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Yin yoga can help boost endorphins—your body’s natural “feel-good” chemicals
- peaceloveyogauk
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Yin yoga can help boost endorphins—your body’s natural “feel-good” chemicals—through a combination of physical, emotional, and neurological effects. While it’s a slower, more meditative practice, it can still powerfully influence your mood and well-being. Here’s how:
How Yin Yoga Boosts Endorphins
1. Deep Relaxation Activates the Parasympathetic Nervous System
Yin yoga helps shift you from “fight or flight” (sympathetic nervous system) into “rest and digest” (parasympathetic mode). In this state, the brain feels safe and relaxed, which supports the release of endorphins and other mood-enhancing neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine.
2. Long, Supported Holds Create Gentle Stress (In a Good Way)
Holding poses for 3–5+ minutes applies gentle stress to the connective tissues. This kind of safe, controlled stress can stimulate the body’s natural healing response—part of which includes the release of endorphins, similar to how acupuncture works.
3. Mindfulness Enhances Positive Brain Chemistry
Yin yoga is deeply meditative. Focusing on the breath and bodily sensations reduces cortisol (the stress hormone) and increases levels of endorphins and GABA (a calming neurotransmitter). Mindfulness-based practices have been shown in research to change brain chemistry in ways that improve mood and reduce pain.
4. Emotional Release Frees Blocked Energy
Yin yoga often targets areas where emotional tension is held (like hips, spine, and shoulders). By staying with sensation and softening through it, practitioners often experience emotional release. Crying, sighing, or laughing in a yin pose isn’t unusual—and these experiences are often followed by a rush of endorphins and relief.
5. Creating Inner Stillness Cultivates Joy
Stillness and surrender can open the door to a deep sense of inner peace. This feeling alone—of slowing down and truly resting—is healing and uplifting, helping your body produce endorphins naturally as a reflection of feeling safe, connected, and cared for.
🧠 Bonus: Yin Yoga & the Brain
Research in somatic therapies and trauma-informed yin yoga shows that slow, mindful movement and breath can rewire the brain’s response to stress. Yin yoga helps down-regulate the amygdala (your fear centre) and supports the prefrontal cortex (your wise, calm mind)—leading to greater ease, presence, and yes, those feel-good endorphins.
🌙 Join the Monday Night Yin Club!
ONLINE LIVE VIA ZOOM MONDAYS 8-9pm
Looking to soak in all these benefits in a supportive community, with a senior teacher from the comfort of your own home.
Come wind down your mind with the Monday Night Yin Club—a cozy, community-centered yin yoga class designed to reset your nervous system and uplift your mood.
Expect an all inclusive, all levels welcoming vibe, deep holds, soft breaths and plenty of endorphin-boosting stillness.
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