Rest is Not a Luxury: How Yin Yoga Changed My Approach to Healing
- Prema Posner
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
I used to define healing as something that required effort. Like many women in midlife, I believed if I just pushed a little harder, showed up a little more, or hustled through the next project, I’d finally earn rest.
But after years of busy-ness and overwhelm—answering every “yes,” stretching my energy thin - I hit a wall of exhaustion I couldn’t ignore. My body ached. My spirit felt brittle.
Then I found Yin Yoga - a practice I initially dismissed as “too slow to do anything.”
I was wrong.
The first time I allowed myself to simply rest into props, breathe in the stillness, and let go of striving, I felt emotions surface I’d stored for years. Tears came, unbidden, as my jaw released and my breath softened.
In the quiet, I remembered: Rest isn’t weak or indulgent. Rest is what my body and soul had been craving all along.
Rest is not a luxury—it’s essential.
Yin Yoga taught me that stillness is not about giving up or retreating from life. It’s a radical act of self-compassion. When we pause and nourish our nervous system, we invite deep healing on every level. True restoration happens not through muscling forward, but through letting go.
I’ve seen the same transformation in my students:
Women who arrive apologizing for being “tired again” or who joke about always multitasking - even during Savasana.
Clients who tell me, “If I rest, I feel guilty,” or, “I just don’t know how to stop.” Slowly, through the gentle invitation of Yin, their bodies begin to trust rest.
Their hearts soften.
Their sleep improves.
Their minds quiet and, for the first time in a long while, they feel safe enough to simply be.
A Bite-Size Yin Practice for Your Next Hard Day:
Find a soft surface—a mat, rug, or bed.
Lie on your back and draw your knees to your chest, letting arms hug them softly.
Let your eyes soften or close.
Stay for 2-5 minutes, breathing deeply.
When you’re ready, slowly release and rest with legs long, noticing what shifts.
If you have more time, try a gentle legs-up-the-wall pose, or sit with a hand on your heart and simply breathe, naming three things you are grateful for.
Reflect:
When was the last time you truly let yourself rest? Did you feel guilty, joyful, tired, or something else?If you notice resistance, know you are not alone. Many of us were taught that rest must be earned, or that it’s a sign of “not doing enough.” But rest is foundational, not just a reward, but the ground from which all healing and creative energy can grow.
My Invitation:
Next time exhaustion whispers at your door, let it in. Try the practice above, even for just a few breaths. Notice what arises—not to judge, but to witness yourself with compassion.
Rest isn’t selfish. It isn’t passive. Rest is a radical, loving act—and you are so, so worthy of it.
With gentleness,
Prema
Comments