Yin vs restorative yoga: what’s the difference when both use a bolster?
All three styles use bolsters, blocks, straps and blankets. In a photo, they are easy to mix up.
That day I showed the 300H class a set of poses for alignment with props, then a set of Yin poses, and asked: what’s the difference? One student said: this pose stretches.
“They all stretch. The ones with props stretch too.”
If you answer from the picture, you will get it wrong. This article follows how I teach the class to tell them apart: the student’s effort fades step by step, like the sky getting dark.
One effort scale, three stops
- Alignment with props
Still working. The props make the pose steadier.
Ask: “Does it feel steadier?”
- Yin
Lying still for about 5–7 minutes. Still bearing a little stretch or pressure. The props help you stay.
Ask: “Do you still feel you are bearing a little?”
- Restorative
No effort left at all. The props support everything, with no gaps.
Ask: “Is any part still holding itself up?”
Quick answer
Don’t look at the props. Look at how much effort the student still has to give.
Alignment with props: the student still does the pose and still works; the props help them do it more steadily. Yin: lying still for a few minutes, the props help them stay, and a little stretch is still there. Restorative: the props support everything, and no effort is left.
Then ask the person in front of you what they need and what they enjoy. Same practice: one person loves it, another doesn’t.
Step 1 · still working
Alignment with props
minute 18
“Restorative” or “alignment”? Get the name right first
One student said: Yin works on the fascia, you lie down fully relaxed. Restorative still puts you in a pose and you still work, just with props. I stopped there.
“Who said this is restorative? I’m saying this is alignment with props.”
It sounds like a question of words. It isn’t. The wrong name means the wrong practice for the student.
Another student said: Yin is for people with no strength left, who only lie down, and props are a must. I said not quite. People with no strength left to practise: that is restorative.
I told the class straight: if you learn it and don’t know who it’s for, why learn it?
Names are easy to remember. Knowing who it’s for is the hard part.
minute 26
For people who are not fully strong, and not fully weak
These are still the normal poses of a 200-hour class. The only difference: the student has some kind of limit.
So they still do the pose, with blocks, straps or a chair, so they can do it and do it steadily. The student is still active.
Props help people keep going.
minute 57
A prop needs a job. No job, put it away
The student is fine in the pose, hands already on the floor, and still has to hold a block. Because today is props day. I played that teacher for the class:
For someone who can already do the pose, the block gets in the way. It wastes time. It can cost them the pose too.
“Not needed, and not required.”
Yin is different. When you lie there a long time, you need support, like hugging a bolster. There the prop has a clear job.
What job is this prop doing? If you can’t say, put it away.
Step 2 · bearing a little
Yin
minute 34
“Yin means no effort at all?” Try it on the mat
The class said Yin means no effort at all. I asked a student who has a Yin bolster at home to show pigeon pose.
The student asked: where does the bolster go? I showed them: under the front shin, from the knee to the ankle. Right then their screen froze. Out, back in. Still lagging. Online classes are like that.
Once they were back, I asked: holding it five to seven minutes, do you still feel the stretch in the buttock? Are you still bearing a little? Yes. A bit tight, a bit of pressure. Light, but there.
“So it’s not 100% no effort.”
Breathe in and lengthen, breathe out and lean a bit deeper. Each breath takes you a little further.
Fold forward, then lie still. Don’t try to go further. Let it open by itself.
In class, I teach Yin as lying still for about 5–7 minutes. That is the guide in my course, not a rule for every school.
And how much is “a little”? It is different for everyone. The student showing the pose is already flexible and felt a light stretch. A woman who came to practise that day felt sharp pain in her buttock. Same pose; for her, it was heavy effort. Sharp pain means coming out of the pose, not pushing on to finish the minutes.
Don’t guess how someone else feels. Ask.
Sharp pain spreading down the leg, numbness or a weak leg is not about adding another bolster. Stop the practice and suggest seeing a doctor. See the four signs to stop.
minute 48
Who is Yin for? One right answer opens only one group
The class said: people with a lot of muscle tension. Right.
“That’s one group of clients. Who else?”
The class kept going, and I nodded at each one:
- a lot of muscle tension
- sitting a lot, stiff hips and legs
- new to yoga
- very tired
- very stiff, and worn out by “stretch, stretch”
Then I asked one student: when you used to go to Yin classes, did you have any problem?
“No, the time just suited me.”
studentTrue. Many people come to class with no health problem at all. The time suits them. They want to try. They like the feeling.
Don’t choose the practice for them.
Step 3 · nothing left
Restorative
minute 64
Don’t make people do anything
Restorative isn’t stretching plus a bolster. It is holding, wrapping, giving someone a really safe place.
Support so carefully that no gap is left. If the knees sit uneven, put a bolster under both knees. If there is space under the back, fill it. So they don’t have to reach or hold themselves.
Don’t make them:
“Close your eyes.”
“Take a deep breath.”
“Just relax.”
Fill the gaps. Then ask: “Is your lower back comfortable?” Find the right block height together with the student.
“You don’t make them do anything.”
The lower back question comes from the class slides. Saying “just relax” has never made anyone relax, and I wrote a separate article about it: “just relax”: has that ever helped anyone relax?
Restorative has levels too. I put the three styles in order from light to heavy. If someone’s condition is light and they can still move, use alignment with props or Yin. If someone is in a heavy state, very tired, use restorative. Which one for how light? Choosing that takes experience.
Support until nothing is held.
Morning · who it’s for
You know the three steps. You still ask the person
minute 66
Not everyone likes stillness
Years ago I taught breathing and meditation to friends, for free. One woman with a very stressful job loved it: the breathing, the meditation. Another woman danced in the park every day. After one class, she messaged me:
Giang, I’m so sorry. I can’t sit and meditate. It makes me really uncomfortable. Please let me drop out of the class.
her message, retold in my wordsSame class. Two people. Nobody was wrong.
“Not everyone likes stillness.”
In my class there is also a student full of energy. Put them in Yin or restorative, and they wouldn’t enjoy it.
A teacher who loves Yin doesn’t mean their students need Yin.
Ask what they enjoy.
minute 85
The three can go together. But lie in them yourself first
You don’t have to pick one and drop two. One class can have a standing part with blocks, a Yin part, then restorative lying down.
But understanding the theory isn’t enough.
“You have to experience it. You have to know what it is.”
At the start of class I also told them: stay in each restorative pose 5 to 10 minutes. Then you know how it feels at five minutes, and how it feels at ten. Very different.
Once your lesson plan is ready, lie in it yourself first. Notice what you feel, and why. Then teach others.
Lie down yourself first.
Questions
What is the difference between Yin and restorative yoga?
In Yin you lie still for a few minutes and props help you stay, but a little stretch or light pressure is still there. In restorative yoga the props support you fully, no effort is left, and the student only rests.
What is the difference between Yin and alignment yoga with props?
Alignment with props uses normal poses. The student still works, and the props help them do the pose and do it steadily. In Yin you lie still and stretch passively, without trying to go further.
Does Yin need props?
Usually, yes. Lying for a long time needs support, like hugging a bolster. In an alignment class, a student who is already steady in the pose doesn’t need to hold a block.
How long do you hold a Yin pose?
In my course, Yin is taught at about 5–7 minutes per pose. That is a teaching guide, not a general rule. Every body feels the stretch differently, so ask the student.
Who should practise Yin?
There is no fixed group. People with tight muscles, people who sit a lot, beginners and very tired people may all suit it. Many come just because the time suits them. Ask what they need and what they enjoy. With a medical condition, ask a doctor first.
Should Yin hurt?
No. Yin has a little stretch and light pressure, without forcing. Sharp pain means coming out of the pose. Pain spreading down the leg, numbness or a weak leg means stop practising and suggest seeing a doctor.
Should I make students use props?
No. A prop needs a job. If the student can already do the pose, the prop gets in the way. Not needed, and not required.
The bolster doesn’t answer for you
Next time you see a student lying on a bolster, don’t ask “Yin or restorative?”. Ask: do I want this person to keep working, stay, or rest? Then ask the person.
No one can tell them apart after one read. Before you teach anyone, lie in each style yourself.
The 300-hour online yoga teacher training has separate parts on alignment with props, 50 Yin poses and restorative yoga. Students practise each part themselves before they plan for others.
Your next student: work, stay, or rest?
Sources and limits
The ideas come from one online class of the 300-hour online yoga teacher training, on 20 October 2026. The class was in Vietnamese. It was machine-transcribed and checked several times; no one has listened back to the whole class yet. Quotes are translated and shortened, with filler words removed; the other parts are me retelling the ideas. The pigeon pose situation at the top is one I set up from the practice part of the class. The effort scale, day and night are pictures to help you remember, not measurements. The lower back question comes from the class slides. The 5–7 minute guide is how my course teaches it; other schools may use other times. The message in the article is retold in my words, with every identifying detail removed. The three videos are cut from the class recording; the subtitles were machine-transcribed and checked, and the English subtitles translate the meaning. This article does not replace a doctor’s advice.
Giang Hoang
Yoga teacher, E-RYT 500 & YACEP (Yoga Alliance)
Giang Metta Academy: RYS 200 & RYS 500 (YA ID 442630)
Based in Da Lat, Vietnam. Teaching online worldwide.