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Restorative Yoga:
Restorative Yoga Books and Resources for Yoga Healing
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by
Marianne Woods Cirone, M.S., R.Y.T., Certified Yoga Teacher
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Restorative yoga is a
subcategory of poses found within other styles,
particularly traditional or Iyengar, focusing on
poses which are restful and rejuvenating even for those who
cannot perform many physical movements. Typically these are poses
that require set up and props in order to get into a pose
that can be comfortably and restfully sustained for ten minutes or more.
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Judith Lasater has written a book devoted
to restorative yoga, and yoga for chronic stress, called Relax and Renew: Restful Yoga for Stressful Times. Lasater is not
only a yoga expert, she is a physical therapist who has a doctorate in
East-West psychology, and her book is loved by readers. This book
offers many useful suggestions on ways to use restorative yoga poses
to keep energy and sanity in
tact when there are many demands on both. This is also an
excellent resource for healing when other forms of yoga are too
strenuous.
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 The
video tape How to Use Yoga Props - Bolsters, Blankets, Pillows
is a good source for information on
restorative yoga. Suzanne Deason, the excellent instructor in the
popular video Yoga
Conditioning for Weight Loss,
demonstates the use of blankets, bolsters and (eye) pillows in this short
tape. This video tape would make a good companion to the book Relax and Renew: Restful Yoga for Stressful Times
shown above, as it can be helpful to see the set ups of the postures
demonstrated. This is the only restorative video that I am aware of
at this time.
The book, Yoga:
The Path to Holistic Health, by B.K.S. Iyengar, one of the living masters of hatha yoga
today, is an excellent resource for restorative poses. A wide
variety of poses are explained and accompanied by clear, color
photographs. As these poses are held comfortably for relatively long
periods of time, they help to relax the mind and body and restore the body
to a balanced state where healing can occur. People with disabilities or illnesses can start
yoga practice with restorative poses.
One yoga teacher I know who is in incredible shape told me that she came to yoga through
the use of restorative poses after battling with physical illness.
It can be a very effective way to regain strength and allow inner healing
to occur.
Finding
Classes
Restorative yoga classes are probably a
little harder to find than other types of yoga classes. If you
don't find one, it may be worth while to work with a private yoga
instructor who is familiar with the restorative poses for a session or
two. An Iyengar instructor may be an excellent choice, (see Iyengar
Yoga). Once you are familiar with the poses, then you could practice
them on your own quite easily.
Our society tends to overemphasize activity
and being busy-- restorative yoga can add balance to a hectic schedule and
also bring the body inot balance. Often our excessive stress and
busy-ness does not allow the parasympathetic (calming) part of our nervous
system to kick in, and causes our sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous
system to go into overtime. Restorative yoga allows the sympathetic
nervous system to receive a much needed rest, allows overtaxed adrenal
glands to recharge and improves the tone of the parasympathetic nervous
system which will allow deep healing and rejuvenation on all
levels.
If you think that you are too tired to
start an exercise program, have no time or have health issues such as
chronic fatigue syndrome, cancer, heart disease, etc. you may be
pleasantly surprised by restorative yoga. You also may be
interested in checking out Therapeutic Yoga, which focuses on healing
specific patterns, injuries or illnesses (for more information, click on Therapeutic
Yoga).
Posture
Suggestion
The most basic (yet often called the most
challenging to do well since we are such an activity-based society) is
called savasana, also known as the corpse pose or the relaxation
pose. An unsupported version of the pose is to simply lay on your
back on a firm but comfortable surface, hands at your sides with palms
facing upward, feet relaxed. The forehead should be higher than the
chin, so a bit of elevation under the head to obtain this posture may be
required. A small towel or blanket will do the job. In this
pose, focus on relaxed abdominal breathing, relaxing the throat and tongue
in particular. Let go of tension in the body and let your mind focus
on the breath. Spend five to ten minutes in this pose and then
increase from there.
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