Focusof the Month

Restorative Yoga

True relaxation is often more elusive than we expect. Even sleep doesn't provide it, as dreams keep our minds and muscles in motion. Restorative poses, however, are the perfect antidote to stress and fatigue. These gentle asanas, in which we are deeply supported with props like blocks and blankets, have a particular ability to nurture and soothe. They renew our energy and bring conscious, deep relaxation.

Yoga teaches us that our bodies are suffused with Prana (masculine energy) and Apana (feminine energy). Restorative poses help balance these forces, insuring that we are neither over stimulated nor drained. These asanas are also a wonderful way to elicit the relaxation response, a mind/body state of calm that research shows is unique tool in reducing stress and improving a range of health conditions. In a restorative sequence, subtle inversions reverse the effects of gravity, gentle bends stimulate and soothe our organs, and our spines move in all directions. While it sounds energetic, props do much of the work of muscles to maintain postures and proper alignment. This enables us to feel supported and thus able to let go. Restorative poses are truly a lesson in being, not doing.

Restorative yoga is made up of specific postures intended to tap into the body’s natural ability to relax and heal. By offering more time to linger in poses and poses themselves that are intentionally gentle, restorative yoga aims to create zero strain on the body – both physically and emotionally. When we offer ourselves the freedom to experience that, our natural state of peace, clarity, and contentment arise spontaneously.

The human nervous system is a finely tuned instrument that requires balance to be effective. When we’re healthy, it fluctuates between two states: parasympathetic and sympathetic. Think of the sympathetic nervous system as the feeling you have when you’re rushing to a meeting or maneuvering through traffic on the highway.  You're vigilant, reactive, taking in and processing constant streams of information. Think of the parasympathetic nervous system as that time you had a massage and didn’t want to get off the table, or when you allowed yourself to doze on the beach.  In this state, your body’s energy reserves are used for processes that nourish and heal -- including digestion, absorption of oxygen, and immune system repair. 

Our active modern-day lives tend to overtax our sympathetic nervous systems. Even simple errands and supposedly “enjoyable” activities can summon the same feverish intensity normally reserved for urgent situations. At times, this over-striving can even bleed into our yoga practice.  We’ve probably all caught ourselves at one point or another pushing into poses beyond our edge, or yearning for a more “perfect” practice.

This all adds to our sympathetic nervous system overload!  Restorative yoga, thankfully, offers the parasympathetic balance that our bodies and minds crave to be healthy. We hope you’ll join us this month to experience some of this incredibly powerful practice.  In addition to the taste of restorative yoga that you’ll experience in each class this month, we’ll also have our regular sampling of weekly restorative classes, including Yin Yoga, Harmony Flow and Yoga Nidra.