Published November 3, 2026 05:45AM
Katie McGrath is a certified yin yoga instructor. She leads classes on her YouTube channel, Yin Yoga with Katie, and offers invaluable advice on YJ as well. Here, she shares five yin yoga poses to help relieve stress so you can find calmness.
Some days bring more stress than others. Perhaps you have stopped (or have yet to start) working yet your jaw is tight, your breath sits high in your chest, and lying down does nothing except give your mind a quiet room in which to be loud.
Yin yoga is useful here for one very practical reason: yin yoga poses hold you close to the ground for several minutes. There is nothing to coordinate and nothing to balance. That combination gives your body and mind—and, more specifically, your nervous system—time to register that you’re in a safe place to release stress, which is something that, depending on you and your circumstances, a faster practice doesn’t always accomplish.
Stay in each of the following yin yoga poses for 3 to 5 minutes—and remember that a longer hold is not necessarily “better.” Aim for roughly 50 to 60 percent of the sensation you could create, which is a line in the sand rather than something carved in stone. If a pose feels exceptionally loud in your body, back off.
As you hold each pose encourage your exhale to become longer than your inhale. This is a simple and effective way to trigger your parasympathetic nervous system. In between the poses, lie flat for about a minute. You can stay still and do nothing or wiggle your body, it’s your choice. That minute is part of the practice, not just a gap in between the poses.
Practicing yoga for stress is not a cure. Instead, it is a way of placing your body in a position where settling down becomes a lot more likely. You might not feel dramatically different, and that is fine. Calm usually feels quieter than we expect it to be. What you are really after is a body that is slightly less braced than it was prior to your practice.
Yoga for Stress: 5 Yin Yoga Poses for Calm
Gather what you have: a bolster or a firm cushion, two blankets, one or two yoga blocks, and a wall. If you have an eye pillow, feel free to use it.
1. Supported Child’s Pose
What it does: This is a gentle, fully supported version of Child’s Pose that crosses into restorative yoga, a close cousin of yin yoga. The head makes contact with something solid, which many people find settling on its own. This shape also closes the body inward, which is useful when you want less input rather than more.
How to: Kneel with your knees wide and your big toes touching. Place a bolster lengthways between your thighs and lie your torso down over it. Turn your head to one side. Halfway through your hold, turn it the other way to stretch your neck evenly.
Add more props: Place a block under the far end of the bolster for more support and something solid to rest your head on. If your hips do not reach your heels, add a folded blanket between your calves and your backside, or place a yoga block under your hips. If your knees object to the shape of this pose, lie on your back and hug your knees toward your chest instead. For a more stretch-focused, yin yoga version of this pose, try it without the props.
Hold: Stay here for a total of 4 minutes, two with your head facing each direction.
2. Two-Knee Reclined Twist
What it does: This supine twist releases the lower back and the outer hips. And because you are on your back, it asks almost nothing of you but to surrender to gravity.
How to: Lie on your back. Draw both knees toward your chest, then let them fall toward the right. Take your arms out wide. Let your head turn toward the left, if that is comfortable, or keep it neutral as you face the ceiling.
Add props: Place a bolster or folded blanket underneath the knees, if needed, so that they land on something supportive rather than hanging in space. If your right shoulder lifts off the floor, prop it with a folded blanket instead of constantly forcing it toward the mat. If your lower back complains, lower the knees less close to the ground.
Hold: Stay here for 3 minutes on each side.
3. Supported Fish
What it does: This supported backbend opens your chest and ribcage, which both spend most of the day closed. When the chest is open in Fish Pose, your breath can expand more freely.
How to: Place a yoga block on its lowest level behind you on the mat. For more support, have a second block ready to rest your head on. Lie back onto the block, aligning the bottom of your shoulder blades with one edge. Rest the back of your head on the second block or bring the crown of your head to the mat. Let your arms fall open at your sides. Keep your legs long or you can bend your knees and keep your feet on the mat.
Add props: Add a bolster underneath your knees or, for more of a hip stretch, touch the soles of the feet together and let your knees fall to the sides, tucking cushions underneath your outer thighs. If your lower back is uncomfortable, try lying back over a bolster placed lengthways instead. If your head tips back quite a lot and your throat feels exposed, add a small cushion underneath your head.
Hold: Stay here for 4 minutes. Come out slowly, and rest before you move on.
4. Banana Pose
What it does: This shape offers lateral flexion, also known as a side stretch, which is the direction almost nobody moves during ordinary life. Banana Pose lengthens the body along your outer torso, including the muscles between the ribs, so that your ribcage has more room to expand when you breathe in.
How to: Lie on your back with your legs long. Before you move anything, notice that the backs of both hips are on the floor and level, and try to keep your hips in the center of the mat. Walk both feet to the right, as far as they’ll go without the right hip lifting. Reach your arms overhead and walk both hands toward the right, taking hold of your left wrist with your right hand if that is comfortable and available to you. If you want a more intense side stretch, cross your right ankle over your left. Soften your jaw and let the breath move into the long side of your body.
Add props: No props needed here! Skip the ankle cross if the outer hip is the loudest thing in the pose. If your arms do not want to go overhead, rest them wherever they are comfortable.
5. Legs Up the Wall
What it does:Legs Up the Wall finds the legs are supported and the spine is flat, so it is a good place to stop. It’s also one of the most effective restorative poses for activating your parasympathetic nervous system, allowing for real and accessible relaxation.
How to: Sit sideways with one hip against the wall, then swing your legs up as you lie back. Shuffle your backside close to the wall, or a few inches away if that suits your hamstrings better. Rest your hands on your belly or out to the sides.
Add props: For extra comfort, slide a folded blanket under your hips if your lower back feels flat and strained. If your feet tingle, bend your knees or come down for a moment.
Hold: Stay here for 5-10 minutes or for as long as you need.
Coming Out of Your Yin Yoga Pose
Extract yourself from each shape slowly and with care. To finish your practice, find your way to a comfortable seat and breathe here with your eyes closed (or your gaze soft) for 1-3 minutes. Give yourself a moment before you reach for your phone.
