Practising restorative yoga is a great way to take some time out to rest and renew – especially when energy levels are low. These three restorative yoga postures can be practised individually or they make a really nice short session, incorporating a forward bend, a back bend and an inversion. Stay about 3 minutes in each pose for a 10 minute restorative sequence before bed and sleep easy.
Although it’s ideal, you don’t need a yoga bolster. Get creative and use blankets, a duvet, pillows – whatever you have to hand. If you think you might want to practice restorative (also known as ‘yin’) yoga regularly, a yoga bolster is well worth the investment. If you have a yogi friend/family member, it makes a much appreciated yoga present (mine certainly was). Enjoy!
1. Supported chest opener (aka ‘the heart soarer’)
Restorative yoga – chest and shoulder opener
Physical benefits:
- Opens the shoulders and chest – great if you spend a lot of time working on a computer.
- Opens up the lungs and diaphragm, allowing for a deeper, fuller breath, rejuvenating the whole body.
- Stretches the front of the body, allowing tension to be released from the stomach.
- Increases flexibility in the upper spine.
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The set up for a restorative yoga workshop at York Yoga Studio
Restorative yoga was where I started. Due to illness, I quite literally started yoga from the ground up – doing postures where I could lie down, supported as much as possible.
As my health improved I quickly started to incorporate more active poses – standing poses and poses that require strength and balance. It was all good stuff but I never waved goodbye to the restorative practice.
I always had an inkling that there was more to restorative yoga than just good old R&R and my inkling was confirmed in a restorative Iyengar class I used to attend every Sunday.
We would practise with props galore. It would drive me a little crazy how much time we would spend preparing our ‘posture station’ but the efforts were nothing compared to the benefits.
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Rooftop Kathmandu
My first experience with Iyengar yoga was in a restorative class in Kathmandu. The city, with its constant rush and swirl of activity, calls for a restorative class from time to time.
The teacher instructed us to move into child’s pose, balasana. It was a moment of complete relaxation, a chance to let my shoulders roll blissfully forward, stretching out my back and neck from any of the tension that had built up there. My stomach was gently compressed and I could feel the breath in my back in a gentle releasing massage. I could have slept quite happily there, rolling peacefully in the waves of my breath. I moved further into the sensation, my mind slowly waking up to my body. [continue reading…]
