Restorative Yoga Guide

Restorative yoga to de-stress

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

Importance of restorative yoga in life

Other than yoga for weight loss or yoga for back pain, restorative yoga be made up of gentle yoga poses when you are mentally or physically tired. Restorative yoga poses are often practiced to recover from an active exercise or to reduce stress. In the west, there is not much time to taking a moment to relax. Our days are overloaded and our everyday tasks often need much energy, so we plop down in our seat and watch TV when the whole thing is done. A better way to relax your body is restorative yoga. If you free 30 minutes daily for these exercises, you will decrease stress levels and have more energy to begin your following day. If you do restorative yoga before bedtime, the quality of your sleep will improve.

What do you need for your Restorative Yoga?

If you want to perform restorative yoga well, you must have a wide range of props. Most of the time, you will be using bolsters, pillows, blankets, chairs, straps and blocks to help you reach perfect poses. The main purpose of props is to provide support for your body when you are stretching or relaxing. As such, you have to make sure that you have props of the right sizes for specific positions. A prop that is half an inch larger or smaller can be the reason for you to lose comfort and attention when you are performing a pose.

When you are practicing restorative yoga, you will feel a sense of motionlessness and shapelessness, and this may result in some forms of emotional discomfort. Restorative yoga poses can make you feel vulnerably susceptible while you are practicing them, but you can keep yourself comfortable by putting on an eye pillow or placing your feet on the wall.

Restorative yoga poses -

1. Legs Up the Wall Pose (Viparita Karani)

You must sit as close as possible against the wall with your butt. Lift your legs up until they are against the wall. If this is too hard, you can lie slight further with your upper body. You can put a pillow under your back for you to relax. Close your eyes and hold for 5-10 minutes.

1. Butterfly Pose (Badhakonasana)

Bend your knees on a yoga mat and bring your soles together. Press your knees into the floor with your elbows. Focus your gaze to your feet. Take 5 deep breaths.

1. Hero Pose (Virasana)

Sit on your knees and spread your feet so you can sit in between them. Inhale and lift your arms above your head. Stay in this pose for 5-10 breaths.

1. Child’s Pose (Balasana)

Sit with your knees on a yoga mat, with your toes pointing down. Stretch your arms and lean your upper body forward. Stretch your arms out as far as possible and stay in the same pose for 5-10 breaths. Place your head on a pillow or blanket.

1. Reclining Bound Angle Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana)

Lie on your back with your knees and feet together. Let your knees drop out to both sides of your body. Lay your head and back on a pillow. Hold this position for 5 minutes.

1. Corpse Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana)

Lie down on your yoga mat in a comfortable position. You can put pillows under your head, back and legs as support. Focus on your breathing and stay 5-10 minutes in this position with your eyes closed.

Benefits of Restorative Yoga

Restorative yoga provides healing for the body and the mind. It is especially useful when you want to remove fatigue and stress that result from your everyday activities. It can help you recover from sickness and injury or overcome emotional depression and anxiety that are effect by traumatic events such as divorce, loss of job and death of a beloved.

It is well-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. Continuous practice of restorative yoga will make your body less vulnerable to stress-related illnesses and help you achieve healthier life.

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