Online Restorative Yoga
Running on empty? Grumpy, weary, or anxious?
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Get settled and relaxed in a practice of Restorative Yoga. With the support of blankets, blocks, and bolsters, this soothing, deeply relaxing practice will help you manage stress, settle down, and leave you feeling refreshed.
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You will need the following props:
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3-5 blankets or large towels (or 3 blankets or towels and two small pillows, such as throw pillows)
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2 yoga blocks (4-inch blocks preferred or 3 stacks of large books)
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1 bolster like this (or 2 firm bed pillows or 1 couch cushion)
Thu
1 hr
20 US dollars
About Restorative Yoga
Restorative Yoga is an inward, receptive practice that creates expansion and/or grounding in a physically passive way with the use of props. The goal of Restorative Yoga practice is to create a safe and supportive space for the body so that tension will be released, a relaxation response will be initiated and the mind has the opportunity to observe and eventually learn the body and mind’s process of relaxing. For more on the power of Restorative Yoga, check out Tara's personal grounding practice originally published in in Yoga Journal!
Understanding Restorative Yoga
One way to understand Restorative Yoga is to see it as a bridge between active asana and meditation. Active asana will create spaciousness, stretching, and expanding. The practitioner is the doer, and the body responds as receiver.
What Happens During Restorative Yoga
In Restorative Yoga, there’s opening and expansion but no active stretching. Restorative yoga poses don’t increase range of motion nor build strength. Prop utilization creates sensations of complete comfort so practitioners are only the receiver.
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Addressing tension in a Restorative Yoga practice is more than just muscular tightness. However, that kind of physical tension releases during practice. Certified yoga therapist Jillian Pransky defines tension in the context of restorative practice as “the body’s way of forming resistance over places of vulnerability.” This means the practice addresses tension that includes both a physical and psycho-emotional component.
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Restorative Yoga is effective for managing conditions such as anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, high blood pressure and gastrointestinal disorders. Restorative Yoga is also ideal for anyone recovering from illness or injury. For more information, join Tara for an online Restorative Yoga class.
I find it remarkable that Tara, who practices and teaches highly athletic versions of yoga, is also an advocate and teacher of restorative yoga. Her classes have helped me realize that both activity and deep rest are necessary. Inspired by what I’ve learned from Tara, I now begin my yoga practice with restorative poses. This really settles me into my body and helps me notice what areas are tight, etc. I find that after just 10 minutes of restorative yoga, my entire practice feels much more real and authentic.