The Deeply Nourishing Benefits of Restorative Yoga
Restorative Yoga is a practice of undoing
In the restorative practice we use time, gravity and the support of the ground and props to bring ourselves into a state of calm presence where the body and mind can experience profound ease and restfulness.
We use the props - often lots of them - to set ourselves up in postures where we can stay for extended periods of time. This can allow tension in the body to unwind and unravel so that the body can gently open.
Restorative Yoga sometimes feels like nothing much is happening
In our modern lives we are so familiar with being encouraged to do more, to feel more, to achieve more. The restorative practice can be quite counter intuitive as we are aiming to do less, to feel less, to achieve less. Most of us are quite unused to this concept and we might feel at first like there is nothing much happening or like we’re not feeling enough sensation.
It might be quite unfamiliar for us to stay still for extended periods of time and we might notice that our body is quite tense and our mind is quite busy. As we begin to feel safe to surrender, to yield to gravity, to stay and be present to whatever the experience offers, we might begin to become more attuned to the more subtle qualities of ourselves - the way we breathe, the way we hold ourselves, our patterns of thinking and how we feel on a deeper level. Eventually, we might start to feel a sense of softening and spaciousness in the body, of a longer and more easeful breath and a calmer mind.
Restorative Yoga is different from Yin Yoga
The restorative practice is often confused with a yin practice but it is really quite different. In the yin practice we are applying a gentle stretch to the connective tissues to encourage lengthening and we might safely stay in the postures for 1 to 5 minutes, sometimes with a feeling of quite intense sensation. In the restorative practice we are propped and supported in a way that sends the message to our nervous system that it is safe for the body to let go of holding on and to release. We can take more time in the restorative postures should we choose and this can be beneficial as our patterns of holding are developed over time and it can take a while for the nervous system to get the idea that it is safe to let go.
Restorative Yoga is deeply nourishing
The relaxation that we are able to experience in the restorative practice is deeply nourishing and quite different from what we might experience in sleep or when we are slumped on the couch distracted by Netflix. In the restorative practice we take the time to prop ourselves so that we have a supreme level of comfort and then we consciously allow the body to relax. We stay present to all the subtle sensations, emotions and thoughts that arise. Being relaxed and alert in this state of calm presence is nourishing on all levels and we might experience great clarity, insight, creativity or peace.
Restorative Yoga as a counter-cultural practice
“What the culture wants is not necessarily what the culture needs”. I love this quote by one of my teachers Donna Farhi. I can remember when I first heard it, how I felt and how it resonated with me and my approach to my yoga practice and the way I wanted to share the practices with others. It reminds me that what is popular is not necessarily what is better and certainly is not all that is needed. It reminds how important it is to find ways to share these more subtle practices, that I believe have great benefit, in ways that are accessible for everyone. I sometimes like to think of myself as a restorative yoga activist helping to ensure that these subtle practices are discovered by as many people as possible which I believe will be for the benefit of all of us.
— Julie Pugh