Warm Up

• Keep in mind that stretching itself is not warming up. Yin yoga is a cooling practice that requires a "yang" or warming complement in order to be effective. Before you begin a practice of yin yoga or any stretching modality, you want to warm your body and your muscles to prevent any injury. Begin with joint rotations, working your way upward from the toes all the way to the neck. Circular motions in both directions (clockwise and counterclockwise) will help lubricate the joints with synovial fluid, permitting a greater range of motion. After completing your joint rotations, begin a five-to-10-minute aerobic exercise routine. This could include a traditional yoga class, walking, running, swimming or any movement that gets your blood pumping. Increased blood flow improves flexibility, facilitating deeper stretching with better results.
  
  

Soften Muscles and Stay

• Once the body is warm, you can begin your yin yoga practice. To achieve a good and safe strength of the connective tissue that surrounds the joints, you need to remember two things. First, your muscles must remain soft. Aerobic or yang exercise builds strength by engaging and tensing muscles; yin yoga requires just the opposite. As yin yoga teacher Paul Grilly explains, "Muscular tension compresses the joints and thereby limits their range of motion." When muscles are relaxed or disengaged, connective tissues can be stretched, allowing joints to reach their full range of motion.
  Next, you need to hold your stretches or "poses" for several minutes to achieve the maximum benefit. When the muscles are passive, holding the stretch for an extended period of time will increase mobility and relieve pain. To assist in releasing muscles and maintaining long holds, you can use props such as soft blankets, blocks or bolsters to help support and soften the body. Stay with the pose for three to five minutes and continue to breathe.
  
  

Different Poses

• There are dozens of different yin yoga poses that target specific joints in the body. You can find a full list of examples with pictures at www.yinyoga.com.
  To relieve pain in the legs and lower back, sit on the floor and extend your legs out in front of you. From here simply fold forward and let your arms go soft. To support a softening of the legs, prop blankets underneath the knees.
  To relieve pain in the hips, simply side with legs crossed, bringing a blanket underneath the tailbone. To support knees, you can roll up blankets and prop them under the knees. From there, fold forward and hold for several minutes.
  To access the shoulder joint and chest, lie on your back and hug your knees into the chest. From here, rock onto your right hip and let your knees rest on one another. Then, open your arms wide like wings. Breathe here for several minutes and take the same twist to the other side.