Find your balance with Restorative Yoga for mental health and emotional resilience
Many turn to yoga for stress relief only to find themselves gasping for air in a fast paced, competitive class and forcing themselves into impossible shapes. In Restorative Yoga, deep relaxation, supported postures, gentle breathing and meditation work together to ease stress by trading the push of productivity for the gifts of receptivity with very little to no physical movement.
Imagine this:
After another stressful, relentless, white knuckle day at work you enter a quiet, softly lit room. Liberated from the confines of worry, the tidal wave of thoughts subside. The spinning stops. After a few poses, you emerge renewed
Restorative Yoga is based on these principles:
- Focus is on opening and relaxing, not strength or flexibility
- Poses are held for up to 30 minutes, giving you time to relax completely
- The practice uses props in every pose to facilitate relaxation states that can otherwise be elusive
- Poses are simple and gentle, making it appropriate for everyone Each practice consists of only a handful of postures
- It promotes a state of peaceful contemplation, abundance, and well being
A few benefits of Restorative Yoga:
Emotional Well- Being -
Restorative Yoga fosters states of peace, joy and compassion. By receiving support and bringing your awareness to the unlimited supply of breath available to you, you shift your perspective from scarcity to abundance.
Stress management -
According to the Mayo Clinic, relaxation can help physiologically reduce stress, including slowing heart rate, lowering blood pressure, improving concentration and mood, improving sleep quality, reducing fatigue, diminishing feelings of anger and frustration, and boosting problem solving abilities.
Healthier Respiration -
Shallow breathing is common in our tech driven society. It can increase anxiety, back pain, brain fog, and poor digestion. In Restorative Yoga, you can soften the respiration muscles through comfortable postures, then bring awareness to your breath and employ gentle breathing exercises.
How Restorative Yoga Works
Restorative Yoga first supports your body, easing physical tension. This helps restore the natural, easy breath you enjoyed as an infant. When your breath and body soften, your mind can open to what is happening (you are relaxing, supported and safe), releasing what it’s worried might happen. When your mind quiets, your discerning intellect kicks in, retaking control over the direction of your mind. The contraction of worry and lack gives way to spacious feelings of abundance and ease. Arrival at this sweet spot, known as the bliss layer, is the core journey of Restorative Yoga.
Source: Restorative Yoga for Beginners by Julia Clarke (2019) Rockridge Press
