19/09/2026
New yin yoga class on the last week of the month
What’s that you might be saying. Well, if you like the idea of a thoughtful yoga practice that helps you to understand your body better, to learn where you may hold tension or have areas of restriction in your body, and then use targeted poses to bring ease into these areas, then yin yoga may just be for you.
Yin is different to many of the yoga classes you’ll see on offer, which involve moving the body, with light, repetitive movements to engage the muscles, with the practice being done laying down, kneeling, seated, standing and all points in between.
Yin differs in that we apply gentle, sustained focus (usually called compression) to the deep connective tissues—fascia, ligaments, and joint capsules—through long, still, passive holds. The key word here is sustained.
Yin poses are usually held while seated (on the floor or on a chair) or lying down, sometimes kneeling. It’s passive (but not without focus), it’s still, it’s never forced or rigid, and there is no one “perfect” version of a pose, every body will find its own shape. There is no competition between students, and I also encourage you not to expect that you “should” be able to do this or that, there’s no should, we just aim to experience the pose and the sensations as we spend time in it. Also, there’s virtually no need to get up and down from the floor during the class.
We often use bolsters, straps, and blocks to support us in the pose, enabling us to really settle in (or rather to allow the pose to settle in us).
If that sounds as clear as mud, then try this analogy from one of Yin’s greatest proponents, Paul Grilley: “To straighten teeth, you don’t force them, you wear braces—a low-grade stress held over time so the tissue can adapt. Yin uses the same dials you already know from any physical training, just set differently. Each shape usually happens once, holds run about two to six minutes, and intensity builds slowly instead of arriving all at once.”
Many of my students love yin, they say that it’s subtle, it takes time, it helps them to really undo tension and stress in their body, and they usually find they feel more peaceful and less mentally “busy” after a practice. It works on many levels – physical, energetic, emotional.
So for example, the picture above is me in a version of Dragonfly pose, a shape that helps to target tension in the inner thighs (adductors), hamstrings, lower back, and groin. It’s also said to encourage stillness and mindfulness, and help balance emotions. (I'm also smiling, while staying still and easing in can be a challenge, yin poses should never be painful.)
Whether you’re a seasoned practitioner, or would like to try it for the first time, you’ll be very welcome.
Yin classes are on the last week of the month - at 930am on Wednesday mornings in Houlton (between Daventry and Rugby), and 630pm on Thursday evenings in Badby, near Daventry.
I’m happy to answer any queries, so do get in touch, or if you’d like to book pop over to my Kind Heart Yoga with Ruth booking page. And, if this is your first time taking a class with me, please use the code NS5 to get your first class for £5.
https://bookwhen.com/kindheartyogawithruth =ev-stii0-20260921100000
barn at houlton
