Yin Yoga: Origins, Benefits, First Poses | Breath of Fire

Q: What materials we use

We work with three fabrics. Three. Not thirty.Brushed Organic Cotton Jersey (220g, made in Portugal) soft, slightly thick, with a peach-skin touch. Our flagship. The Sohang, Yamala and Mahan are knitted from this.Mercerized Organic Cotton Jersey (180g, made in Portugal) lighter, smoother, with a subtle natural sheen. Our new Essence Collection uses this for models like Ankaa, Nashira, Maia.Bamboo Viscose blended with Organic Cotton (made in Turkey) cool, breathable, fluid. Used for the Lilii pants and the Mizar Kimono. Bamboo regrows in three to five years, without replanting and without irrigation.Most pieces include around 8% certified elastane, enough to hold shape over years of wear, without losing breath.We use every meter of yarn we knit. What we don't sew, we save for repairs and samples. Nothing goes to waste.

Q: Three generations of women

Three generations of women.My grandmother Johanna sewed evening dresses by hand. Long, careful, beautiful work, a kind of patience that has all but disappeared.My mother, Cornelia, learned from her. In 2009, she founded Breath of Fire. The very first piece she designed, the Sohang, was created on the floor of her living room in Switzerland, with a yoga teacher friend named Christina. It is still our flagship today, seventeen years later.Today, I ( Pernelle) run the brand. I do not redesign what works. I extend it. The Essence Collection, launched in 2025, sits beside the Evergreen line. New silhouettes, same intention.We do not design for trends. We design for the body in practice, for the moment when the breath deepens, when the posture lengthens, when you forget what you are wearing.That is the test of a piece. Forgetting it on. Returning to it.

Yin Yoga slows the body down so the mind can follow. Long-held postures, deep stillness, and the patient stretch of what asana usually does not reach: the connective tissue, the fascia, the breath beneath the breath.

Where Vinyasa builds heat, Yin invites cool stillness. Where Ashtanga moves, Yin stays. Each posture is held for three, five, sometimes seven minutes. Long enough for the muscles to release, and for the deeper layers of the body to begin their own slow opening.

Yin Yoga in short

A slow, floor-based style where passive postures are held for 3 to 7 minutes.
It works mainly on the connective tissue (fascia, ligaments) around the hips, pelvis and lower spine.
It invites a calm, meditative state, which makes it a natural counterpoint to dynamic styles.
It suits most levels, including beginners, as long as you never force a stretch.

Where it comes from

Yin Yoga traces back to Taoist yoga, an older Chinese practice that worked with the energetic meridians of the body. The yin principle (receptive, passive, cooling) is set against the yang (active, heating, dynamic). Yin Yoga is not the absence of yang. It is its complement.

The contemporary form was shaped in the 1970s by Paulie Zink, then taught more widely by Paul Grilley and Sarah Powers. Today it is practised in studios across the world, often as a counterpoint to faster styles.

What it does

Stretches the connective tissue. Muscles relax in seconds. Fascia and ligaments take minutes. Yin works on what active practice cannot reach.
Calms the nervous system. Slow breath, long stillness, parasympathetic activation. The body shifts from doing to being.
Supports circulation. Held postures with intentional breath bring blood flow and sensation to specific zones.
Cultivates mindfulness. Three minutes in a held posture is a long time to be alone with the mind. Yin is meditation in disguise.

If you are working on your range of motion, Yin pairs well with a more active practice. Our article 10 ways to improve flexibility with yoga shows how to combine both.

Yamala straight leg yoga pants with skirt in Atlantic blue organic cotton, Breath of Fire — Wide, soft, with nothing that pulls when you fold: the Yamala pants. Discover the Yamala

How to begin

A quiet space. A mat. A few props if you have them: a bolster, two blocks, a blanket. Loose, draping clothing that does not pull. Wide pants like our Sohang or Yamala are the natural companion: they let the body fold without resistance.

Three postures to begin:

Seated forward fold (Paschimottanasana). Sit with legs extended, fold forward gently. No straining. Three to five minutes. Use a bolster under the chest if needed.
Butterfly (Baddha Konasana). Soles of the feet together, knees fall open, fold forward. The hips open over time, not by force.
Sphinx pose. Lie on the belly, forearms on the mat, lift the chest gently. Opens the front of the body without compression.

Stay long enough that the body settles. Let gravity do the work. The opening is not in the muscle: it is in the patience. To come out, move slowly, then rest a few breaths lying on your back before the next posture.

Detail of the ivory Sohang yoga pants in organic cotton with built-in gaiters at the ankle — Built-in gaiters keep the ankles warm during long, still holds. See the Sohang pants

What Yin asks for

Loose clothing. A still space. Time you protect from the rest of your day. And the willingness to do less and feel more. The body cools down in stillness, so keep a blanket and warm socks within reach. If you want to deepen the meditative side of Yin, try one of our 5 meditations for a calm mind after your practice.

Yin teaches the body that softness is also strength. That receiving is also doing. That breath is the practice, and the rest is decoration.

Frequently asked questions

How long should I hold a Yin posture?

Beginners can start with 2 to 3 minutes per posture and gradually move to 5 minutes. The right intensity is a clear but gentle sensation, never sharp pain. Use props to make the posture comfortable enough to stay.

What is the difference between Yin Yoga and restorative yoga?

Both are slow and use props. In Yin, you look for a mild stretch of the connective tissue. In restorative yoga, the body is fully supported and the aim is complete rest, without stretching.

Is Yin Yoga suitable for everyone?

Most people can practise it. If you are very flexible (hypermobile), pregnant, recovering from an injury or have joint problems, ask your doctor and a qualified teacher which postures to adapt or avoid.

What should I wear for Yin Yoga?

Soft, loose layers in natural fibres that keep you warm without pressing on the belly or hips. Find our selection of loose yoga pants for slow practice.

Do less. Feel more. Let the breath hold you.

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What you wear matters. The texture against skin. The breath that moves freely. Pieces that soften with the years.

Our clothes are certified organic cotton, knitted and sewn in Portugal in small batches since 2009. Natural fibers. Slow craft. Clothing for those who pay attention to what touches the body.

Near Porto, in Portugal, two small family businesses work side by side for us. The first, in one village, knits our organic cotton from scratch and dyes it to our specifications. The second, in the next village, cuts and sews. We have been visiting both every year since 2009. We know the people by name. We share meals when we visit. They have watched our collections grow alongside their own children.

During the Covid years, when organic cotton and bamboo became briefly impossible to source in Portugal, we found a second family workshop in Turkey — also ethical, also certified, also personal. About 5% of what we make passes through their hands today. The Mizar Kimono and a few Lilac pieces from past collections come from there.

Most yoga brands buy fabric from a market — pre-made rolls, ready to cut. We don't. Every meter of jersey we use is knitted from scratch to our specifications. That is why the Sohang feels the way it does. That is why a five-year-old pair softens instead of wearing thin.

A slower way of making clothes. Sometimes inconvenient. Always worth it.

Sustainability for us is not a marketing department. It is a series of small, sometimes annoying choices we have made since 2009.

We chose certified organic cotton when it was 40% more expensive than conventional or plastic fabrics. We still pay that premium today. We grow without external capital which means we cannot afford to overstock, so we don't. We use every meter of yarn we order, even when it means smaller runs and longer waits. We are 100% self funded and all the money is placed in ethical funds in a local bank.

We focus on evergreen pieces, the Sohang, the Amrit, the Amba instead of seasonal collections. Some of these designs are over a decade old and still our bestsellers. A garment worn for ten years on a body is the most sustainable thing a fashion brand can make.

Our fabrics are dyed with processes gentle enough for a baby's skin. We package in either recycled or biodegradable bags. We ship from our small warehouse in Cully (Switzerland) or our partner in Germany, never overseas.

We don't tick every box. We are not perfect. But these are the choices we make, and we make them visible.

We work with three fabrics. Three. Not thirty.

Brushed Organic Cotton Jersey (220g, made in Portugal) soft, slightly thick, with a peach-skin touch. Our flagship. The Sohang, Yamala and Mahan are knitted from this.

Mercerized Organic Cotton Jersey (180g, made in Portugal) lighter, smoother, with a subtle natural sheen. Our new Essence Collection uses this for models like Ankaa, Nashira, Maia.

Bamboo Viscose blended with Organic Cotton (made in Turkey) cool, breathable, fluid. Used for the Lilii pants and the Mizar Kimono. Bamboo regrows in three to five years, without replanting and without irrigation.

Most pieces include around 8% certified elastane, enough to hold shape over years of wear, without losing breath.

We use every meter of yarn we knit. What we don't sew, we save for repairs and samples. Nothing goes to waste.

Three generations of women.

My grandmother Johanna sewed evening dresses by hand. Long, careful, beautiful work, a kind of patience that has all but disappeared.

My mother, Cornelia, learned from her. In 2009, she founded Breath of Fire. The very first piece she designed, the Sohang, was created on the floor of her living room in Switzerland, with a yoga teacher friend named Christina. It is still our flagship today, seventeen years later.

Today, I ( Pernelle) run the brand. I do not redesign what works. I extend it. The Essence Collection, launched in 2025, sits beside the Evergreen line. New silhouettes, same intention.

We do not design for trends. We design for the body in practice, for the moment when the breath deepens, when the posture lengthens, when you forget what you are wearing.

That is the test of a piece. Forgetting it on. Returning to it.

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Yin Yoga: the Practice of Holding, Softly

Yin Yoga in short

Where it comes from

What it does

How to begin

What Yin asks for

Frequently asked questions

How long should I hold a Yin posture?

What is the difference between Yin Yoga and restorative yoga?

Is Yin Yoga suitable for everyone?

What should I wear for Yin Yoga?

Wear your frequency.

Two villages in Portugal make your clothes

The slow choices behind our sustainability

What materials we use

Three generations of women