Do affirmations feel like they never quite land? It might be because the words aren’t quite right for you, or because you’re trying to reprogram your mind while it’s in a heightened, unreceptive state.
Enter yin yoga: a nourishing style of practice that supports both physical and emotional calm. By guiding your nervous system back to baseline, yin creates the spaciousness needed for your affirmations to actually sink in.
This soothing class will help you move from “self-love feels out of reach” to “maybe it’s possible for me, too.”
What is Yin Yoga?
Yin yoga gets deep because this style specifically focuses on your deep tissue called fascia. This connective tissue hugs your insides and is interwoven through your entire body. So when one area stretches, it’s like a ripple effect through the whole body.
Yin postures are held for 3-5 minutes to give your body time to open and access your deep tissue, which can take up to 90 seconds to begin responding.
Yin Yoga and Affirmations
These two practices pair amazingly well together because while your body slowly and gently opens, it also gives your mind time to sink into the sensations and realizations that come with repeating affirmations. As you release physical tension, your emotional body is more receptive and you soak in the affirmations more easily than reciting them while looking in a mirror.
Since poses are held for longer in yin, the mind can wander. Affirmations act as a grounding technique to keep you present rather than drifting into to-do lists or dinner plans.
Take it a step further and try some of these self-love journal prompts after the practice to see how they land.
Self-Love Yin Yoga Practice
Try out this self-love practice for yourself and see how different the affirmations hit!
Supported Sphinx
Begin lying on your belly with your arms by your sides and your legs extended long behind you. Use blocks to support the front of your shoulders and upper arms if available, letting your heart melt toward the earth and your forehead soften. If it’s uncomfortable, look to either side. Allow your breath to deepen as you ground yourself into stillness. Let go of force and simply be.
Affirmation: I am grounded in my process of becoming.
Broken Wing
Extend your right arm out to the side and gently roll onto your right hand side while stepping your left foot behind you. Use a block under your right temple if desired as a pillow. You have the option to bring a block between your thighs so there is less holding and more relaxation. Your left hand may stay in front of you for support, or drape behind your lower back. This pose opens the heart and shoulder while encouraging presence. Repeat on the second side after the next pose, half frog.
- First Side Affirmation: I am open to myself on a deeper level.
- Second Side Affirmation: Being myself is enough.
Half Frog
Return to lying on your belly and draw your left knee out and up, dragging your inner thigh across the mat into half frog. Your bent leg will be in about a 90 degree angle. Let the rest of the body relax and melt. This pose requires little to no effort whatsoever. After, repeat broken wing on the second side, followed by half frog on the second side.
- First Side Affirmation: I am willing to heal.
- Second Side Affirmation: Love is a necessity I am willing to dedicate time to.
Child’s Pose
Come into child’s pose, using a block under your forehead if your forehead floats off the ground. Let your arms rest by your sides and your shoulders droop forward, exposing backside of your heart space to encourage it to open.
Affirmation: I am open to putting myself first.
Meditation Pose with Lotus Mudra
Rise slowly to a comfortable seat, placing your hands in lotus mudra at your heart center. The base of your hands, outer thumbs and pinky fingers will touch, while the rest of your fingers will flare out, creating a lotus blossom-like shape. Visualize yourself blossoming open and radiating self-love.
Affirmation: I radiate the love I feel within.
What’s Next?
- Ready to go deeper with this work? My somatic coaching offers personalized support to help you embody self-love and confidence, starting with how you feel in your body.
- Subscribe on YouTube to continue getting more amazing yin yoga classes!