What’s the difference between yin yoga and restorative yoga?

In recent years, as we find ourselves continually seeking rest and regeneration, “restorative” yoga practices have become a fixture in many yoga classes. But there’s “restorative yoga” and then there’s “Restorative Yoga.”

There are two relatively passive movement styles that are taught with the intent to provide rest: Yin and Restorative. Yin Yoga is characterized by coming into a posture that stresses your body and remaining there for a somewhat extended time, whereas a Restorative Yoga posture supports you and your body in the effortless experience of prolonged rest. I often describe Yin Yoga as a series of WTF moments followed by Savasana, whereas in Restorative Yoga, I need to be cajoled out of each posture.

They seem completely different, right? They are. But I’ve taken many a Yin Yoga class that was called “Restorative Yoga” and vice versa. As a practitioner of both, this can be incredibly frustrating.

The confusion between these two practices, which are frequently lumped together under the label “restorative,” can be seen everywhere from YouTube videos to studio classes. While both promise restoration and lend themselves to a less performative way of practicing asana, each asks you to approach the poses completely differently. This is reflected in everything about the practice, including the pose names, the alignment, the use of props, the intention behind using physical stress versus creating emotional rest, and the length of time you linger in each.

It’s imperative for yoga teachers to name practices correctly so that students can reliably receive what they seek. And it’s equally relevant that students understand the difference between the two approaches so you can offer your body what it needs when it’s asking for it.

How, then, do we distinguish between these two beneficial styles of yoga?

Finish this article in Yoga Journal.