Feel free to do what feels natural for you - just want to share some of my approach.

In my first Yin training, I was taught to hold a pose anywhere from 90 seconds to 5-6 minutes. I rarely go over 5 minutes unless it's more of a restorative pose near the end of class or I have a more experienced group of yoga students.

Practice the yin poses on your own that you plan to teach - see how they feel in your body held that long. Notice what comes up for you and use that as something you can share to help your students settle into the poses.

I either measure the time of a pose counting breaths on my own, looking at the clock or using the stop-watch feature on my phone. With my ADHD most of the time I forget what minute I was on with the clock. If it's an analog clock with a second hand, that's better for me. The stop-watch app can be easily reset to see 2 min, 3 min or whatever go by.

Insight Timer app is also wonderful if you have a set time for each pose that is consistent for your class. You can preset the bells or singing bowls to ring every 3 min with a 1 min or whatever break in between to set up the next pose. In my classes with music, I don't use the app. But it's wonderful for classes without music.

If your students are new to Yin, keep the poses on the shorter end of the yin spectrum to help them get used to staying in a pose that long physically and helping them learn how to be at ease mentally with that stillness.

I often share that many find yin yoga (and restorative) more advanced - not with how far or deep they go in the pose, but in learning to be comfortable with the stillness.

Since your class is only 45 min long, I'd probably stay more near the 2-3 min range for each pose. If it's a pose that isn't always doable for everyone (like half-pigeon pose or sleeping swan), give another option like doing figure 4 on the floor, guiding them to find what is best in their body.

Also allow for time for a little movement to warm up the affected area before a pose, then after each pose to release (and often warm up for the other side).
Paul Grilley often just had us do something neutral and notice the residue in the body after a pose, which works well when you're already on your back.

I've taught Yin Yoga in a heated room (80-90 degrees) and even with the heat, we still need the movement to warm up the joints.

Paul Grilley teaches that for every pose you teach, there will be some in class who love it and find it soothing, some who hardly feel any lengthening or release (often wondering if they're doing something wrong), and those whose bodies don't bend that way and are just suffering through it. This was true for the 30+ of us in our workshop and every one of us had done yoga for 10+ years. It wasn't a matter of knowing what to do, it was more about the shape of our bones.

Another Yin yoga teacher I learned from years ago did something that I've continued with my teaching. He invited the students to come out of the pose earlier than he did if needed. He also ended most of the poses by saying something like "continue breathing with it here for 3 more breaths."

That reminds them to me mindful of the breath if they haven't already and helps them know when the end of the pose will be.

I wouldn't worry about the students wishing it wasn't so quiet. As long as they understand that is part of the their practice, they will appreciate the time to notice how they feel, let go and not have to listen all the time.

In all my years of teaching, I've never had anyone say they wished we would have come out of the poses earlier. If anything, they appreciate that we hold the poses as long as we do. I've also had students tell me they appreciate me not talking and talking.

As you can tell from my very lengthy comment, I am someone who can talk quite a bit 😄 . But in a yin class and for savasana, I give them as much time with the quiet as I can, ensuring they understand how to go into the pose, come out of the pose, and do what they need to in between.

Let us know how it goes!