What is Yin Yoga?
A slow moving, gentle yoga, Yin Yoga is the balancing practice for your yang style of yoga. It is yoga for the joints, not the muscles. Yin Yoga directs the stimulation normally created in the asana portion of the practice to the connective tissues, such as the ligaments, bones, and even the joints of the hips, pelvis and lower spine. These areas of the body are not normally exercised in a more active style of asana practice.
Yin yoga postures are held for up to twenty minutes. Yin yoga is not restorative yoga. While both practice use props and hold poses for extended durations, Yin Yoga focuses on stimulating and working the connective tissues, while restorative yoga focuses on supporting the body for relaxation and stress relief.
That said, I personally find Yin yoga to be relaxing and I find restorative yoga to help open my body. They are both a great yin to my more yang yoga practice.