What Is Restorative Yoga?
Restorative yoga is a slower, more restful, more passive approach to yoga that’s meant to melt away muscle tension, create space in the body, and alleviate stress. Though rooted in the same discipline with many familiar, fundamental poses as other types of yoga, restorative yoga is less about building strength or working up a sweat than it is about deep mental and physical relaxation. During a typical session of restorative yoga, at home or at an in-person class, you’ll likely hold just a few—often very few—tension-relieving stretches and positions for longer than, say, energizing vinyasa yoga (which flows from pose to pose more fluidly and quickly). You’ll likely pay close attention to your breath while maintaining a pose: breathing deeply into each stretch, decompressing tense areas, focusing on what you feel and think, and cultivating a connection between brain, breath, and body. Restorative yoga often incorporates helpful props—such as yoga blocks or bricks, pillows or bolsters, or a blanket or towel—that support the body in various poses. You might also use straps or bands to help hold, lengthen, or deepen specific stretches.
Restorative Yoga Benefits
Studies have found yoga to be beneficial as a Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) strategy—an add-on to your current wellness routine. (Other examples of therapeutic CAM approaches are meditation, acupuncture, massage, and intentional dietary changes). It’s no wonder that Stephanie Rodriguez, LMHC, founder and lead therapist at Emergent Mental Health Services in New York City, is a proponent of yoga for her clients. Rodriguez says that restorative yoga, specifically, can help both the body and mind. “Yoga helps regulate the nervous system,” she explains. “That’s the key to regulating your emotions, reducing cortisol levels (the stress hormone), and lowering blood pressure and heart rate, which alleviates the nervous system and [helps you develop] a more effective stress response over time.” As a psychotherapist and advisory member for Hope for Depression Research Foundation, Rodriguez recognized movement as a way to alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression. “Since the body stores stress in common areas like the neck, shoulder, and hips; yoga helps with stretching and opening up these areas to release stored stress,” she explains. “It also eases chronic pain, which can be a symptom of trauma.” Some examples of chronic pain are frequent headaches, low back pain, and nerve damage. Restorative yoga is wonderful for both true yoga beginners and more seasoned practitioners—everyone benefits from weaving low-impact, low-intensity movement into their fitness routine. If you are a novice and just starting out with restorative yoga, Gina Ward, a certified yoga instructor and founder of Heart & Grit coaching, says it’s important to recognize that different postures may bring out different reactions in different people. And don’t be alarmed: They may even induce some momentary stress for some—it seems counterintuitive, but it’s totally normal. “Any type of backbend or heart opener [pose] exposes the chest and gets the nervous system going in the opposite direction than it’s used to going,” Ward says. “It’s a vulnerable position because you’re putting your heart forward, whereas when you’re stressed, you kind of hunch your shoulders or [cross] your arms to protect the soft part of your body.” Someone going into a restorative yoga class, or an at-home practice with a lot on their mind, may struggle through some poses at first, or take a minute to fully execute them and allow their body to open up and relax. For example, Ward says that for a while, wheel pose was inaccessible to her. “It wasn’t until I had a really good cry one day that I was able to do the wheel. It wasn’t actually anything in my body, it was something I needed to move in my mind.” Try these six stress-dissolving, beginner-friendly, restorative yoga poses. How to do it: From a plank position, lower yourself to the floor. As you near the floor, tuck your toes under, straighten your arms, and lift your chest toward the sky. To execute properly, remember to pull your shoulders down and away from your ears, and draw your shoulder blades toward each other. How to do it: Kneel with your knees spread at a slight V-angle and toes touching (like the point of the V). Sit back on your heels and lower your chest toward your knees. Extend your arms in front of you, and let your head rest on the mat. How to do it: From standing, step your legs 3 to 4 feet apart (a bit wider than hip distance), and then place your hands on your hips. Lengthen your torso toward the sky, and then slowly begin to fold your upper body over. You can place your hands on the floor directly under you, stretching them behind you on the floor; or fold them behind your back using whatever expression with your hands feels best. How to do it: Start by lying on your back with knees bent and heels close to your butt. Arms are lying straight on the ground at your sides, and fingertips are stretching toward your feet. Press your feet firmly and evenly into the ground, gently squeeze your glutes (butt muscles), and lift your hips off the mat. How to do it: Sit up straight on the floor with your legs and feet out in front of you and close together. Place a pillow, cushion, or yoga bolster on your lap, and then fold over your lap (and the pillow) with your arms stretching forward toward your feet. (If it’s too difficult to reach forward because you aren’t flexible or your hamstrings are too tight, prop a rolled-up blanket under your knees.) Soften your gaze or close your eyes while resting your forehead on the cushion. How to do it: Start by lying on your back with a bolster (or pillow or rolled-up towel) under your knees, and a blanket pulled over you. Let your arms rest by your sides with palms facing up. Let your knees and feet fall to the side if that’s how they want to relax naturally. Instead of a bolster behind your knees, you can place a cushion under your head and upper back, giving your spine support and opening your chest and breathing pathways.
