Chronic Pain Relief With Yin Yoga

Chronic Pain Relief With Yin Yoga

Yin yoga is a slow-paced style of yoga that targets the body's deep connective tissues — including fascia, ligaments, and joints. Unlike faster, more dynamic styles, yin involves holding passive poses for extended periods, typically between 3 to 10 minutes. This prolonged stillness encourages deep relaxation, improved joint mobility, and increased flexibility, making it especially beneficial for calming the nervous system and gently releasing tension from the body.

I’ve tried just about every form of yoga under the sun

When I was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, I plunged headfirst into the world of “gentle” exercise. Everyone — from my rheumatologist to well-meaning strangers on TikTok — kept telling me: “Try yoga!”

But here’s what no one tells you

Not all yoga is created equal.

And not all yoga feels good when you live in a body that flares up or fatigues 90% of the time.

For a long time, I thought I was doing it wrong

I’d roll out my mat, press play on a beginner flow, and halfway through… my wrists would throb, my hips would scream, my back would seize up. Even the so-called “gentle” classes left me feeling defeated, more inflamed than before, and wondering how this supposedly healing practice kept putting me in more pain.

Everything changed when I discovered Yin Yoga

What Makes Yin Different

Yin yoga isn’t about performance — it’s about presence.

It’s slow, soft, supportive.

It doesn’t ask anything of my body. Instead, it invites me to rest.

In yin, we hold postures for 3 to 5 minutes (sometimes longer), targeting not the muscles, but the deep connective tissues — the fascia, ligaments, and joints. Instead of “activating your core” or “engaging your glutes,” yin asks the opposite: let go. Surrender. Breathe.

Props are your best friends — bolsters, blocks, blankets, pillows. You use them to fully support your body in each pose. No pushing. No straining. No proving anything. The practice isn’t about flexibility or strength — it’s about creating comfort and stillness. If a shape hurts? You skip it or adapt it.

That’s the magic. In Yin, I feel safe.

Chronic Pain and the Need for Nervous System Support

Living with psoriatic arthritis means constantly negotiating with my body. Some days, just walking to the kitchen feels like climbing Everest. The inflammation, the stiffness, the deep bone aches — they’re all part of my daily landscape.

But one of the sneakiest triggers of all?

Stress.

A stressful day at work? My hands lock up.

Emotional overwhelm? My spine flares.

My body is like an over-sensitive alarm system — one spark of stress, and everything lights up.

That’s where Yin yoga goes beyond the physical. It becomes a nervous system reset.

When I settle into a yin pose, my breath slows. My mind softens. That buzzing, flaring body of mine begins to quiet. It’s one of the only ways I’ve found to gently switch off the chronic fight-or-flight mode I live in.

The Fascia Factor: Melting from the Inside Out

One of the lesser-known benefits of yin yoga is its effect on fascia — the connective tissue web that surrounds our muscles and organs. For those of us with autoimmune conditions or chronic inflammation, fascia can become stiff, sticky, and inflamed… making it hard to move, stretch, or even sit comfortably.

Yin doesn’t force fascia to release — it coaxes it. Slowly. Gently. Through stillness and time.

When I stay in a supported posture long enough, my fascia starts to melt. That softening ripples outward—the pain quiets. The tension loosens. It feels like I’m exhaling from the inside out.

Yin yoga doesn’t require me to be fit, flexible, or strong. It meets me exactly where I am — even when I’m in bed, even during a flare, even when I feel like a statue made of concrete.

No Strain, No Sweat — Just Deep Support

I often chuckle when someone asks, “But does Yin yoga count as real exercise?”

No, I don’t break a sweat.

I don’t torch calories.

I don’t finish class sore or shaky.

But what do I feel?

Held. Grounded. Rested. Like I’ve finally given my body what it truly needed.

It’s not flashy. But it’s healing.

And unlike traditional exercise, it helps me build balance and gentle mobility in my joints, without asking anything in return.

When I lie on my mat—bolster under my back, pillows under my knees, blanket over my feet — it feels like my entire body is whispering:

“Finally. Thank you.”

My Yin Practice Today

I try to practice yin a few times a week — even just 15 minutes makes a difference. I keep a dedicated corner in my living room with props ready to go. I dim the lights, play soft instrumental music, and sink in.

My go-to poses

Supported Child’s Pose with a bolster under the chest

Reclined Butterfly with pillows under the knees

Caterpillar Pose (seated forward fold) with lots of support

Legs Up the Wall, especially helpful for fatigue and swelling

There are no rules. If a pose doesn’t feel good one day, I skip it. If I only manage one posture, that’s enough.

Yin has taught me that doing less can sometimes be the most healing thing.

Final Thoughts: Listening to Your Body, Not Forcing It

If you live with chronic illness or pain, you’ve probably heard it a thousand times:

“Movement is medicine.”

But what no one says out loud is

The kind of movement matters.

And so does how it makes you feel.

Yin yoga is the first practice that made me feel like my body wasn’t broken. That even in pain, my body deserved care. It’s not about pushing through. It’s about softening into exactly where you are.

If you’ve struggled with other types of yoga, I see you. I’ve been there.

But don’t give up on the practice just yet.

Yin yoga is different.

It’s kind.

It’s patient.

And for me, it’s been one of the most supportive tools in navigating life with chronic pain, autoimmune disease, and emotional burnout.

I may not be twisting into pretzels or flowing through sun salutations.

But I am learning to listen to my body, to support my joints, and to rest my nervous system.

And honestly?

That feels like the most radical kind of healing there is.

In Case You’re New to Yin

If you’re just discovering this practice, here’s a quick overview: Yin yoga is a slow, meditative style of yoga that focuses on stretching and lengthening deep connective tissues like fascia, ligaments, and joints. Poses are held for extended periods — usually between 3 to 10 minutes — allowing the body to fully relax and release. Unlike faster yoga styles that focus on movement and muscle strength, yin creates space for stillness, surrender, and nervous system restoration.

And maybe that’s what I love most about it

It’s not about pushing, fixing, or achieving. It’s about allowing.

It’s about showing up in your body as it is — tender, tired, healing — and saying, “You are enough.”

Yin yoga didn’t just help me stretch

It helped me soften.

And in a body that lives with chronic pain, that kind of softness feels like the deepest strength of all.