Welcome to the Yin-side with Bernie
Weekly Yin Yoga Classes and Meditation with Bernie Clark
Every Sunday morning at 10 am PDT (Vancouver time zone), join Bernie for a live 70-minute Yin Yoga class followed by an optional 20-minute meditation practice. If this time or day does not work for you, you can take the class at your preferred time by watching the replay. In fact, you can watch the replay of any of the past classes which are all collected in our archives, hosted by Asana at Home.
(If you are not sure what time this is in your time zone, try this Time Zone Converter. Simply type 10 AM and Vancouver in the right hand boxes, and you will see what your local time will be in the left hand boxes.)
If for any reason you have trouble registering, send an email to support@yinyoga.com for help.
Pricing
Your price depends upon which subscription you would like to buy. A one-week subscription is $5 US. A monthly subscription is $18 US. A three-month subscription is $52 US. Or, you can choose a one-year subscription for $200 US. Each subscription provides you access to the next Sunday live stream class and access to the archive of past classes for as long as your subscription lasts.
Spotify Playlist
Each class has a suggested playlist of music, accessible on Spotify. Of course, you do not have to play any music if you prefer to do your practice in silence. However, if you do decide to use the playlist, start it as soon as the class begins — when Bernie greets you with “Welcome.” You will find the link to the live stream playlist below and in the Chat section of the livestream. For the replays, it will be shown in the class description. Make sure the Spotify repeat and shuffle settings are turned off and the volume is low enough that you can still hear Bernie speaking.
The playlist on Spotify for the January 28th Live Class is Yin Yoga — Guitar.
View all the Playlists Yin Yoga — Moby Browse the Archive of all Past Classes This is a list of all the classes in the Welcome to the Yinside Archive. Scroll down to find a class that seems interesting to you and then note the date. When you have subscribed to the these classes, log into Asana at Home, select your Dashboard and then click on My Products. Select Welcome to the Yinside and search for the date you are interested in. The main theme for this class is passively extending the spine. Backbend are often called heart-openers in Yoga, but whether your heart expands and opens is not the point today. This class allows us to start to regain lost extensions to the spine, especially in the thoracic region. The main theme for this class is tapping into joy. Along the way we will talk about the Daoist concept of Jing, which resides in the Kidneys and helps us to put our life into a long-term perspective. The result of such a viewpoint is an abiding contentment and joy. The main theme for this class is strengthening Kidney chi to support the immune system. The Kidneys are given the “royal seat” in traditional Chinese medicine and are responsible for several key functions related to immunity. Jing, stored in the Kidneys, contributes to a robust immune system. The Kidneys produce bone marrow and regulate water in the body. It is in the bone marrow where our white blood cells, the vanguard of the immune system, are created. The main theme for this class is proprioception and interoception. The mind creates a mental map of the world around us and inside us. As we move, discrepancies arise between the predicted model and the real world. With training we can evolve the prediction to more closely fit the real world. We can improve our proprioception by building better interoception. Then, we use this ability to channel our awareness into the Microcosmic Orbit. The main theme for this class is contentment, acceptance and allowing. Often, New Year’s is a time for resolutions, a commitment to change something. There is another option: this year could be a time to accept something just as it is. The main theme for this class is the stillness—the stillness of a candle’s flame. There is little guidance. Beginners to Yin Yoga are advised to choose an earlier class to learn the basics of the practice and the postures. The main theme for this class is the knees. We investigate the architecture and anatomy of the knees. We also discuss the roles of tension and compression in limiting the range of motion of the knees and why it is okay to hyperextend them. The main theme for this class is noticing our inner bhava or mood. A mood is a temporary emotional state. Bhava is a sustained attitude that can infuse our daily lives. Music can affect our mood and a particular piece of music can be selected to direct the mood. The intention of this practice is to improve awareness of our mood and cultivate bhava. The main theme for this class is the koan, “What is this?” Like all koans, it is not meant to be answered, but rather its purpose is to cultivate curiosity, openness and perplexity. When an answer does arise, let it go and return to being open and curious. Notice how much space this can create. The main theme for this class is mobilizing the hips and spine and flossing the nerves. For more background information and an introduction to neuromobilization, please review the practice on January 9, 2022: Playing with Our Nerves. The main theme for this class is silence. This will be a very quiet practice with minimal instructions. For beginners to Yin Yoga, a better starting class might be the March 13, 2022 practice called Back to Basics. Do that practice first, then come back to this week’s offering. The main theme for this class is relaxation. We explore a few techniques for doing this: focused attention, a passive attitude, and progressive muscle relaxation. We also discuss briefly the work of Dr. Herbert Benson (The Relaxation Response) and Dr. Edmund Jacobson (PMR – Progressive Muscular Relaxation). The main theme for this class is becoming still. Like a calm mountain lake after the wind has stopped; like a tall, solitary mountain; like the roots of a tree; like a candle flame in a still room; like a picture in a frame; like your breath after a gentle exhalation. Within the stillness lies a depth of experience and a palpable calm. The main theme for this class is the structure of the knee and how to appropriately exercise it to maintain its health and functional range of motion. Note for people who can not get into the Dorsi position, try the Overstepping Dragon. At the end of the practice is a short tutorial on the knee. The main theme for this class is gratitude, grace, grief and beauty. In the Daoist philosophy grief is held in the lungs, but here too resides beauty which can help us balance our grief. (There is mention of a passing, so if talk of death is unsettling for you, you may want to mute that part of the class.) The main theme for this class is on two views of energy: the Eastern Daoist thoughts about chi and the meridians, and the Western views of piezoelectricity and stress generated electrical potentials, which arise in the bones and fascia when we move and stress these tissues. The main theme for this class is taking life easy. Simply being – in this moment and in this place. Along the way, we move the legs in the hip sockets in a couple of ways that they normally don’t get to move: adduction and internal rotation. The main theme for this class is to notice how the breath can create space and allow you to relax into that space. Listening is also used to create space. The main theme for this class is to practice being in the present moment and using the breath as an anchor for our awareness. The main theme for this class is to extend the breath, focus the mind, then allow the breath and the mind to just be. The main theme for this class is staying grounded. It involves sensing the earth beneath you and letting go of thoughts that may take you away. The main theme for this class is slowing down. When life gets too hot, busy, yang – its time to slow down and chill. Secondarily, we build proprioception by sensing where the body is. The main theme for this class is listening. The primary anchor is the guitar music if you are following the playlist suggested, or the sounds around you. Listening is very yin. But, we will also add some yang exercises for your face to help keep it young and fresh. The main theme for this class is working hamstrings and expanding stillness. This is a quieter class with minimal instructions. The main theme for this class is working all areas of the legs and surfing the breath. Especially targeted are the front of the thighs (quadriceps) and back of the legs (hamstrings). The main theme for this class is developing the ability to attend, to be mindful, to pay attention. The meditation continues the theme with Savouring the Stillness. The main theme for this class is staying close to the earth and cooling the mind and body. The main theme for this class is creating acupressure along our meridian lines and understanding how it works and why this may be valuable. The main theme for this class is developing focus and letting go of thoughts. The main theme for this class is differentiating between tension and compression and why both forms of stress are valuable to different tissues. The main theme for this class is defining samadhi and developing mindfulness, which has been defined as “awareness of present experience with acceptance.” The main theme for this class is listening and touching parts we rarely target: the toes, feet and ankles. The main theme for this class is sensing compression along the spine. At the end of the class, we stiffen the spine to remove any residual fragility. The main theme for this class is sensing tension and compression, answering the “What stops me?” question. The main theme for this class is a quiet practice. The main theme for this class focuses on a new wrinkle in aging research, specifically how wrinkles in your face may cause acceleration in aging. The main theme for this class drawing awareness to the spine, sensing its position and determining what is preventing you from going further. The main theme for this class is balancing. Along the way, we also lengthen the breath. The practice is a bit challenging but the idea is to maintain an even, slow breath throughout. The main theme for this class is returning: returning awareness to a chosen anchor (the breath, sensations or sounds) and returning the nervous system to the rest & digest setting. The research of Professor Lucian Bernardi on a 10-second breath is mentioned. The main theme for this class is simplicity. This is a quiet practice with awareness directed at sensations in the hips and legs. The main theme for this class is move the spine and mobilize the spinal cord and sciatic nerves while investigating the two main causes of sciatica: discogenic sciatica and piriformis syndrome. The main theme for this class is no theme…we will just go with the flow and see what comes up. The main theme for this class is learning how to focus attention on a single spot; this is called ekagrata. The anchor for our attention will be sensations arising in the body through our postures. The practice will really be one of returning awareness to the anchor. The main theme for this class is presence through listening. It is a simple class with minimal instruction and lots of listening. The main theme for this class is noticing the breath without changing it. This is not easy! But, we can learn to allow the breath to come and go while feeling it in various areas. Begin with feeling the breath on the upper lip, then in the nostrils, then at the back of the throat, then the movement of the upper chest and the movement in the belly. Finally, zoom out and feel all of these places with each breath. The main theme for this class is the mythology of love as illustrated in the stories of Pyramus and Thisbe, and Tristan and Isolde. For the most part, the discourse for this class comes from the book Shiva Dancing at King Arthur’s Court (previous titled From the Gita to the Grail). The main theme for this class is consciousness: what is it? The role of consciousness in a dual and non-dual philosophy. The view of Samkhya versus Vedanta. Rene Descartes and David Chalmers’ hard problem. The main theme for this class is awe. The discussion includes, “what is awe? How can we experience it? What is the Buddha’s “unconditioned”? How to have a blue sky moment.” The main theme for this class is impermanence. There is a cute story of Ikkyu, a 15th century Zen erratic. Everything that has a beginning will one day have an ending. The main theme for this class is stillness. There is very little discussion and what there is focuses on offering options for those students who do not have wall space available. The topics presented in this class include directing relaxation to parts of the body, interoception and alternate nostril breathing. The topics presented in this class include discussions on how to create yin-yang fusion flows, antifragility, the development of stability and mobility for the spine, bracing and spacing, and the optimal way to apply stress to the spine. The topics presented in this class include discussions on the winter solstice and stillness, the yin of yang and the yang of yin, and a seasonal treat, the Cookie Chant. The topics presented in this class include discussions on energy, what it is, how to generate it and consciously direct it throughout the body. One particular exercise is called the Microcosmic Orbit which is done at the beginning of the meditation session. The topics presented in this class include discussions on relaxing at our edge, melting with time. The topics presented in this class include discussions on binaural beats, Ocean breath, brain waves frequencies and entraining the brain. The topics presented in this class include discussion on the various ways to identify with the “I”: self, atman, soul, purusha and simply consciousness. These are aspects of various maps to reality: dualism, idealism, physicalism, and there is also Buddhism that holds there is no self. The topics presented in this class include discussion on how build mental focus and catching mice. Meditation is not so much about stopping thoughts, or having no thoughts, but the act of recognizing thoughts and returning to the anchor of the practice. That requires dharana, or focus. The source of our thoughts is also investigated, which leads to questions about free will; do you choose the thoughts you think? The topics presented in this class include discussion on the Sit/Rise test, a definition of mobility and flexibility, the causes of hypermobility, and who should be careful if they are hypermobile. The topics presented in this class include discussion on the yin and yang of stillness. Stillness can only exist in relationship to movement, so the music for this class will provide the yang, the stillness in the postures will be the yin. Water is a wonderful analogy: a still mountain lake; a lake behind a dam; water flowing in a river, where the banks are still; thought flowing through the mind where the banks of the mind (awareness) are still. The topics presented in this class include discussion on mindfulness, experience, the Zen versus Zen Buddhism, and Zen without the Buddha. The topics presented in this class include discussion on applying yin yoga to the upper body: shorter holds are a good idea as these joints are not as dense as the in the lower body. The topics presented in this class include contrasting yin and yang, their complementary nature and the lack of absolutes; beware the binary. In the Dao De Jing it is written (verse 42) that the Dao gives birth to One; One gives birth to Two; the Two gives birth to Three; and the Three gives birth to the myriad of things. The challenge is to find the yin within the yang and vice versa, and see the Three emerging from the Two. The topics presented in this class include starting from the beginning. Zen story about our tea cups. In the beginner’s mind there is room for anything and everything. In the experienced person’s mind, there is less room for novelty. Let’s start again at the beginning: the 3 principles of Yin Yoga; Functional vs Aesthetic yoga; stress can be a friend. The topics presented in this class include the Brahma Viharas, the practice of Metta – loving kindness or good will to all, the differences between sympathy, empathy and compassion/Karuna (aware of another’s suffering, feeling another’s suffering, helping another with their suffering.) The topics presented in this class include contrasting Western versus Eastern views of what freedom means: Is freedom simply licence, the freedom to do what we want, or is it moksha, freedom from wanting? The topics presented in this class include our hamstrings are really our hamsprings; fascia can be bouncy; training fascia The topics presented in this class include where and what are the meridians? The fascial boundaries of the quads, hamstrings and adductors The topics presented in this class include allowing: Letting go (including thoughts). In Yin Yoga we let go of muscular effort; we let go of distractions. Since yin is allowing, allow thoughts to flow away. Never force them to stop. Treat thoughts and sensations like waves flowing and ebbing. The topics presented in this class include bolstering your practice! A quiet practice using a bolster in many different ways. The topics presented in this class include spine biomechanics: feeling the spinous processes and sensing the spine; spinal flossing; McGill Big 3 The topics presented in this class include anicca – the second characteristic of life; Impermanence/Time – linear and cyclical views The topics presented in this class include the difference between dukkha and suffering; identifying the first and the second arrow in your practice, then in your life The topics presented in this class include a discussion on the importance of movement and stressing all areas of the body The topics presented in this class include breathing; the design and variations of the rib cage; belly breathing versus chest breathing; changes as we age; the bucket handle analogy; the importance of exhaling fully The topics presented in this class include what to do when the teacher has Covid-19 — keep it easy and quiet! The topics presented in this class include Wolf’s Law & Davis’ Law; structure of the knee; role of the hips to knee health; it is okay to hyperextend the knees; doweling benefits/alternatives The topics presented in this class include a discussion on connecting to the earth (earthing): inflammation, inflammaging, and grounding The topics presented in this class include Dharma: The 3 temptations of Jesus and the Buddha; Dharma in the Gita; the story of Bindumati; Dharma today The topics presented in this class include the three principles of Yin Yoga and three tracks for students to follow The topics presented in this class include impermanence and “When you can no longer do what you love, love what you can do” The topics presented in this class include how to differentiate between tension and compression and why this is important The topics presented in this class include awareness of present experience with acceptance and building discrimination in attention (granularity) The topics presented in this class include all parts of the body needing stress to be optimally healthy. Not too much! Eustress, not distress. The topics presented in this class include the importance of stressing joints, including the hips and knees, and what is meant by “hip openers” The topics presented in this class include Myths and Stories from Joseph Campbell including about the guru, the tiger and the goats, and “me, me, me…” The topics presented in this class include the Buddha’s view of Suffering and Duhkha; a Zen story of holding; monitoring thoughts; candle flame visualization. The topics presented in this class include the three principles of Yin Yoga and noticing/identifying what are you feeling The topics presented in this class include strength, mobility and endurance. This class will focus on fascial strength and mobility today but also learning to relax while under pressure. Regardless whether you play golf, other sports or no sports, all this will be great for you. The topics presented in this class include eustress (good); distress (not so good); tension; compression; antifragility and we end with metta meditation. The topics presented in this class include mindfulness, or “awareness of present experience with acceptance.” The topics presented in this class include the question, “What is love?” The 5 kinds of love (according to Joseph Campbell); crazy love; 6th chakra vs 7th chakra; Shiva, Parvati and Kama; and other stories. The topic presented in this class is interoception: what it is and how to develop it. The topics presented in this class include breathing: the design and variations of the rib cage: belly breathing versus chest breathing; changes as we age; the bucket handle effect; and the importance of exhaling fully. The topics presented in this class include maps of the soul East and West, creation myths, many parts/types of soul. The views of the Daoist/Egyptian/Greek and from Thomas Aquinas to Descartes/Locke. A man on galloping horse was asked, “Where are you going?: He replied, “I have no idea; ask the horse.” You are the watcher/rider: the horse is your mind/thoughts. What is the difference between soul and spirit? The topics presented in this class include exploring energy: what it is (we don’t know!) and what it does (that we do have some ideas about). Energy is used for transportation, transformation and communication. The topics presented in this class include discussions about nerves. “By means of nerves, the pathways of the senses are distributed like the roots and fibers of a tree.” –Alessandro Benedetti, 1497. The word “nerve” was initially a Greek word meaning tendon or sinew. Our ancestors knew they served roughly two functions: movement and sensation but didn’t know how. The topics presented include New Year’s Day, Anicca — the parable of the 2 rings, a story about a Daoist farmer, Kidney Jing & Wisdom, and finally, a story about a stampeding buffalo. D The topics presented in this class include the cycles of time, the Persian revolution of linear time and historical perspectives. The topic for discussion focusses on the concepts of yin and yoga and the practice of finding balance, the middle way, within the yoga practice. The topic for discussion includes playing the edge. It starts with the 3 principles of yin yoga and review the principles of functional yoga and the importance of intention and attention (noticing what the edge feels like). Topics include the first principle, defining the edge and the Anti-fragility curve, the importance of stress to health and how the edge indicates the healthy, optimal amount of stress. To take other pre-recorded online classes, students can visit Yoga International to watch other offerings by Bernie. Or, by visiting the Yinsights YouTube Channel, you can learn more about Yin Yoga and create your own practices by linking specific postures together.
Yin Yoga — Classical
Yin Yoga — Doudouk
Yin Yoga — Cello
Yin Yoga — Pink Cuts
Yin Yoga — Drones
Yin Yoga — Guitar
Yin Yoga — Cinematic
Yin Yoga — Piano
Yin Yoga — Mixed Strings
Yin Yoga — Chants
Yin Yoga — Binaural Waves
Yin Yoga — Hania
Yin Yoga — Agnes
Browse the Archive
Archive of Weekly Online Classes
January 28, 2024: Bolstering Your Backbends
January 21, 2024: Samtosha & Joy of Yinning
January 14, 2024: Yin and Tonic
January 7, 2024: Proprioception, Interoception & the Microcosmic Orbit
December 31, 2023: New Year’s Samtosha
December 17, 2023: Silent Solstice
December 10, 2023: What the Knees Need
December 3, 2023: Bhava
November 26, 2023: Cultivating Perplexity
November 12, 2023: Neuromobilization – Spinal Flossing
November 5, 2023: Nada – The Sounds of Silence
October 29 2023: The Relaxation Response
October 22, 2023: Metaphors of Stillness
October 15, 2023: Yin for the Kneedy
October 8, 2023: Grace and Beauty
October 1, 2023: The Side Body
September 24, 2023: Changing Pace
September 10, 2023: Relaxing into Space
September 3, 2023: Be Here, Now, Backbends
August 27, 2023: Extending the breath
August 20, 2023: Staying Grounded
August 13, 2023: Summer slow down
August 6, 2023: Facing the Music
July 30, 2023: Half & Half
July 23, 2023: Bowing to the Dragon
July 16, 2023: Building Mindfulness Muscles
July 9, 2023: A treat to beat the heat
July 2, 2023: Acupressure
June 25, 2023: Meditation for Busy Minds
June 18, 2023: The Land of Dragons
June 11, 2023: Awakening to Awareness
June 4, 2023: The Walls of Silence
May 28, 2023: Spinal extensions
May 14, 2023: Sensing Tension and Compression
May 7, 2023: A Quiet Practice
April 30, 2023: Facing the Wall
April 23, 2023: Sensing the Spine
April 16, 2023: Fire and Ice Fusion
April 9, 2023: Returning
April 2, 2023: Simple awareness of the hips and legs
March 26, 2023: Neuromobilization & Sciatica
March 19, 2023: Going with the flow
March 5, 2023: Developing Dharana – Focus and Concentration
February 26, 2023: Listening to presence
February 19, 2023: Experiencing the breath
February 12, 2023: Crazy Love
February 5, 2023: Who is the watcher?
January 29, 2023: An Awesome Class
January 22, 2023: Impermanence
January 15, 2023: Wall Yin for the Legs
January 8, 2023: Winter stillness
January 1, 2023: Yin-Yang Fusion class for the spine
December 18, 2022: Solstice Stillness
December 11, 2022: Working with Energy
December 4, 2022: Stillness
November 27, 2022: Binaural Beats and Entraining the Brain
November 20, 2022: Seeing the “I”
November 13, 2022: Focus and Free Will
November 6, 2022: Mobility and Hypermobility
October 30, 2022: Stillness – the Second Principle
October 23, 2022: Zen and the Art of
October 16, 2022: Upper Body Yin
October 9, 2022: Half and Half – Yin and Yang
October 2, 2022: Beginner’s Mind
September 18, 2022: Metta at the wall
September 11, 2022: Freedom?
September 4, 2022: The Hamsprings
August 28, 2022: What are Meridians?
August 21, 2022: Letting Go
August 14, 2022: Bolstering your practice
August 7, 2022: Spine Biomechanics
July 31, 2022: Anicca and the Maps of Time
July 24, 2022: Dukkha versus Suffering
July 17, 2022: Motion is the Lotion of Life
July 10, 2022: Breathing
July 3, 2022: A Reverse Flow
June 26, 2022: Please the Knees
June 12, 2022: Wall Yin
June 5, 2022: Dharma
May 29, 2022: Back to Basics
May 22, 2022: Easy Does It
May 1, 2022: Tension & Compression
April 24, 2022: Granularity of Experience
April 17, 2022: Springtime, Easter, Passover & Ramadan
April 10, 2022: The Value of Stress
March 27, 2022: Myths and Gurus
March 20, 2022: The Nature of Suffering
March 13, 2022: Back to Basics
March 6, 2022: Yin Yoga for Golfers
Feb 27, 2022: Stress and Antifragility
Feb 20, 2022: Awareness of Present Experience with Acceptance
Feb 13, 2022: Valentine’s Day
Feb 6, 2022: Interoception
Jan 30, 2022: Breathing
Jan 23, 2022: The Soul Question
Jan 16, 2022: Energy – what it is and what it does
Jan 9, 2022: Playing with our Nerves
Jan 2, 2022: Change and Impermanence
ec 19, 2021: The Cycles of Time
Dec 12, 2021: Defining Yin and Yang
Dec 5, 2021: Playing Our Edges
Other video classes
The Weekly Live Class
Each class will include
- 3~5 minutes of centering/arriving at the start
- 55 minutes of yin asanas
- 8~10 minutes of Shavasana
- An optional 20 minutes of guided mindfulness meditation
- A suggested Spotify Playlist if you wish for music with your practice
Welcome to the Yin-side with Bernie is a combination offering consisting of 70-minute Yin Yoga followed by a 20-minute guided meditation. Students who feel the need for a longer shavasana can turn off the video and continue as long as they like. Students who prefer only to do the meditation, and are watching the replay, can skip ahead to that section. Remember, you can re-watch the whole offering for up to one week, so you can choose to re-do the Yin Yoga practice alone, or only the meditation, or both. Many students prefer to save the whole practice until later in the evening to help ease their way into sleep.
Themes for the classes will vary each week and may include
- Focusing on the physical body
- Targeting the energy body
- Developing the mind body
- Musings on more esoteric topics like mythology and psychology
For the first 30-minutes of each Yin Yoga practice, Bernie will usually combine some thoughts on the theme of the week along with guiding students into and out of each posture along with options for those who are not receiving the appropriate juiciness (too much stress or too little). By the end of the practice, however, he will become quieter, focusing solely on guiding the postures. Once the student has fully settled, the final shavasana will be pure silence.
Joining this Week’s Class
When you click on the subscription button above, you will be taken to Asana at Home. Below the main picture are four tabs. Click the last one, called Events. You will be taken to a calendar of classes. Click on the next Sunday’s date and you will be taken to the registration page for that class. Note: you do have to register each and every week for the live stream class. Come back to this page a few minutes before the class begins to watch the live stream. If you have not yet subscribed to the class, you will be guided through a sign up process.
Remember your props!
Props can be useful (see this article on all the ways props can be used and what you can use as props), but they are not necessary. It is okay if you don’t have any. But, if you have never done Yin Yoga with props, it may prove instructive to try them at least once or twice. You don’t need anything fancy. A rolled up yoga mat (or two) can be a perfect bolster. Folded towels or blankets are also handy. Even a book or a willing pet or family member can be used as a block. Get creative.
