5 Yin Yoga Sequences to Transform Your Practice

Yin yoga is a slow paced, floor based practice of yoga that aims to work with deep connective tissues by holding yoga poses for longer durations (usually 3-5 minutes). Sequencing a yin practice involves selecting poses that go in a logical sequence through the body and/or focus on particular meridians or areas of tension. In this post, I'll show you 5 full yin yoga sequences and how to create your own from scratch.

You've definitely had a class you came out of energized. The kind that allows you to barely remember an hour passing by and float out to the street feeling lighter than when you walked in. Now consider a class that was the opposite: disjointed, random, unconnected. Same poses, maybe. Completely different experience.

What a power of sequencing. In yin yoga it is even more important.

Yin yoga is a gentler practice as compared to other types of yoga. You're not doing Sun Salutations or creating heat by doing the warrior series. Settling into long, still holds, sometimes for three to five minutes at a time, that focus on fascia, ligaments and deep connective tissues and not on the muscles themselves. When properly done, it's meditative, restorative, and even transformative.

However, if it is not done with the intent? It can be a seemingly random series of floor stretches accompanied by some soft music.

This guide aims to change that. If you're a yin practitioner wanting to expand your home practice, or a teacher wanting to create well-rounded, meaningful, and healing classes for your students, the 5 complete sequences below provide you with that, along with a detailed breakdown of how to sequence the yin practice so each class you teach feels cohesive, purposeful, and healing.

What Makes Yin Yoga Different From Other Styles?

It's beneficial to know a little about the essence of yin yoga before constructing a sequence.

Many of the styles of yoga, such as vinyasa yoga, ashtanga yoga, and power yoga, are considered "yang" yoga. They develop heat, activate the muscles actively and move the body with force. Yin yoga is the opposite. You enter a pose, relax the muscles and engage the weight of your body (or gravity) on the deeper tissues under.

Imagine yang yoga is stimulating the muscle fibres and yin yoga is stimulating the wrapping around the muscle fibres. Slow, sustained load is what is required by fascia, tendons, ligaments and joint capsules — not what you'd see in a flow class.

The poses are generally held for between 90 seconds to five minutes (5 minutes or more for advanced practitioners). They are invariably on the floor. The objective is not to go further, but to discover your "edge" and breathe there.

That is why, many people, who have completed a Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh, find that yin yoga is just as challenging and requires as much skill and study as any other style. The stillness is deceptive. There is a great deal going on under the water.

How to Sequence Yin Yoga Practices

While there is not a lot of complexity to good yin sequencing, there are some principles. These are some things to consider when creating a sequence.

Target one region or theme

The most unified yin sequences are those that target a body part such as the hips and lower back, spine, inner legs, chest and shoulders. In an attempt to do it all in one shot, nothing gets done at a deep level. Identify your target and develop around it.

Consider your meridian lines

Many of the principles of yin yoga are based on traditional Chinese medicine. Each pose activates specific meridian lines or energy channels in the body, each of which represents an organ and an emotion. For instance, the kidney's meridian winds up the inner leg and spine, and the liver's meridian winds up the inner thigh and body. When you sequence with meridians in mind, then your practice has a deeper intention.

Move from one region to adjacent areas

A well sequenced yin class is not a class in which the transition from hips to shoulders and back is rushed through. Rather, it slowly unfolds, first by opening the inner legs then rolling into the hips, then into a lower back, and finally into a reclined twist. This makes it a natural and gradual release via the chain of connected tissue.

Balance the poses

All deep forward folds should have gentle counter poses. All deep hip-openers follow a neutral position (such as savasana or a constructive rest pose) before transitioning to the next pose. Balancing is not only physical but it also enables the nervous system to absorb each release and prepare for the next.

Start slow, end slower

Start your sequence with simple/low poses. Keep the best (most intense) holds in the middle. Slow down at the end using soft and caring forms. Savasana is not a choice, it is the most important pose in the sequence.

Sequence 1: Hip Opening Yin Yoga Sequence (60 Minutes)

This is the order that most people are craving. It's almost a universal complaint: the hips have gotten tight! — whether it's long workdays, stress, or even heavy exercise, the hip flexors, outer hips and glutes can tighten up pretty easily. This sequence covers everything.

1. Child's Pose – 3 minutes (wide knee variation)

2. Standing in Dragon Pose (Low Lunge) for 3-4 minutes on each side.

3. Exercise: Sleeping Swan (Yin Pigeon) — 5 minutes on each side

4. Frog Pose — 4–5 minutes

5. Butterfly Pose — 4 minutes

6. Supine Twist – 3 mins each side.

7. Savasana — 5–7 minutes

Pro Tip: If the pose doesn't feel balanced or the hip doesn't touch the floor, put a folded blanket under the hip of the bent leg. Comfort allows you to remain for longer — in yin yoga, time is the most important thing.

Sequence 2: Spine Release Yin Yoga Sequence (45 Minutes)

The nervous system and energy body runs through you in the center, your spine. This sequence includes a sustained decompression and release in each section of the spine - lumbar, thoracic, cervical.

1. Cat-Cow (slow, 5 rounds) — transitional warm up

2. Sphinx Pose — 4–5 minutes

3. Don't forget to try Sealed Pose — 3-4 minutes (if Sphinx is accessible)

4. Return to a seated forward bend for 5 minutes (Caterpillar).

5. Supported Fish: 4 minutes (bolster or rolled blanket under the thoracic spine)

6. Twisted Roots (Reclined Twist) – 3-4 minutes on each side

7. Savasana — 5–7 minutes

It's a lovely sequence to use at the end of the day or at the end of the day to wind down at the end of the day. The supported fish is an absolute gem for anybody who has tension in the upper back and chest.

Sequence 3: Inner Body Calm — Kidney & Urinary Bladder Meridian Sequence (60 Minutes)

The sequence is designed to activate the kidney and urinary bladder meridian lines along the spine and inner legs. The kidneys are the organ system that holds the patients fear and willpower in Chinese medicine. Once they are used up (due to overwork, stress or chronic tension), the whole system is affected. This sequence is very nourishing.

1. Butterfly Pose — 5 minutes

2. Dragon Pose (Low Lunge) — 3 minutes on each side.

3. Playing Swan — 2 minutes each side, finishing with a rest.Resting Swan — 4 minutes each side.

4. Caterpillar — 5 minutes

5. Snail Pose (gentle inversion) — 3-5 minutes (use a bolster under lower back if necessary)

6. Savasana with legs up the wall — 7-10 minutes.

Pro Tip: It's a good sequence to accompany an intention to nourish the kidneys, such as inviting students (or yourself) to say an affirmation, such as, "I am safe" or "I trust myself" while in each hold. Soften your ears, but this somatic and mental release is a powerful one.

Sequence 4: Heart & Chest Opening Yin Yoga Sequence (45–60 Minutes)

They all go in the chest: Grief, anxiety, and the physical breakdown of hunched over screens. This sequence works the heart and lung meridian, front of shoulders and thoracic spine.

1. Melting Heart (Anahatasana) — 4–5 minutes

2. Sphinx Pose — 3–4 minutes

3. Thread the Needle — 3-4 minutes each side

4. Supported Fish — 5 minutes

5. Broken Wing   — 3 minutes each side

6. Reclined Butterfly — 4–5 minutes

7. Savasana — 5–7 minutes

This sequence highlights the Melting Heart pose. When you walk hands forward while coming onto hands and knees, and when you keep the hips over the knees, the stretch is unique in a yin practice, similar to nothing else. Stay with it. Exhale through the front body.

Sequence 5: Full-Body Yin Yoga Sequence for Beginners (75 Minutes)

This sequence works on the key areas of the body, but doesn't dive too deep into any one area if you're new to yin yoga or teaching a mixed group. Excellent introduction to the feeling of yin and what to expect.

1. Supported Child's Pose — 3–4 minutes

2. Butterfly Pose — 4 minutes

3. Dragon Pose — 3 minutes each side

4. Sleeping Swan — 4 minutes each side

5. Sphinx Pose — 3–4 minutes

6. Supported Fish — 3 minutes

7. Reclined Twist – 3 minutes on each side.

8. Leg up the wall - 5 minutes 

9. Savasana — 7–10 minutes

Minimize instruction and keep the atmosphere calm. It's easy for beginners to feel like they must do more in the stillness, and it is your role (as teacher or as your own guide) to allow them to be.

Many people who elect to pursue a deepening of yin knowledge in a structured program (like a yin teacher training in Rishikesh) find this practice to be the most personally transforming of all the practices they have studied. As much as any manual can teach you, sitting in stillness with other practitioners can.

Build Your Own Yin Yoga Sequence With Confidence

Ordering yin yoga is scientific and intuitive. The more that you practice the more natural the flow of a sequence will be on your mat, in a class and eventually when in front of students. You begin to understand which poses go together, which poses don't feel good with the transitions and which poses are asking the body to go in the same direction.

Start simple. Choose one body part. Select 5 or 6 poses that work that area on a variety of angles. Wait a while, until the tissue reacts. Play neutrals against the deepest hold. End in stillness.

That's really it.

The above sequences are only starting points and not scripts. Adjust them to fit you, your mood, your energy level, on that particular day. If your inner groin requires a rest, try Swap Frog for Butterfly. If your lower back is asking to be skipped, skip it! Yin yoga is all about being aware.

Continue to return to the mat. Keep experimenting. The body does have a memory, and it will remember each and every minute you can find stillness.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do yin yoga poses last?

Typically, yin yoga poses are held for anywhere from 3-5 minutes. A beginning level of 90 seconds to 2 minutes is used and will be increased with time. An advanced practitioner can hold poses for as long as 10 minutes. The idea is to find the "edge" that won't hurt but will be felt and remain there.

How many poses should a yin yoga sequence include?

Usually 6-8 poses (excluding savasana and the transitions between poses) are done in a 60-minute yin class. More poses held longer will be better than many poses held for a short time. The more time, the deeper the depth.

Can beginners practice yin yoga at home?

Yes. One type of yoga that can be practiced at home without much space, equipment or experience is yin yoga. All you need is a yoga mat, a couple of cushions or blankets and a timer.

Is yin yoga suitable for athletes or people who train intensely?

Yin yoga is particularly beneficial to athletes. Over time strong exercise (especially running, cycling, and weightlifting) may make connective tissue shorter and tighter. Yin's long, passive holds generate length and mobility in the fascia and in the joints, which may not be duplicated by active stretching.

What is the difference between yin yoga and restorative yoga?

They're both slow, floor-based activities and they're very different. In restorative yoga there is no stretch in the tissues and the body is supported completely with the use of props. In contrast, yin yoga uses slow, sustained pressure in the more deep connective tissues. Yin yoga is targeted release and restorative yoga is rest.

Should I take a yoga teacher training to teach yin yoga?

You can learn YIN sequences on your own and teach others, but if you opt for a formal training, you'll be equipped with the knowledge of anatomy, sequencing and confidence to teach safely and effectively. For many teachers, a complete teacher training course offers the greatest base for teaching yin yoga professionally.