Restorative yoga is an exercise form that allows you to slow down and open up their body through passive stretching. If you opt to take a restorative yoga class, you may barely have to move and will only do a few poses within an hour. This makes restorative yoga special and completely contrasting in its experience compared to contemporary yoga practice.
What is Restorative Yoga?
While regular yoga classes enable you to actively practice, it requires you to shift poses to build heat, increase muscle strength, and ensure flexibility of the body in uniform measure.
The elaborate sessions allows you to relax your muscles deeply. The unique form of yoga uses props, rather than the muscles to support the body. Restorative yoga classes are famous for their mellow ambiance, which makes a great stand alone practice or follow-up practice after an ‘active’ class. Practicing stillness is a powerful art and acts as a splendid stress-buster.
Clinical research conducted on this slower form of yoga has displayed proven results of depression management and reduction in cancer survivors. It is known to treat several conditions – to diminish anxiety symptoms, pain symptoms in cancer patients while helping patients to maintain the toxicity inhibited due to cancer treatments.
Restorative yoga sequences usually include 5 to 6 poses. Each pose is commonly held for 5 minutes or more.
What are the Benefits?
Restorative yoga is an excellent way to disconnect from the intense activities carried out regularly and run your speedometer back to zero. Slowing down the pace of life, it permits the body and mind to meditate for a deepening sense of awareness. Some of the other benefits are:
- A slower pace and deep breathing ensure soothing of the nervous system.
- The practice encourages mindfulness and develops a sense of growing physical sensations in an individual.
- The mindfulness of the practice causes a premeditated course of action.
- It is all about releasing and surrendering, quite contrary to pushing yourself to the limit. This paves the way for acceptance and detachment.
- It establishes a sense of safety during difficult times.
Some of the restorative yoga poses include seated forward folds, leg twists, and gentle backbends.
Here are some of my favorite Restorative Yoga poses
- Seated Forward bend with a bolster
- Seated Wide legged forward bend with block under your head
- Restorative Bridge Pose
- Extended Child’s Pose
- Supine Twist with bolster
- Supported Fish Pose
- Supported Cow Face
- Fire Log Pose
- (Supine) Bound Angle
- ‘Banana’asana
- Savasana
Restorative yoga is for everyone and has an unbelievable healing effect. Poses following this type of unconventional yoga form activate deep relaxation, melting the stress away resultantly. It can help release anxiety, calm the mind, relax the spine, slack tight hamstrings, and more.
You might also like our Intro to Yin Yoga, Moon Salutations or Yoga for Better Sleep.
