Practice Active Relaxation With Restorative Yoga

Restorative Yoga helps achieve complete rest to the body and mind with passive yoga poses and simple props.

In the race to achieve our dreams and goals, we often neglect our physical and mental health. Yoga helps by bringing balance and discipline to our everyday lives. However, by the end of the day or the weekend, when sleep is preferred, it seems impossible to motivate ourselves to do yoga.

What if there was a yoga practise where you did not have to move a lot? Your body is allowed to relax and stretch without much effort. And your mind feels refreshed and your energy restored for the next day.

Restorative Yoga is one such therapeutic exercise that’s much needed in today’s busy lifestyle. Even expert yogis do it after taking many classes throughout the day. 

Most yoga stretches are focused on strength and flexibility through movement and sweating. It improves physical activity and mental health. However, restorative yoga is the Yin to the Yang. In Restorative Yoga, the focus is on passive stretches. From one yoga pose to another, the change is kept minimal and always done with the support of a cushion or a yoga block. It involves the concept of active relaxation.

Disclaimer: All content in this post is for general health information only. Please consult a qualified physician or coach before trying any new exercise, diet, or health advice. There are no affiliate links attached to this post.

WHAT IS RESTORATIVE YOGA? 

Restorative Yoga can be defined as a way to transport you to a relaxed state of mind. While every exercise focuses on movement and poses, Restorative Yoga focuses on being mindful of every action that we take. It helps in restoring peace of mind.

“Restorative yoga originates from the teachings of B.K.S. Iyengar, a yoga practitioner from India. His original teachings included invigorating classes that utilized props to help practitioners align the body. Yoga teacher Judith Hanson Lasater helped the practice grow in popularity with her 2005 book, Relax and Renew: Restful Yoga for Stressful Times.”

Restorative Yoga is practised lying down on either the back or on your stomach for a longer period of time. Each yoga pose results in deep relaxation of all the senses, muscles, and nerves. The yoga poses are held for a longer period of time to allow relaxed breathing. This helps the joints move smoothly without any stress.

DEFINING ACTIVE RELAXATION

Restorative yoga encourages students to practise active relaxation. This is a state of being when you consciously try to relax your body and mind without too much physical movement. It may sound simple. However, with the present lifestyle that demands us to do multi-tasking, it’s easier to get distracted and stressed. It is one of the reasons some people have sleepless nights.

Practicing active relaxation in Restorative Yoga allows the parasympathetic nervous system to calm the triggers that make you nervous or anxious. It restores emotional balance by helping people who have experienced trauma or loss.

WHY DO EXPERT YOGIS RECOMMEND PRACTICING RESTORATIVE YOGA REGULARLY?

Expert yogis also experience a lot of physical and mental exertion. The days are busy with meetings, counselling, training students, checking for healthy meals, managing schedules, etc. Stress has become a part of our lives, whether you are a professional yogi, an office worker, or a homemaker.

Sleep and rest are even more required in today’s lifestyle. Restorative Yoga is like putting a pause button on the busy mind. When you are lying in a fixed pose, it is natural that your mind wanders to the things you haven’t ticked off on your to-do list. The poses in Restorative Yoga are designed to relax the pressure points in your body. At the same time, the mind is kept focused on the present moment instead of wandering towards negative energy. Therefore, like many yoga forms, restorative yoga also requires some practice.

BENEFITS OF RESTORATIVE YOGA 

*Allows the body and mind to relax completely
*Gently stretches muscles
*Lowers heart rate
*Balances blood pressure
*Calms nervous system
*Removes anxiety triggers
*Helps release control of the body and feel more secure
*Aids people who have experienced trauma or loss
*Releases frustration and restores peace of mind
*Improves overall mobility
*It can be practiced by all ages and levels of yoga students
*It is meditative
*Restores emotional balance
*Revitalizes the physical body

DIFFERENT RESTORATIVE YOGA POSES 

The props you will need to practise Restorative Yoga are: 2 or 3 wide and long fluffy towels; 2 or 3 wide cushions or pillows; a yoga mat; a blanket. 

Warm up with light stretches such as the cat cow exercise. 

Initially, you may need a partner to adjust your props for each yoga pose. You may keep your eyes open or closed while doing Restorative Yoga poses. Since each pose is held longer than 5 minutes, keep a timer close at hand.

CHILD’S POSE or Salamba Balasana 

Place cushions and then folded towels on top of them to make a small, comfy bed. Place a comfortable blanket behind your knees.

Lie with your upper torso on the folded towels with your head resting on any one side. Keep your arms around the folded towels with your elbows bent. Place your lower torso closer to the towels, bend your knees, supported by the blanket.

Stay in the pose for 10 minutes and change your head position from right to left after 5 minutes.

LEG UP THE WALL POSE or Viparita Karani 

There are two ways to do this yoga pose. 

Lie down on your back with your buttocks touching the wall. Lift your legs straight up, supported by the wall. Your head should be supported by a folded blanket. Your hands should be resting by your side with open palms facing up.

The other way to do this yoga pose is to put your legs on a chair, and your knees should be kept bent on a towel or a cushion. The head will be supported by a folded blanket and your hands by your side with open palms facing up.

Stay in this pose for 10 minutes. 

Try to relax in this position with deep breathing. You may keep your eyes open or close them. Make sure that your neck, shoulders, and lower back feel relaxed as you practise deep breathing.

RECLINING BOUND ANGLE POSE or Supta Baddha Konasana 

Lie down on your back. Place a towel or a comfortable cushion behind your head that also supports your neck. Bend both your knees and open to the side, touching only the soles of your feet. You can keep cushions under your knees for extra comfort. Keep your arms relaxed by your side.

Stay in the this pose for 10 minutes. 

This yoga pose opens up your chest area and helps you breathe deeply and fully. It also gently stretches your spine, which becomes stiff after sitting for a long time at your work desk.

CORPSE POSE or Savasana 

This pose is correctly named “corpse pose” because your body and your senses are absolutely calm. It looks very simple, but the challenge lies in forgetting your worries about work or personal life.

Lie down flat on the floor on your back. Place a heavy and fluffy towel beneath your knees and a folded towel behind your head. Keep your body extremely passive while breathing deeply. Try to relax your toes and hands by your side with open palms facing up.

Stay in this pose for 10 minutes. 

The amazing thing about Restorative Yoga is that it looks effortless. You can easily modify each pose according to your comfort level. It is relaxing as well as restorative in the true sense.

References

Active Relaxation: The Power of Restorative Yoga, 28 October, 2021 by Caroline Box. 

https://thehoya.com/active-relaxation-the-power-of-restorative-yoga/