Rest | A Restorative Practice
We all need more rest.
In my first restorative yoga class I couldn’t believe what I was hearing when the instructor said we would hold 5 postures for the 75-minute class. I didn’t understand how this could be possible. I had chosen a class that fit in my schedule without understanding what a restorative yoga class was. As a yoga teacher now, I often hear students express concern about attending a class that is designed to allow them to rest. I get it - in the West we think of yoga as the physical asana practice without considering its ancient roots. Restorative yoga is a different kind of practice but one that will bring you incredible benefits.
Tell me, who among us could not use some rest and a reset?
Restorative yoga is intentional rest. Through restorative postures the practice invites physical and physiological stillness into the body, which allows for the movement of tension and stress. It is also constructive, allowing us to take the space we create during a restorative practice off the mat in the form of resourcefulness and resiliency.
I often hear people group yin and restorative together, and while they are more similar there are differences. Yin yoga is meant to quiet the mind using shorter holds that stretch connective tissue, while a restorative class invites long, supported poses to allow for ease and stillness in body, mind and breath.
Restorative yoga postures are low to the ground and mat-based, typically held for 10 to 20 minutes. A myriad of props is used to allow the body to embrace the postures, with comfort and rest the goal of each hold. The postures are supine, prone or side lying, with blankets, bolsters and blocks arranged to support the body.
The benefits of a restorative practice are many including reducing anxiety, releasing tension, enhanced somatic awareness, and homeostasis - or internal equilibrium. Restorative yoga offers an incredible opportunity for the nervous system to rest and reset.