"Restorative poses are poses of being rather than doing"
Restorative yoga is a specific style of yoga that emphasizes relaxing and receiving. The deliberate stillness once you’re in a restorative posture affects energetic and physical healing by calming the nervous system. Many restorative poses also gently activate and soothe the internal organs and the spine.
Watch the video and check out the post below to learn more.
Restorative yoga is one type of practice we can use to emphasize the healing or therapeutic benefits of yoga. In today’s busy world, many people are hyper-stimulated and encounter a lot of stress. In a culture that is always “doing”, having a practice that focuses more on being simple, being quiet, and being at ease can be very helpful. And of course, taking time to rest and recuperate is essential if we want to maintain wellness.
If you’d like to bring more of a restorative quality into your practice, you should first ask yourself: what would you like to restore? During restorative yoga, we can do a sequence aimed at fostering deep rest, restoring the nervous system, or restoring an organ system, such as the reproductive or digestive organs. All systems in the body are connected, so oftentimes we experience multiple benefits from a single restorative pose.
What makes a yoga practice restorative?
There are many ways we can make our yoga practice restorative. At times, we can focus on moving blood and lymph into a particular area by squeezing and then decompressing the tissue. At other times, our focus might be more on rest and calming the nervous system. We could do this by supporting the head. When we support the head, we help restore brain function and counteract the effects of mental stress. Another focus could be on supporting and moving the spine in various ways to create healing.
What is restorative yoga?
You might be familiar with the more common expression of restorative yoga today. Generally speaking, in restorative yoga, we use lots of props, and we usually hold postures with support. Many of the postures are done on the floor, but not all. For example, you could do a standing forward fold with support for the head, or a backbend with the help of a chair. These postures are still considered restorative yoga.
In restorative yoga, we use postures designed to restore the body and mind in a very gentle way. During restorative yoga, we’re not really stretching. Instead, we want to soften into the pose and receive the very simple, gentle benefits over time. This makes it different than yin yoga. In yin yoga, we’re aiming to target the tissues and create some sensation with less support, usually.
To learn more about how yin yoga and restorative yoga are different, watch: What’s the difference between yin yoga and restorative yoga?
The larger history of yoga practice dates back at least 2000 years and includes physical and spiritual practices. While all types of yoga have the potential to be therapeutic, the more active or more vigorous physical forms may at times need to be tempered with slower, more restorative poses. This is especially true if you have injuries, are feeling fatigued, or are under a lot of stress. Restorative yoga can also be especially helpful for women when menstruating. The use of extensive props and attention to really supporting the body is very helpful during times of weakness or other limitations.
B.K.S. Iyengar primarily developed restorative yoga in response to seeing his students needing extra support at times. The restorative practice he developed was a way to adapt the practice when the body needed rejuvenation.
Some poses offer specific benefits depending on the area of the body they gently open, and others provide broader rewards. Overall, the restorative poses help rejuvenate physical, emotional, energetic, and mental health.
How does restorative yoga work?
Restorative yoga uses props for support. Instead of seeking strong sensations, we want to ensure the body and mind can relax. As the posture is held, it’s important to maintain deep ease to achieve the full therapeutic effect. Watch the videos below to get an idea of a few common restorative postures and how to set them up properly.
Over time, restorative postures can offer a deep, gentle way for the body to open and release. These longer holds with support encourage blood and lymph to move into the deeper tissues and also encourage other physiological changes, such as changes in blood pressure and breathing rate.
During restorative practice, we usually encourage intentional and conscious relaxation. It’s especially important that you feel comfortable and supported. As you enter each posture, check in to see whether there is tension in the jaw, abdomen, or back, and whether you need more cushions or blankets to feel supported. It is different than sleep, but make sure you’re comfortable.
Now you know: What is restorative yoga? And how does restorative yoga work? Thank you for reading and watching!
