Jo Phee is one of the pioneers of Yin Yoga. In this YOGA AKTUELL interview, we spoke with her about the connection between Yin Yoga and Chinese medicine, Daoism, and the wisdom of the body.

Jo Phee discovered the world of yoga in 2000 – at a time when she was still working as a conference manager in the events industry. Her yoga journey led her from Ashtanga to Yin Yoga. She is part of the first generation of Yin Yoga teachers trained by its founders, Paul and Suzee Grilley. Through her integration of innovative variations and the purposeful use of props, she has also become known as the “Queen of Props & Sequencing.”

Today, she is considered one of the leading voices in the world of Yin Yoga. As an expert in Traditional Chinese Medicine, she explores the connection between Daoism and Yin Yoga through the lens of Meridian Theory. In the interview, she also shares insights into the essence of Yin Yoga, the importance of bone morphology, and why yoga practice should be functional rather than aesthetic.

INTERVIEW

YOGA AKTUELL: You grew up in Singapore and your parents practiced Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). What was it like being brought up in accordance with TCM?

Jo Phee: It wasn’t a choice; it was simply a part of my parents’ culture. Growing up, I watched my grandmother and my mother practice various forms of TCM. As a child, my family would prepare specific herbs to help balance my low energy, especially when I felt tired at school. I was taught which herbs could boost my energy, which fruits were considered too “heaty,” and why I should eat cooling fruits to reduce excess heat from staying up studying late.

So I grew up with these TCM teachings and theories as a child. I didn’t know that it was TCM, I had no idea about Chinese medicine. It was just something my mom told me and which I learned from her. It wasn’t until I began studying yin yoga that I realized how deeply it was rooted in TCM principles. This led me to pursue formal training at a TCM school.

What does TCM mean to you? How would you explain it?

It is an ancient practice that teaches you how to live in harmony with nature by regulating your lifestyle and emotions. To me, it is more than just a practice — it is a way of life, one that I consider a form of medicine. Herbs are just one method of achieving balance, but there are many ways to incorporate TCM into your daily life.

At its core, TCM is about seeking balance: when you’re overworked, you need rest; when you’re hungry, you need nourishment. This principle of balance originates from Daoism, where the word Dao means „the middle path.“ Straying too far from the Dao will disrupt harmony. That, to me, is the essence of Chinese medicine.

Would you consider Daoism and yoga as similar or different techniques? Don’t they ultimately lead to the same goal?

Whether it’s Daoism, Buddhism, Sufism, yoga, or any other ancient tradition — be it a practice, a philosophy, or a religion — I see them all as fundamentally similar. Any teaching that seeks balance and harmony in the human body and mind follows the same underlying principles: We may give them different names based on their cultural or historical origins, but at their core, they all share the same goal.

Ultimately, we all strive for health and well-being. And when we fall out of balance, these traditions offer various techniques, practices, or medicines to help us heal. So while they may appear different on the surface, they share deep similarities and connections.

Finding balance—on that note, Yin Yoga offers rest in a very yang-driven culture. When did you attend your first Yin Yoga class?

When I began my yoga journey in 2000, I explored various styles and teachers. At the time, I was particularly drawn to Ashtanga yoga.

Ashtanga is a strong, intense style that generates a lot of heat. Fortunately, I was born with shapes of bones that were very conducive for such a strong practice. I advanced quickly, gaining flexibility in a short amount of time. Within a year, I was able to do almost all the postures in the first series. But I noticed that after each morning practice, I felt very fatigued. I had to teach the rest of the day, but I often lacked the energy to do so, and I couldn’t understand why.

In 2005, one of Paul Grilley’s senior students from San Francisco came to Singapore, she offered a Yin Yoga workshop, I hadn’t even heard about yin but signed up for it. And it turned out to be one of the most challenging yoga classes I’d ever taken: I couldn’t stay still in those shapes for five minutes. Neither did I understand why I had to hold these poses for so long as nothing was said. The teacher kept mostly quiet. I wasn’t able to appreciate all the subtle benefits and the refinements, the nuances of the yin practice back then but it sparked a curiosity in me.

I began researching Yin Yoga, which eventually led me to discover Paul Grilley. In 2007, I went to study with him for the first time and learned about yin’s connection to Meridian Theory. Having grown up in a Chinese culture with strong ties to Chinese medicine, I felt compelled to deepen my studies in this area.

Was it Paul who discovered the meridian lines in Yin Yoga?

Paul had learned about the meridians from his teacher, Dr. Hiroshi Motoyama, an acupuncturist and yogi – whom he admired a lot. Over the years, Paul studied Meridian Theory in depth with Dr. Motoyama. Eventually, he began teaching about how the meridians function in the body, especially when holding static poses for extended periods of time. That’s how we became known as the „Chinese medicine“ or „meridian“ people, simply because Paul Grilley was one of the first to incorporate Meridian Theory into Yin Yoga. (chuckling)

But I wouldn’t say Meridian Theory is exclusive to yin or yoga. It’s applicable to any movement modality. I can apply Chinese Medicine Theory to zumba, golf, swimming, pilates — anything, as long as I’m moving my body, stretching, and stimulating the meridians.

Paul Grilley and Sarah Powers are often referred to as the ‚founding parents‘ of Yin Yoga. Their approach to teaching is also called ‚The Grilley Method’—what does that mean?

‚The Grilley Method‘ is simple. I define it as a functional approach to practicing yoga, where the focus is on the area you should feel the stretch, known as the target area.

You position your body in shapes, or asanas, based on this target area. Each time you enter a pose, it’s determined by where you want to feel the stretch, which in turn affects how you position your body, legs, and arms.

‚The Grilleys Method‘ is very clear: it’s a functional way of practicing yoga. By „functional,“ I mean you focus on where you feel the stretch, rather than what you should look like. It’s about feeling the stretch in the target area, not about form or aesthetics.

Originally, Yin Yoga focused more on the lower body, right? Is it true that you mainly developed Yin Yoga for the upper body?

When I first studied with Paul, all of his postures were focused on the lower body. I hadn’t done any upper-body work with him until a few years later when I started assisting him. Both Paul and Sarah did incorporate some upper-body yin poses, but it was never their main focus, so I wouldn’t claim myself to be the first to introduce upper-body work.

However, since I carried a lot of tension and stiffness from the arm balances and inversions in my Ashtanga practice, I found it beneficial to include upper-body stretches in my own practice.

Many of my students were Ashtangis as well, so I started to incorporate these stretches into my public classes. As they enjoyed it, I gradually included more upper-body stretches in my yin teachings. I certainly did not invent upper-body stretches per se but I focused more on the upper body than Paul and Sarah did, I’d say. And I created more variations, used props, and explored different ways to target the same areas, I guess.

So you were the one who introduced more props. Were you also the one who brought the strap into the world of yin?

When I first studied with Paul, we didn’t use props, but over time, as his training evolved, we began to incorporate them. Sarah didn’t use props either back then. While teaching large classes in Singapore which accommodated around 60-70 students, I learned how to support students with props. I wasn’t trained in the Iyengar system, which uses a lot of props, so I taught myself by observing students and how they used props to support themselves in yin.

The development of using props was a collaborative process between myself and my students. They taught me as much as I taught them. When you have a big class, you see many variations of a pose, and that’s the beauty of Yin Yoga — it allows us to find the shape that works for each person. We all have different bodies, flexibility, and skeletal structures, yet as teachers, we must guide everyone to stretch the same target area – honoring their uniqueness.

In many yoga classes, there’s a rush to move students through poses quickly, often overlooking that some shapes might not be effective or could cause injury.

In a functional approach, you give students the freedom to explore shapes that feel best for their bodies. And as long as the whole class is feeling the target area, then to me, everyone is doing the same yoga.

Do you see a difference between functional Yin Yoga and TCM?

Functional means natural, everyday movement that allows the body to perform with ease and without restriction. Functional yoga, then, is about stretching in a way that respects individual bone structure, allowing movement without strain or injury. TCM is also inherently functional — it’s an ancient healing practice that applies to everyone. One is a lifestyle and a treatment system, while the other focuses on yoga postures and stretching. But both can heal me, which is functional, too.

Why is the study of bone morphology also relevant for the yoga community?

Every movement educator should study bone morphology. Ultimately, the shape of our bones determines how we move and our range of motion in each joint.

Understanding this is crucial not only for personal education but also for preventing injuries in any movement practice. That’s why Paul’s decision to share his bone pictures freely¹ is so valuable—it spreads awareness that every skeleton is unique.

This is particularly important in the yoga community, where there is often an obsession with increasing flexibility. Studying bone morphology helps prevent unnecessary injuries and promotes safer, more functional movement.

What has been the greatest gift of Yin Yoga for you?

Peace, tranquility. I’ve seen people from all walks of life — regardless of background, status, or profession — be deeply moved by Yin Yoga’s ability to bring inner calm.

Many of us think we meditate or lead peaceful lives, yet we carry so much mental and emotional baggage, we’re constantly distracted by worries and pursuits. But in yin, as you are marinating in stillness, those distractions gradually begin to fade.

It’s a profound moment, showing that true contentment is within reach. And Yin Yoga offers such a powerful path to that peace.

Thank you, for sharing your wisdom, Jo.

¹ Paul’s bone pictures: https://www.paulgrilley.com/bones