90 Minute Yin Yoga | Balance Holding On & Letting Go

This 90-minute yin yoga practice invites you to explore the balance between holding on and letting go. You’ll settle into long-held, passive stretches that target the deeper connective tissues of the body while creating space to observe your breath and mind. The practice encourages patience, stillness, and the ability to soften where you can. Expect a slow, meditative experience that leaves you feeling deeply relaxed, open, and grounded.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to your yin practice for today. For this practice you'll want to have all of your props so grab your bolster, Your two blocks, And your strap and start in a comfortable seated position. So maybe elevate your hips if that feels good for you. You can sit cross-legged, You can sit in a hero's pose, Maybe supported by props. So get comfy however you like to. And just sit up tall through your spine, Relax your shoulders, And close your eyes. Take some time to settle into your body and into your breath. Allow your physical body to soften and relax, But strive to create length in your whole spine. And allow your breath to deepen. Gently scan your body and take notice of any places where you may be holding onto tension. And any time that you find a place like this in your body, Consciously give yourself permission to let it go. Find a balance between holding on and letting go. Where can you strike that balance? Where can you keep a little bit of muscular activation that's needed to sustain this shape? And then where can you let go of tension that is not necessary? Bring your awareness to your breath. And slow and even out its rhythm. Take a full, Deep inhale. And a full, Deep exhale. Inhale through your nose for the count of one, Two, Three. Feel the natural pause at the top of your breath for the count of one, Two, Three. Exhale through your nose for the count of one, Two, Three. Feel the natural pause at the bottom of your exhale for the count of one, Two, Three. Inhale through your nose for the count of one, Two, Three. Pause and hold the breath in for the count of one, Two, Three. Exhale through your nose for the count of one, Two, Three. Feel the pause as you hold the breath out for the count of one, Two, Three. Exhale through your nose for the count of one, Two, Three. Exhale through your nose for the count of one, Two, Three. Continue breathing in this way. Follow your own rhythm. You may wish to keep the count of three. You may wish to increase the count to four or six or eight. Equalize the lengths of your inhales, The length of the pause at the top of your inhale, The length of your exhale, And the length of the pause at the bottom of your exhale. You can visualize a square in your mind's eye. Breathe in as you draw up on the square. Pause as you draw across on the square. Breathe out as you draw down on the square. Pause as you draw across on the square. Continue to follow your breath. Find the balance between holding on to the breath and letting go of the breath. You have the option to continue using this breath throughout your whole practice. Or if you would prefer, You can simply relax into a soothing natural breath. Choose the option that will suit you best and slowly open your eyes. Release your props toward the side of your mat and cross your ankles to roll forward onto all fours. Find a neutral tabletop position. Stack your shoulders over your wrists and your hips over your knees. And keep your hips stacked directly over your knees as you slowly walk your hands forward toward the top of your mat. And melt the weight of your chest toward the floor. And you can walk your hands as far forward as it suits you, As far as you'd like. And then release the weight of your upper body down. So you're welcome to release the weight of your torso toward your bolster or you can place blocks underneath your chest and your forehead. If it feels appropriate, You can release either your chin or your forehead to the floor. And soften into the space between your shoulders. Soften the chest as you melt it down toward the floor. Soften your breath, Perhaps continuing with that square breathing. And in this shape, Observe where you need to hold on and where you can let go. Can you strike the perfect balance between holding on and letting go? Take a deep breath in. Feel the natural pause at the top of the breath. Let go of the breath with an exhale. Feel the natural pause at the bottom of the breath. And on your next inhale, Press down against your arms to slowly and gently rise back up to a neutral tabletop. Stack your shoulders over your wrists and your hips over your knees and flow through any organic movement that feels nice. So maybe you just want to take circles with your whole body. Reaching your hips back to the side and forward as your shoulders go along for the ride. Maybe you'd like to flow back and forth between cat and cow. Maybe you'd prefer to find stillness and just sit back into a child's pose. Move your body in any way that it wants to be moved right now. And take two more breaths wherever you are. Find your way back into a neutral tabletop. And then cross your ankles and release your seat back behind your heels. Stretch your legs forward in front of you and option to elevate your hips as little or as much as you'd like. So you might want to just slide a towel underneath your hips. You might want to place a bolster or a block or a block over a bolster. So option to elevate the hips as you wish. Create length through your spine. And then from here, I'm going to turn to face you so you can see. Bend into your right knee and draw the sole of your right shin roughly parallel to the front of the mat. You can kind of scoot your left foot out of the way so that it's not in the way of anything. And have your right shin roughly parallel toward the top of your mat. Now you are welcome to keep this leg as it is and just simply reach your left leg forward and over so you create kind of a figure four shape with your right leg underneath your left knee. Again, You have the option to elevate your hips. If it feels appropriate for you, You can also bend into your left knee and then draw your left shin roughly parallel toward the top of your mat. So cross your left shin over your right and let your left foot just slide over just right off of your right knee. If you have gaps between your legs, Elevating your hips can help. You're also welcome to place props between your knees. They can go underneath either knee or both and under your hips as well. And if this just does not feel nice in your knees at all in any of these variations, Then you can come to lie down on your back and just take a figure four reclined. So just cross your right ankle over your left knee and maybe draw both legs in toward your body. But if this feels good for you, You can also activate your feet if that feels better for your knees by flexing your ankles just to activate some of the musculature around the knee joints to support them. If it feels comfortable for you, You're welcome to have your feet just relaxed. So from here, Take your hands behind your hips. You can be on your fingertips on blocks or with your palms flat on the floor and gently press down against the mat to expand the crown of your head towards the sky. And just notice how this gentle pressing will subtly and gently tilt your pelvis forward in space. Strive to keep this pelvic tilt. And you can either stay here or if it feels appropriate, You can slowly round your back body by drawing your chin toward your chest and lean the weight of your torso forward in space. You can walk your hands forward with you if that feels good. You're welcome to keep props as they are. If it feels better to release props, Then you're welcome to do that as well. You can also use your props to support your forward fold. So maybe take a bolster on an angle to support your forehead. Maybe lay over the bolster. Perhaps take a block and place it underneath your forehead. So play around with your props. Find a setup that feels really comfy and cozy for you. Something that you can really soften and relax into. And when you find that place, Really allow yourself to find a balance between holding on and letting go. Where do you need to hold on to strength in your body? Where do you need to engage musculature to support the shape? And where are you able to release and let go? Find an appropriate edge for yourself. And then commit to stillness. You can always disturb the stillness by either backing off slightly or perhaps deepening your edge. But commit to stay for some time. Where do you need to hold on? And where can you allow yourself? To let go. Take five deep breaths. If you fold it forward slowly and mindfully, Round back up through your spine. Release your legs. Move any props over toward the side. And take any organic movements here that you would like to. Maybe you want to bend your knees and twist over one shoulder and then the other. Maybe you'd like to take a slight back bend and take your hands behind you. Root evenly into your feet and your hands. Roll open your chest and lift your hips into a reverse tabletop. So move your body however it wants to be moved. Maybe you just want to take a gentle forward fold. You can kind of move around however feels appropriate. Take about two or three more breaths wherever you are. And then when you're ready, Move your right leg over toward the right side of your mat. If you're on your back, You can simply switch the cross of your legs. Bring your left ankle over your right knee and draw both knees toward your chest. But if you're seated, Then move your right leg toward the right side of your mat and bend into your left knee to draw your left shin roughly parallel to the top edge of your mat. You're welcome to elevate your hips. You're welcome to place props underneath your left knee. Now you can either stretch and straighten your right leg forward to rest your right knee over your left ankle. Or if you would like to, You can also bend into your right knee and cross your right ankle just off of your left knee and draw your shin to stack roughly over your left shin. Again, You're welcome to place props between your knee and your ankle. You're welcome to place props underneath your bottom knee. You're welcome to elevate your hips onto props. So play around with what feels best for your body. If it feels appropriate, You can flex your ankles to activate the muscles around your legs or supporting your knees. This might help to relieve any tension in the knees. If it feels appropriate, You can just relax the feet. You might notice a very big difference from side to side in the body. So if this is irritating your knees on this side, Then go to lie down on your back and take a reclining figure four shape. But if this feels nice for you, Then take your fingers or your hands or props behind your hips and root down gently against your hands to lift and lengthen your whole spine. Allow your pelvis to just gently tip forward. You're more than welcome to stay here. Or if you'd like to, You can slowly start to round your back body, Draw your chin towards your chest, Walk your hands forward toward the top of your mat and fold the weight of your torso down over your legs. Again, You can use your props for support in really any way that feels comforting for you. Find a nice position for your body that allows you to soften into the shape. Find an edge that really feels appropriate for you in this moment. And when you find that edge, Commit to stillness here. Commit to time. And in this shape, Can you strike a balance between holding on and letting go? Where do you need to hold on to muscular energy to support the shape? And where can you give yourself permission to let go? Take five deep breaths. If you fold it forward, Inhale to slowly and carefully rise back up. Move your props to the side. Stretch your legs forward. And just move your body however it wants to be moved. Maybe you'd like to take a gentle forward fold over both legs. Maybe you want to move into a classic twist. Maybe you want to lift your hips into a reverse tabletop or reverse plank. Maybe you feel like pressing back into down dog or releasing into child's pose. Just move your body however it wants to be moved right now. Find some gentle counter poses for your body. Take another two to three breaths. And when you're ready, Find your way into a seat. And grab your blocks. And place one block on its highest height at the back of your mat. Place your second block slightly forward in front of that on its lowest height. And then place your bolster over the blocks. So that it forms a slope. You can rearrange that how you need to so that it really feels supported. And then come to kneel on your legs in front of the bolster. So let the bolster be back behind you and sit onto your heels. So if this doesn't feel great for the tops of your feet, You can always roll up a towel or a blanket and slide it underneath the tops of your feet for some extra support there. If this doesn't feel nice on your knees, You can also slide a rolled up towel or blanket and place it in between your knees. If neither of those options really work for you and it still just doesn't feel comfortable, You can stretch your legs straight. You could also bring the soles of your feet together and open your knees out wide. So you can choose one of those options if you'd prefer. If this does work for you and it feels okay, Then you have two main choices. You can first keep the big toes together and open the knees out wide into this saddle shape and then just lay back over your bolster. Relax the weight of your knees toward the floor. Soften and release into the front of your thighs. Now, If this option does not feel good for you, Then you can choose maybe to draw your knees together and lift your seat and draw your feet apart and then either sit on to a prop or to the floor between your legs. And then again, Same thing, Come to release back into this reclined heroes variation. So you can choose either knees together, Feet apart, Or feet together, Knees apart. If neither of these options work for you, You may wish to bring the soles of the feet together and the knees out wide. You might just prefer to stretch the legs out and focus on the gentle backbend as you lay over the bolster. So choose a variation that really feels nice for you. And then surrender your weight over your props. And let your arms relax into any position of comfort. So you might want to interlace your fingers over your rib cage, Maybe release your arms by your sides. You might feel nice opening your arms out wide. So just play around with what feels really good for you. Maybe close your eyes. And you're welcome to stay here at this edge if it feels nice. If you would prefer, You can release the blocks from underneath your bolster and just lay over the bolster flat on the floor. So you can kind of experiment with what feels best for you. You might want to play with a couple different edges before you decide on the one that you like best. And then when you find the appropriate edge for your body in this moment, Commit to stillness. And commit to stay here for some time. In this shape, Whatever shape that your body may be taking, Are you able to find a balance between holding on and letting go? Where do you need to keep activation in the body to sustain the shape? And where can you allow for complete surrender? How can you balance holding on and letting go? Take five full breaths. On your next inhale, Release your arms by your sides if they're not there already. Gently ground down into your arms to lift and rise all the way up. You can move all your props toward the side. Release your legs forward in front of you. And take any organic movements that feel nice. So maybe you want to reach your hands behind you. Walk your feet out as wide as your mat and windshield wiper your legs from side to side. Maybe you want to fold forward. Maybe you want to back bend. Maybe you want to twist. You can play around with any movements that feel good for you. Take two more breaths. And when you're ready, Bring your legs back to plant down on the floor in front of you. Stretch your legs straight. And come to lay on your left side. So root down into your left forearm. And bend your left elbow so you can slide your torso to the floor and rest your head into your left hand. Use your right hand to help stabilize your balance. Just ground it down forward in front of you. And then reach your right leg across your mat so that it comes to the outside of your mat. And you can really just ground down through your foot. So trying to create almost a 90 degree angle between your legs or in that direction. Just reach your right leg out in line with your hip. And then from here, Bend into your left knee and draw your heel toward your seat. Now you may wish to take your strap and loop it around your left foot. Or you may wish to catch a hold of your foot with your right hand. Slide your knee down toward the bottom of your mat. So you really create a straight angle through the leg as much as possible. And then gently draw your knee in toward your seat. Relax the weight of your upper body into your hand. Relax your right leg. And keep a little bit of energy in your right arm and your left leg as you draw your heel toward your seat. And you find a balance between holding on and letting go. Maybe even close your eyes or soften your gaze. Surrender into the opening you're creating. And recognize where you need to keep some subtle activation in the body, Where you need to hold on. And recognize where you can let go. So perhaps check in with the muscles in your face and your jaw, Your neck. You do not need to hold tension there, So allow all of that to soften. Where do you need to keep activation? And where can you let go? Perhaps if you would like, You can return to that square breath. Breathe in for a count. Hold the breath in for the same count. Breathe out for a count. And hold the breath out for the same count, Equalizing all sides of the breath. Creating that perfect balance between holding on and letting go. Take five deep breaths. On your next exhale, Very gently, Slowly, Release your left leg. Release your right hand back down to the right side of your mat. Stretch your right leg back behind you, And slowly roll over onto your belly. Stack your hands on top of each other. Release either a cheek or your forehead into your hands. And give yourself permission to completely let go. Let go here. On your next breath, Slowly press the floor away. Lift your head and chest. Root down into your right forearm and roll over onto your right hip. Bend into your right elbow and rest your head into your right hand. Use your left hand to stabilize your balance. You can plant it just forward in front of your chest. And then reach your left leg out roughly in line with your hip so it comes just off of your mat. And you can root your whole foot down into the floor to maybe stabilize the shape a little bit more. From here, Bend into your right knee and draw your heel towards your seat. And reach back and either loop a strap around your foot or catch your foot with your right with your left hand. Reach your right knee down toward the bottom of your mat so it points toward the base of the mat. And then gently draw your heel in towards your seat. Soften the weight of your upper body down. Relax the weight of your head into your hand. If you would like to, You can close your eyes here. And as you surrender into stillness within this shape, As you commit to stay here for time, Scan your physical body and just observe where you need to hold on and where you can allow yourself to let go. Scan your breath to find the same balance. Where do you need to hold on? And where can you allow yourself to let go? Perhaps return to your square breath. Inhale for a count. Hold on to the inhale for the same count of time. Let go with an exhale for the same count. And then hold on to the exhale for an equal count of time. Take five deep breaths. On your next exhale, Gently release. Relax your right leg. Release your left hand to the floor so that you can bend into your left knee and stretch your left leg behind you and slowly roll down onto your belly. Stack your palms on top of each other and either rest your forehead or cheek onto this pillow that your hands are creating. Allow yourself to completely let go here. On your next breath, Gently root down against the floor to lift the weight of your head and chest. And in any way that's comfortable for you, Slowly roll over onto your back. Bend your knees and place both feet flat onto the floor. Lift your hips and slide your hips over toward the right side of your mat and keep your hips there as you stretch and extend your legs out long. Keep your hips tilted over toward the right side of your mat and walk your feet toward the left side of your mat as far as feels comfortable. You can keep your legs apart from each other. If you would like to, You can take your left leg and cross it over your right and kind of anchor that leg to the floor. If you'd like to increase the sensations on your outer right hip, Then you can cross your right leg over your left so you can play around with what feels best for you. And then keep your lower body as it is and reach your arms up toward the sky. Catch a hold of your right wrist with your left fingertips and maintain your hips and your legs as they are, But just gently slide your upper body, Your torso, And your shoulders toward the left side of your mat. So create a big C curve through your whole body, A soft, Gentle banana shape. And you're more than welcome to keep your hands over your head. If this causes any tingling sensations, You might want to bend your elbows, Maybe create a cactus shape, Or you could, Of course, Release your arms by your sides. But if this feels good to you, Then simply allow the weight of your body to really soften into the floor. And breathe into the subtle opening through the whole right side of your body. Observe where you need to hold on in this shape. And observe where you can allow yourself to let go. Take a long, Deep inhale. Hold and pause the air in. Let go with your exhale. Pause and hold the air out. And slowly, Mindfully, Draw your upper body back to neutral, Draw your legs back to neutral, Draw your hips back to neutral. And just pause for a moment. Surrender in Dishavasana. Allow yourself to completely let go. And then when you're ready, Bend your knees and plant your feet onto the floor. Root down against your feet and lift your hips to slide them toward the left side of your mat this time. And then keep your hips there as you stretch and straighten your legs. Walk your legs toward the right side of your mat as far as you'd like to. And you're welcome to keep the legs parallel. You're welcome to cross your right leg over your left to work as an anchor on that leg. Or you're welcome to cross your left leg over your right to accentuate the stretch through the outer left hip, The whole outer left leg. Now keep your lower body as it is and reach your arms up over your head. And hold on to your left wrist with your right fingertips. Then slide your torso, Slide your shoulders toward the right side of your mat as far as you'd like to. You can always keep your arms up overhead. If you would prefer, You can bend your elbows into a cactus shape. You always have the option to release your arms down by your sides if you prefer. Wherever you choose to be, Check in with where you need to hold on and where you can allow yourself to let go. How can you find this perfect balance? Take a deep inhale. Pause and hold the breath in. Let go with a deep exhale. Pause and hold the breath out. On your next breath, Slowly and mindfully recenter your body on your mat. Walk your feet out wide. Release your arms beside you. Wiggle around and move around however you need to to get really cozy and comfortable. And then give yourself permission to completely let go. Inhale deeply. Pause and hold the breath in. Let go with a deep exhale. Pause and hold the breath out. And draw them toward your chest. And gently roll over to one side. Press down against the floor. And allow yourself to sit. And you're welcome to sit on any props that you'd like to. Really elongate your whole back. Hold on to the tiniest bit of tension through your spine. But then allow everything else to let go. Inhale for the count of two. Pause and hold the breath in for two. Four. Let go with an exhale for two. Three. Pause and hold the breath out. Draw your palms together in front of your heart center. In the wise words of Rumi, Life is a balance between holding on and letting go. May you always find that perfect balance. Namaste.