Sleepy Time Yoga?!?

When folks ask me about Restorative Yoga, I often joke and say "it's sleepy time yoga"! After a few "ohhh", "that sounds interesting" comments I then get into how I really feel about the Restorative Yoga practice; to me this is one of the most advanced practices. I love this practice, and many folks don't know too much about it. 

​So what REALLY is Restorative Yoga? Here are a few tidbits about this practice... 

What?

• Restorative yoga is a form of yoga that seeks to achieve physical, mental and emotional relaxation with the aid of props. The use of props makes it easier for you to maintain balance while you are stimulating and relaxing your body. 
• While some restorative yoga poses are beneficial to the entire body, others target specific parts of the body, such as the heart or the lungs.

History/Origins?

• Modern restorative yoga is derived from a yoga style that was invented by B.K.S. Iyengar, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest yoga masters in the world. 
• Iyengar instructed his students to make use of props to perfect their poses, and his teachings became known as Iyengar Yoga, which provided the foundation for the development of restorative yoga. 
• Later on, one of Iyengar's students, Judith Lasater, made restorative yoga a popular form of yoga around the world.

Benefits?

• Restorative yoga provides healing for the body and the mind. It is especially useful when you need to eliminate fatigue and stress that result from your daily activities. 
• It can also help you recover from illness and injury or overcome emotional depression and anxiety that are caused by traumatic events such as divorce, loss of job and death of a beloved.
• It is known that restorative yoga can activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which enables automatic control of the body. As such, the regular nervous system will be at rest, and the muscles will become more relaxed. 
• Constant practice of restorative yoga will make your body less vulnerable to stress-related illnesses and help you achieve optimal health.​

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We work very hard in our lives, and while we may sleep, we rarely take time to rest. Restorative yoga poses help us learn to relax and rest deeply and completely. During deep relaxation, all the organ systems of the body are benefited, and a few of the measurable results of deep relaxation are the reduction of blood pressure, serum triglycerides and blood sugar levels in the blood, the increase of the “good cholesterol” levels, as well as improvement in digestion, fertility, elimination, the reduction of muscle tension, insomnia and generalized fatigue.”  -Judith Hanson Lasater, Ph.D

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Poses?

• Many restorative yoga poses are similar to "normal" yoga poses, except that they are performed with the support of props. 
• Each restorative yoga pose has to be held for a few minutes, and it can even be as long as 10 to 15 minutes. Some of the commonly practiced poses include:
  • Legs against Wall (performed with bolster under your legs, hips or back; sometimes use of strap)
  • Child's Pose (tuck your heels under your hips and cradle a bolster or pillow with your upper body; sometimes use of blocks)
  • Reclining Bound Angle (performed with props under head, arms and legs; sometimes use of blocks)
  • Savasana (rest your head on a pillow/blanket/bolster, legs on bolster)

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Interested in giving Restorative Yoga a try? Come on our to our Restorative Hatha pop-up classes! The next class is Tuesday December 19th 2017 - from 8:30-9:30pm!

See you there!
Want more info? Connect with us!

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Written By: Sarah Memme