text: Take a long, deep inhale and exhale. Notice how slowing down your breath calms your mind and body down immediately? Well, Yin yoga is like taking long, deep breaths for your body. Specifically, the connective tissues (ligaments, tendons, and fascia) in your body.
  These tissues wrap muscle fibers and connect muscles to bone. The Yin Yoga poses target deeper tissues.
  The Yin pose is held with gentle pressure for several minutes to work the connective tissue that doesn’t stretch as muscles do. It has a calming effect as a large amount of stress is released from these connective tissue.
  If you are feeling frazzled and stressed, try this simple but effective Yin Yoga sequence to calm yourself down.
  In a seated posture, bring your soles together and then move them away from your hips to create a large diamond-shaped shape. Let your body gently drape over your legs. Rest your forearms against your thighs or your shins.
  This position helps isolate a stretch for the lower back without working out the hamstrings. Hold the position for 1-5 minutes, applying as much pressure to your body as you can.
  Supported Child Pose
  Grab a bolster or blanket rolled up. Place the cushion in front of your face. Allow your chest to rest against the pillow as you slowly walk your arms out in Child’s pose. Rest one cheek against the pillow.
  The Supported Child’s Pose relieves tension from the lower back into the shoulders. It stimulates the parasympathetic system (the mechanism of rest and digestion, in contrast to the sympathetic system’s response mechanism for fight or flight), creating a relaxing effect.
  Hold for several more minutes (halfway, switch cheeks).
  Melting Heart Pose (a.k.a. Puppy Dog Pose)
  You can also release your arms onto the ground by getting on all fours. As you walk forward, extend your arms as you walk your heart to the ground. Rest your forehead or chin either on the mat.
  The Melting Heart Pose stretches the shoulders while lengthening the spine. Hold the pose and continue to breathe for a few minutes.
  Prone Shoulder stretch
  Come down on your stomach and stretch your arms out in a T shape to your sides. Rest your right cheek against the mat and place your left hand near your shoulder. Keep your right arm extended and use your left hand to roll onto your right side.
  This stretch releases tension in the upper back, where stress accumulates. For several minutes, hold and breathe. Then, switch sides.
  Supta Baddha Konasana (Supine Bound Angle Pose)
  Bring your soles together from your back and open your knees wide. One hand on your chest and the other on your stomach.
  The hips will be able to feel the effects of this pose. Hold the pose and continue to breathe for a few minutes. If it is difficult to hold this position, place your blanket or blocks under your knees as extra support.
  Take time to find the yin when there is a yang. Take a deep breath for your body and mind when life is rushing by, and stress sets in. Practice these Yin Yoga poses to bring it down.
  Have you got a favorite yoga pose or sequence that you always use to relax? Comment below with your best tips!