Slow Deep Stretch with Margo & Melissa

Unwind and transition gently into your evening with this yin-inspired, slow deep stretch offering facilitated by Margo and Melissa. Rooted in the principles of yin yoga, this practice features long-held, passive postures designed to release tension accumulated throughout the day. Poses are primarily seated or supine and are supported by breath awareness and stillness, creating a calm and soothing environment for deep release. The pace is intentionally unhurried, allowing the body to soften and the deeper connective tissues to be gently accessed while the mind settles into quiet awareness. This practice is ideal for anyone looking to decompress, restore balance, and cultivate a sense of ease. Come as you are and leave feeling relaxed, grounded, and ready for a restful evening.

Everyone is Welcome Here

All bodies, backgrounds, and experience levels are welcome. No prior experience is necessary. There is never a cost. 

What to Bring

Because muscles are relaxed in this yin inspired practice, it’s important to use supports like blocks, bolsters, blankets, and straps to protect joints, ligaments, and tendons from overstretching. The supports allow the body to surrender to gravity without causing any injury or pain. Please consider bringing any practice supports you enjoy - mat, blocks, straps, bolsters, or blankets. Community practice supports are available, and you’re encouraged to use them freely. Bringing water to hydrate after practice is also a good idea. We practice indoors, in a large room. We recommend wearing comfortable layered clothing to help regulate preferred body temperature.

This Practice is Not Sold

This practice is not sold. It’s shared. Our offerings exist through voluntary giving - as a living expression of the community we are. What we receive is made possible by the many who have given before us, and what we offer allows the practice to remain unowned and open.

Giving is part of yoga practice - not as a duty, but as a remembering. When we give, the grip of “me and mine” loosens. The patterns of separation and self-importance are disrupted. We step out of self-absorption - the root of suffering - and feel into the truth of interconnectedness. Every act of giving dissolves a boundary. The giver and the receiver are not two. This is how the practice continues - through open hands and open hearts.

A Note on the Gifts of Yin Yoga

Injury, inactivity, and aging tends to bind connective tissue together, creating adhesions that restrict movement between the surfaces of muscles and bones. These adhesions block the flow of nutrients and energy through the body, causing pain and limiting mobility. Tenderly holding poses applies mild stress that breaks up adhesions. This can result in measurable increases in physical flexibility without compromising stability.

Long holds also increase circulation and lubrication at the joints. Deep connective tissue is softly squeezed, twisted, and compressed, becoming hydrated and more pliable. With age, the body becomes drier and less elastic. Stressing the connective tissues at the joints increases the production of hyaluronic acid and synovial fluid that nourishes the body.

Tenderly softening the body in yin yoga soothes the nervous system, especially when combined with slow, deep belly breathing.

Practicing presence and being with “what is” develops patience, clarity, and the capacity to be with a wide range of experience. All types of asana practice can heighten our moment-to-moment awareness. However, resolving to remain still in yin yoga practice provides an opportunity to stay with experience and surrender any need to manipulate and control. This can create conditions for clear perception, about ourselves and the nature of reality – yinsight!