Anxious in Yin Yoga? You Are Not Alone
Yin Yoga and Sound Baths Are Not Always Easy, and That is Okay
You’ve rolled out your mat, the lights are low, and soft sounds echo around the room. You expect to melt into calm, but instead, your chest tightens. Your thoughts race. You’re counting down the minutes. If you’ve ever felt anxious in a yin yoga and sound bath class, you’re not alone. It is very common in fact.
As a therapist and a yoga teacher I have seen this alot! Women craving calm, connection, and self-love but meeting discomfort in stillness. It can make you agitated, anxious or even sometimes angry!
This blog explores why yin yoga and sound baths can feel confronting, and how to navigate these practices with compassion and insight, and without running out the door! I am deeply focused on emotional wellbeing, and I invite you to approach this practice with curiosity if you can and hold the judgment.
Step 1: Understand Why Stillness Feels So Hard
Yin practice is quiet, still, and slow. Poses are held for 3–5 minutes, sometimes longer. There’s no vigorous movement to distract or soothe the nervous system. That means you’re left alone with your thoughts, emotions, and sensations. It often has the feeling of lengthening and stretching the body from deep within.
According to psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr. Judson Brewer, “The anxious brain is wired to avoid uncertainty and discomfort.”
So when stimulation is removed, as it is in yin yoga and sound bath sessions, your nervous system may sound the alarm.
It’s not wrong. It’s just protective.
Step 2: Meet Your Nervous System Where It’s At
Yin yoga and sound baths activate the parasympathetic nervous system, the state responsible for rest, healing, and digestion. But if you’re often in survival mode, stillness might feel more like a threat than a relief. Dr. Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory explains that your system must feel safe to fully relax.
Our bodies hold stories. The “issues are in our tissues”! Trauma, people-pleasing, and self-sacrifice all live somatically for decades in our tissues and nervous system. When you slow down, these buried tensions and patterns begin to surface. This is why Yin and sound practices can bring up anxiety, discomfort, maybe anger, and even grief. And this is also why they can be profoundly healing.
Learning to meet your body with compassion instead of control is the first step to real safety and true healing. Tuning into the body rather than the mind can be incredibly freeing also.
Step 3: Explore the Impact of Sound Baths on the Mind and Body
Sound baths use instruments like crystal bowls, gongs, and chimes to bathe the body in healing frequencies. These sounds influence the vagus nerve and can evoke a deep meditative state. But for some, they can trigger overstimulation, flashbacks, or unexpected emotional release.
A review published in the Journal of Inflammation Research highlights how vagus nerve stimulation can play a powerful role in regulating inflammation, heart rate, and emotional balance. While techniques like sound therapy show promise for activating this calming response, their effectiveness depends on the individual’s physiological readiness. For some, these same frequencies can feel overstimulating or emotionally intense if the body isn’t yet prepared to receive them.
If you ever feel overwhelmed during a sound bath, you’re not doing it wrong. Your system may simply need a slower entry point. Maybe a little titration or a break here and there.
Book a Class Now.
Curious to try yin yoga and sound bath gently, at your own pace? Join our Monday evening classes at Inside Retreats for just $5—part of the Logan City Council Active & Healthy Program.
Step 4: Ease Into Yin Yoga and Sound Bath With Intention
Here are simple, supportive ways to approach these practices:
Start small. Try 20–30 minute yin sessions before diving into longer classes. Or take breaks out of the poses if it becomes too much.
Use props. Bolsters, blankets, and blocks help your body feel held and supported. And NEVER stretch to your edge.
Breathe intentionally. Research shows slow exhalations activate the calming nervous system response (Zaccaro et al., 2018).
Stay grounded. Keep your eyes open if closing your eyes is too intense and only use a eye pillow if it feels safe.
Exit or modify anytime. Give yourself permission to step out or change a pose to suit what you are comfortable with at the time. This is your practice. YOURS alone. It is for no one else.
Additional Tips from Dr. Belinda Barnes, Certified Yoga Instructor and Clinical Psychologist/Coach at Inside Retreats
Come with curiosity, not expectation. Yin and sound healing isn’t about fixing, it’s about feeling with curiosity.
Practice regularly, but gently. Just like building physical strength, nervous system resilience and calm takes time.
Pair with self-inquiry. Our “I Choose Me” journal prompts and reflection tools can help unpack what surfaces on the mat.
Consider timing. Evening yin or sound bath sessions can promote deeper sleep and the benefits can last for days.
Common Mistakes to Avoid:
Forcing yourself to “relax.” Don’t ever stretch to your edge in Yin only go to 30-60%.
Comparing your experience to others. This is an internal practice. Its how it feels that matters.
Dismissing discomfort as failure. Its natural.
Conclusion: Stillness Can Be a Portal, Not a Problem
If Yin yoga and sound baths have made you anxious, it’s not a sign to give up. It’s a sign to slow down and listen differently. These practices are not just about flexibility or silence; they are about meeting yourself honestly, softly, and with self-compassion.
Inside Retreats was created to support women like you, women who are tired of putting everyone else first, who want to reclaim their energy, and who are learning that self-love isn’t a luxury, it’s a foundation.
Whether you're just starting or slowly deepening your practice, remember: you're not broken. You're brave.
Book a Class Now to experience yin yoga and sound bath in a safe, nurturing space guided by a trauma-informed yoga instructor. Let your stillness become your strength.
Share this blog with someone who might need a reminder that they’re allowed to choose themselves, too.
Love,
Belinda xxx
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