Restorative Yoga: What is it? Where do I find it near me?
Restorative Yoga is a form of yoga created and popularized by Judith Laseter, an American pioneer of the Indian tradition of yoga. She also is an author and the creator of Yoga Journal, long recognized as an excellent yoga information resource. Donna Davidge, owner and instructor at Sewall House Yoga Retreat, was trained by Laseter in one of her Relax and Renew Trainings. Donna/Amrita has also taught Restorative in New York City at a yoga studio., as well as in the yoga teacher trainings at Sewall House Yoga Retreat.
WHAT TO EXPECT
At Sewall House Yoga Retreat, we offer weekly Restorative Yoga classes, the number of times based on guests’ needs. It is a great choice for an evening class after hikes in Baxter State Park or the popular closer Mount Chase hike.
What sets Restorative Yoga apart from other forms of yoga is the use of props and the requirement that these props support the student in such a way that there is little to no pulling or stretching. While this may seem counter to what yoga means to many, the benefits of Restorative Yoga classes cannot be surpassed in teaching people how to relax and feel supported. The purpose of the props, which usually includes bolsters, blankets blocks and straps, (eye pillows if available) is to hold the student so no effort need be made by the body.
We make enough effort in our daily lives, when the sympathetic nervous system (which active forms of yoga strengthen) serves us with constant fight, flight or freeze reactions. The parasympathetic system helps us learn to respond, not react.
THE BENEFITS OF RESTORATIVE YOGA
One of the major benefits of Restorative Yoga is the strengthening of the parasympathetic nervous system. This is the nervous system that helps us be calm. With the amount of stress and busyness in modern-day life, Restorative Yoga is an important complement to the more active forms of yoga that have helped increase the practice of yoga In the United States and globally.
Another thing that sets restorative yoga apart is the long time one spends in the pose. To reap the full benefits, ten minutes is a good minimum time in a pose, with up to twenty minutes as a maximum. For people who have anxiety, this may at first seem uncomfortable but most students report feeling relaxed and calmer after restorative yoga classes. The most important restorative yoga pose is savasana, the dead persons pose, practiced at the end of this and all yoga practices.
Restorative is in the category of yin yoga practice. Yin yoga is often confused with restorative yoga, because they are similar in their slower approach. The difference is that yin yoga holds are usually 1-3 minutes, with a pull in the connective tissue and fascia being the main requirement, as opposed to restorative support. Yin may or may not use props, though many teachers and students like props in both practices. At Sewall House Yoga retreat, we offer both forms–yin and restorative.