What Restorative Really Means.
/Once a month I teach a Restorative Yoga workshop.
I call these Restorative due to the intended effect the practices have on your nervous system. If you're stressed or anxious, you will have elevated levels of stress hormones in your body, your frontal cortex will be chatty and you will feel agitated. The last thing you will be capable of is being quiet and still.
This is the reason I include some strengthening poses in the workshops. By using the large muscles of the thighs and buttocks in particular, stress hormones are metabolised - used up. By working these muscles, you feel them burning and your attention is immediately taken out of the mind and into the body.
It is easy to give up, to get angry and irritable when working the body in this way which is quite normal but here is why you should try not to:
You experience elevated levels of dopamine and seratonin, endorphins that benefit your mood and overall sense of well-being.
Seratonin can also help improve your appetite and sleep cycles, which are often negatively affected by stress, anxiety and depression.
Fluid movements also have a quietening effect on the frontal cortex and are especially beneficial in contact with the ground. Being grounded is an experience we lose when we are stuck in thinking mode. These movements, especially when practiced in union with Ujjayi breathing have a calming effect on the nervous system; resetting it from fight and flight to rest and restore.
By the time you have reached this stage, you might be ready for stillness. It is now that props can be employed to help you remain comfortably in a pose, attending to the sensations in your body and your breath.
Meditation is more realistic once the mind is quiet but that doesn't mean it won't get busy. Mindfulness supports you in recognising the workings of the mind and in cultivating positive attitudes towards yourself.
Relaxation is vital for restoration. Covering the eyes gives us a sense of safety, as does having weight on the chest or belly such as a blanket. It’s great to have props at this stage so that you can be at your most comfortable and release any tension in your body.
Restorative Yoga is self care at its best. Why don’t you give it a try?