What comes to mind when you think about Restorative Yoga? Relaxed, breathing, bolsters? Or perhaps slow, quiet, boring?
In a restorative class, we practise asanas that are meant to rest the body. This typically involves asanas that are in supine position, supported on props and held for longer duration. The amount of yoga props used in a restorative class can be staggering; the whole range can possibly fill a tiny house!
When I first started practising yoga, I never quite understood the need for restoratives. At times, it seemed like a prolonged semi-sleeping state. For someone who liked strong, vigorous yoga practice, it wasn’t hitting the mark for me though I took each class dutifully when it came round in our regular Iyengar 4-week practice cycle.
I began to appreciate restoratives when personal life events interceded – the loss of loved ones, exhaustion from work stress, dealing with unexpected changes. I recall lying in Savasana at the end of class, tears streaming down my face and soaking the eye pillow. It was hard to be still in the body, where the mind is free to wander and often ended up in dark, sad places. Even though it was confronting, I found that after each restorative class, I gained a little more. A little more in comfort, a little more in acceptance, a step towards healing my body, heart and soul.
Mr BKS Iyengar said, “Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured.”
In restorative yoga, one can perhaps experience how it really feels to do just that. The therapeutic effects on the physical body can be felt almost instantaneously. The therapy on the mind goes deeper and further. Shedding the protective layers, both metaphorical and mental, allowing yourself to come closer to what is the truth, staying with it, accepting it.
It may not seem like a lot of work but restoratives work a lot, on our mind and our body. I hope it takes a special place in your yoga journey, as much as it has become a part of mine.
Explore Restorative Yoga
Mondays 10.30am-11.15am, Mortdale Church Hall
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