so far.



If this resonates and you feel called to this work, I invite you take the first gentle steps:

Try the free Emotional & Nervous System Yin Reset, a short accessible yin practice to experience my signature approach

Ready to go deeper? Join my free YINMERSION event on 19-21 June 2026, a 3-day journey for yoga teachers and practitioners to explore how yin yoga can transform the way you relate to your emotions, body, and nervous system.


More resources:

Download my free eBook: Meridians & Emotions and Yin Yoga

Watch my free Trauma Awareness Webinar: Trauma Informed Yoga Foundations

Join my last live 100HR Trauma Informed Yin Yoga & Chinese Meridians Teacher Training in Thailand before my maternity break:

1-10 Jun 2026

If travelling is not an option right now, you can also join my online self-paced 100HR Trauma Informed Yin Yoga & Chinese Meridians Teacher Training

Join the last live 30HR The Art of Trauma-Informed Space Holding course in Thailand before my maternity break:

15-19 Jun 2026

Join the waitlist of the online self-paced 30HR The Art of Trauma-Informed Space Holding course launching soon

Check out what my previous graduates share about their experience:



Teacher Training Demo Video: