16 Yin Yoga Teaching Tips for Beginner & Experienced Yoga Teachers

Becoming a yin yoga teacher is an exciting journey as you step into a new career and offer this profoundly healing practice to yoga students worldwide! Whether you are a complete beginner yoga teacher or an experienced yogi, using these yin yoga teaching tips can help you deepen into your practice and provide your students with a transformational experience on the mat.

Teaching yin yoga is both an art and a science, and with this combination of yin yoga teaching techniques and a bit of creativity, you can create genuinely profound yin yoga classes for your students. In this article, we will go over the best yin yoga teaching tips for beginner and experienced yin yoga teachers. So, let’s dive in!

The Top 16 Yin Yoga Teaching Tips for Beginner Yin Yoga Teachers & Experienced Yogis

1.     Find Your Yoga Teacher Voice

The first and most important tip for beginner yin yoga teachers is to find your unique yoga teacher voice and have fun with the process. When you are just starting out, it can be good to stay rooted in the yin yoga teacher framework and follow in the footsteps of your teachers. But over time, try exploring different teaching methods and get creative to find your unique yoga teacher style and confident yoga teacher voice. 

2.     Engage in Intelligent Yin Yoga Class Sequences

Yin yoga classes are often viewed as the easiest yoga style to teach because it is a slow and methodical yoga style. But in reality, creating truly unique and engaging yin yoga classes can be incredibly challenging! There are many ways to approach yin yoga sequencing, but the most popular methods are to focus on specific physical benefits or expand into the spiritual and emotional realm and make your yin yoga class more of a meditative journey.

3.     Remember the 3 Principles of Teaching Yin Yoga

In any yin yoga class, it is vital to keep the 3 principles of yin yoga in mind. These 3 principles are to bring your students to their edge or the appropriate depth of the pose, then find stillness, and finally hold this position for a longer period of time and truly rest in the pose. Remember to guide your students through these principles as a framework for practicing yin yoga and safely engaging in this physical practice.

4.     Teach Yoga Beyond the Poses (Asana)

Exploring yin yoga poses is a foundation for many yoga students before they begin to explore the spiritual or philosophical components of yoga. While your students sink into their yin yoga poses or asanas, this is the perfect time as a yin yoga teacher to tell stories, explain the myths of the yoga poses, or go into the deeper philosophical teachings of yoga. Guided meditation, breathwork, and silence can also be incredibly profound.

5.     Remember the Structure of a Yin Yoga Class

For beginning yin yoga teachers, it can be helpful to work with teaching frameworks or yin yoga class outlines to get started with beginner yoga teacher sequencing. In our online yin YTT, we go over some of the many ways that you can sequence and structure a yin yoga class with guided yin yoga sequence examples to help get you started.

6.     Utilize the 5 Elements in Your Yin Yoga Class

Teaching yin yoga is a unique opportunity to bring in various yin yoga philosophical concepts. The 5 elements are a significant component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that can provide a deeper experience for your students when woven into your yin yoga classes. For example, you might focus your yin yoga class on one of the elements or take students through various poses that focus on each element one by one.

7.     Let the Meridians Guide Your Yin Yoga Sequence

The meridians are the energetic channels that flow through the body. Yin yoga poses allow us to uniquely access these meridians and shift the energetic balance of the body, mind, and spirit. Some yin yoga teachers create class sequences that focus entirely on one or two meridians to help guide students into a deeper understanding of these subtle body systems.

8.     Guide Students Through Uncomfortable Sensations

A major component of yin yoga classes is navigating the intense sensations that long holds in yin yoga poses can bring up. Beginner yin yoga students often struggle the most in finding their appropriate edge and feeling at ease in yin yoga practices. This is the perfect moment to guide your students through a meditative release to soften their muscles, reduce tension, and settle into each yin yoga pose.

9.     Don’t Be Afraid to Use Props

Some yin yoga teachers believe that the “pure” practice is without any props to allow the body to sink into each pose. But there is growing evidence that the functional approach to yin yoga should incorporate props to ensure that the body is fully supported, particularly for students with a tendency toward hypermobility. Using props can make yin yoga more accessible and prevent overexertion or injury for your students.

10.  Explain Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to Your Yin Yoga Students

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a major component of yin yoga that provides the philosophical background or theory to these practices. By guiding your students through the basics of TCM, you can teach them the deeper components of yin yoga and provide explanations for why we engage in these practices and the impacts they have on the body, mind, and spirit.

11.  Settle Into Silence in a Yin Yoga Class

Some yin yoga teachers can be on the chatty side and enjoy going into stories, explanations, or guidance while students settle into each yin yoga pose. But it is also sometimes necessary to give space for silence so that your students can have their own unique experience on the yoga mat. Space of silence creates a meditative experience in a yin yoga class, and sometimes less is truly more!

12.  Remember Functional Anatomy & The Fascial System

Functional anatomy is an essential component of yin yoga, and these teachings remind us that each yoga pose may look different for each student. Honoring every student’s unique body type rather than forcing a particular “shape” can give more space for yin yoga students to make the practice their own. Additionally, remember that one of the main focuses of yin yoga is to strengthen the joints and address the fascial system, so as long as there is some sensation, then that goal is accomplished!

What Will You Learn in a Yin YTT

13.  Create a Peaceful Ambiance

Beyond what you teach in the class, it is important not to forget how you set up the teaching space. Creating a calming and peaceful environment in your yin yoga classes can provide a therapeutic framework for students to feel safe and at ease in your classes. For example, you might take some added time to clean the teaching space, light some soothing candles, add an aromatherapy diffuser, or play some calming music during your yin yoga classes.

14.  Give Time to Experience the Rebound

The rebound is that time right after exiting the yin yoga pose when you can feel the profound effects of the yin yoga pose on the body. Since yin yoga poses are held for longer periods of time, it is crucial to transition out of each yin yoga pose slowly and gently to prevent injury. Then give your students some time for stillness and silence after the pose to feel the effects before jumping into the next pose.

15.  Offer Alternatives and Modifications

To make yin yoga truly accessible to all students, it is essential to offer alternatives and modifications for every yin yoga practice. Modifications give your students more autonomy over their practice to find what works best for their unique body type and to settle into the best practice for their needs. When giving alternatives, remember the function or target of each pose rather than staying too limited to the idea of the shape or specific pose you are teaching.

16.  Have Fun

Remember that teaching yin yoga doesn’t need to be serious to be transformative! Have fun with the process of teaching a yin yoga class, add a bit of humor, and make this practice your own. Bringing your original spice or flavor to your yin yoga teaching can help attract the students who resonate with your style and your originality. So, have fun with this process of teaching, and let your personality shine forward!

Become a Yin Yoga Teacher in Our Online Yin Yoga Teacher Training (Online Yin YTT)

Teaching yin yoga online or in person can be challenging whether you are a complete beginner yoga teacher or an experienced yoga therapist. Learning how to teach yin yoga requires specialized training and expertise to guide students safely through this unique and healing practice of yin yoga.

In our online yin yoga teacher training, we guide you through the basics of a yin YTT, giving you the tools you need to create fantastic yin yoga classes. Our online YTT covers the anatomy and physiology of yin yoga, yin yoga philosophy, and guided practice through yin yoga poses and teaching techniques. Reach out to us for more information on how you can join our online yin yoga teacher training today and begin this exciting journey of becoming a yin yoga teacher!