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It was 7 pm by the time I realized I hadn’t taken a break since the moment I woke up. A break from doing work, fiddling with my calendar, texting friends, preparing lunch, thinking about lunch the next day, and any number of things that didn’t involve just chilling the heck out.
If you’re also someone who frequently finds themselves in mental spirals disguised as “productivity,” then this probably sounds very familiar to you.
The thing is, recognizing these spirals for what they are is the first step in pressing pause on whatever you’re doing—seriously, put DOWN the phone—and explore your options to connect with calm. Like these yin yoga practices on YouTube.
5 of the Most Satisfying Yin Yoga Youtube Practices
Take the guesswork out of which yoga video you’ll be practicing and let the creators below guide you into a state of less doing and more being.
1. 30-Minute Full Body Yin Yoga Stretch by Travis Eliot
About halfway through the video, Eliot quotes Gordon Hempton: “Silence is not the absence of something, but the presence of everything.” That’s an apt description for what it feels like to engage with this 30-minute practice. The chill background music and Eliot’s reassuring words allowed me to let go of the demands of an otherwise busy day and settle into the present moment. It includes simple yet effective neck and shoulder stretches and satisfying Savasana at the end, which was longer than most other yin YouTube videos I’d practiced.
My back was super tight when I started this practice, which may be why the first posture Eliot cues (lying on your back in Bananasana) were challenging. Placing a pillow under my knees helped.
2. 20-Minute Morning Yin Yoga by Yoga With Kassandra
Many yin yoga Youtube practices are lengthy. Some even exceed the one-hour mark. The first reason I was drawn to Kassandra’s 23-minute yin video is it’s short and sweet. The second? It’s morning yin, a needed reminder that what’s often the busiest time of day has the potential to be the most mindful.
Kassandra’s thoughtful explanations helped me decide which variation of certain stretches to take to intensify or lessen sensation. The practice also includes stretches I hadn’t done in yin before, including a reclining straight-leg stretch (you’ll need a strap or belt). One commenter noted she practices this morning yin practice every day and it has helped diminish her hip pain.
3. 50-Minute Full Body Yin Yoga Practice by Breathe and Flow
Led by Flo Niedhammer, this practice is a no-frills “flow”—no excessive talking and no background music, which one commenter says really helps them focus. (I did hear some white noise in the background, which was a little distracting, but after a few minutes I didn’t notice it.)
Niedhammer gives valuable reminders that everyone’s body is built and operates differently, and so there is no one-size-fits-all approach to yoga. To that end, he shares tips on how to lessen the intensity of Pigeon for the knees and options to stack blocks or books under the back hip (although not until the second side, so you may want to have your props handy before that). My tight hips appreciated the variety of hip-openers, although they found some of the poses were challenging to remain in for minutes at a time, specifically Half Cow Face Pose and Pigeon.
4. Yin Yoga for Chest & Shoulders by The Bare Female
One word to describe this sequence? Surrender. That’s exactly the intention of this “letting go of old energies” practice from the Bare Female. With minimal cueing and ambient music, the practice was an ideal backdrop to connect with myself and my emotions.
I also connected with the knots in my shoulders which gently loosened in supine spinal twists and Thread the Needles. The instructor’s cue to place a pillow (she used a bolster) underneath my upper back during the final resting pose instilled a message that I carried with me even after returning to my day—that I can safely find a way to open my heart to the world around me, even when I feel stressed.
5. Yin Yoga for Lower Back Tension Release Yoga With Bird
Another video that serves a particular—and often stiff—part of the body, this yin yoga for lower back tension is a physical *and* mental reprieve at any time of day—especially if you spend a lot of time sitting and stressing. It’s a mostly silent practice, aside from the soothing sounds and Bird’s voiceover cueing of the breath that helps ease you into twists (Half Lord of the Fishes) and hip-openers (Happy Baby).
Although there’s no Savasana in this practice, I found it beneficial to close my laptop once the video ended and take my own, which served as a reminder that a moment self-care (watching a yin yoga Youtube video) begets self-care (continuing to rest even after the video has ended). That fact alone makes these practices all the more powerful.
