Restorative Yoga: Renew, Rewind & Relax

Restorative yoga are postures that gently stretch & relax the body, and calm the mind. It doesn’t ask for any specific level of fitness or prior experience with yoga to begin practicing in classroom sessions. Even advanced practitioners of yoga and athletes can benefit from these gentle stretching exercises as it balances the physically demanding workouts.

What is restorative yoga?

Restorative yoga is a form of yoga where a few restful postures are practiced to induce total relaxation of body and mind. This form of yoga involves use of props like bolsters, blankets and blocks to support the asanas (poses). The idea is to slow down your body with gentle restorative postures (aided by props) for 5 to 10 minutes, focus on breathing, and just relax. The origin of restorative yoga poses is attributed to Yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar, who began using props in his yoga sessions that had modified asanas and could be practiced without strain. The restorative yoga postures are non-demanding physically and includes slow movements like seated forward folds, gentle backbends and light twists of the body.

Popular restorative yoga poses

Child's Pose (Bālāsana) – It gently stretch your thighs, hips and ankles as well as calm the mind.

Up The Wall (Viparita Karani) – It helps in calming the mind and reduces anxiety. The posture gently stretches the back legs, giving relief to weary legs and feet.

Supine Spinal Twist (Jathara Parivartanasana) – This pose gently stretches the outer hips, lower back, chest and the pectorals.

Sleeping Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana) – It’s especially beneficial to people suffering from sciatica by gently stretching hip flexors and the glutes.

The Goddess Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana) – It relaxes the shoulders, chest, abdomen and pelvis. Women find this posture relaxing during pregnancy, menstruation and when menopause sets in.

Benefits of Restorative Yoga

Restorative Yoga is a relaxed method of exercising that has several health benefits like reduced blood pressure, flexible hips & spine and deep relaxation of the body

.

Here is a lowdown on the key benefits of practicing restorative yoga.

Promotes flexibility

Certain poses of restorative yoga make the body more agile than an active yoga session. The slow movement used in practicing asanas help the body in stretching, but the props aid in keeping the stretch relaxed. This technique allows gradual release of muscle tension and promotes complete relaxation.

Motivation

Overweight individuals usually find difficulty in continuing with Yoga due to the physical stress incurred during stretching asanas. Restorative Yoga comes as a welcome change as it is gentle, motivating practitioners to continue for long term and it becomes a habit. Attending restorative yoga classes for 12 – 15 weeks leads to increased energy and improves sense of wellbeing among practitioners – further motivating them to continue at home.

Easy to adopt meditation & incorporate mindfulness

Traditional seated meditation seems daunting to most people. But Restorative Yoga, supported by props, encourages participants to adopt meditation. It allows the yogis to delve deeper into their inner shelf and heal themselves by consciously releasing pent-up emotions. Restorative Yoga, by nature, promotes mindfulness as it encourages you to slowdown while the body relaxes with support from props. The asanas call for holding a posture for some time that forces practitioners to look inward and become aware of their senses.

Removes sleep problems

Restorative postures are beneficial for people with sleep problem, and comes without any side effects that are often seen in pharmacological treatments. Certain asanas give relaxed time to the nervous system, resulting in improved sleep at night.

Stress reduction

Restorative yoga encourages your body to slow down, by relaxing the parasympathetic nervous system. When the body is relaxed it’s easier to look inward and deal with physical and psychological stressors. So, regular practice of a few restorative asanas may be helpful in combating stress, as per studies.

Health benefits

Several researches have shown that practicing restorative yoga can have positive health benefits for humans. It can help in prevention of Type II diabetes by promoting lifestyle changes resulting in reduced glucose and insulin levels – metabolic factors which can lead to development of Type II diabetes. The asanas of Restorative Yoga allow relaxation, helping to boost the immune system that regulates the body’s inflammatory response to bacteria, virus and other microbes. Studies suggest that women living with breast cancer were greatly benefitted by practicing restorative yoga as it reduced fatigue and improved emotional wellbeing.

It’s best to rest the body, when you feel exhausted and stressed – especially by practicing gentle stretching exercises aided by props – to reach a state of blissful relaxation of body and mind. Restorative yoga takes the healing power of yoga to the next level by providing intense relaxation of body and mind. This non-demanding yoga style is suitable for all types of practitioners. So, go ahead practice some relaxed stretching, calm the brain, or just check out another form of yoga.