Restorative Yoga: Benefits and Poses

Yoga can come in many different forms and one of them is represented by restorative yoga. Learn all its benefits!

Restorative Yoga is a gentler type of the discipline that has healing effects for people with different needs. Although it is done at a very slow pace, it is highly functional and has a restorative power that can really do wonders for the human body.

What is Restorative Yoga?

Restorative Yoga is a special type of yoga that can help people achieve a form of emotional, physical and mental relaxation by using different props. The fact that it uses props makes it very easy for practitioners to maintain their balance while they are relaxing and stimulating their bodies at the same time. Some of the poses that this kind of yoga suggests can be beneficial to the whole body, while others can target just particular parts of it, like the lungs or the heart. Therefore, practitioners can choose to practice the poses they want, depending on their needs.

Restorative Yoga principles

The principles that Restorative Yoga is based on are very easy to understand and to follow. The first one of them refers to the fact that you must always be aware of what your body can and cannot do. You are the expert of it and your body is the only one that can tell you what you should do and if you should stop.

The second principle is represented by the fact that you should not accept any pain during practice. You must respect your body and always be aware of the pain signals it might transmit to you. If you ever feel that something is too much, you should stop and change whatever you were doing in the first place.
The third principle teaches you how to use your breath in order to help yourself. This must be deep and slow, so that your diaphragm can open up and release oxygen to all the tissues of your body.

Finally, the last principle refers to always following your heart. You should listen to it more than to your teacher and hold any pose you might be comfortable with for as long as you want. This is the only way you can practice this type of yoga right.

Benefits of Restorative Yoga

Restorative Yoga has the ability of offering multiple benefits to those practicing it. First of all, it provides healing not only for the body, but also for the soul and the mind. It can be great for when you want to relieve stress and fatigue, but its main purpose is to help people recover from injuries or different illnesses. Moreover, it can also help people overcome anxiety and emotional depression.

Basic Restorative Yoga poses

The restorative yoga poses look very much like the normal ones. The sole difference is that these poses have to be done with the use of props. There are four main poses that this discipline promotes, called Savasana, Reclining Bound Angle, Child’s and Legs against Wall.

In order to do the Savasana one, you must put a pillow under your head, keep your feet on your plank and your legs on the bolster. For the Reclining Bound Angle you have to use props not only under your head, but also under your legs and your arms. For the Child’s pose, you must put your heels under the hips and then cradle a pillow or some other prop by using your upper body. Finally, for the Legs against Wall pose you have to use a bolster under your hips, your back or your head.