In this article Ellie answers the question, Is Restorative Yoga Good for You? Yes! Restorative Yoga is so named because of the restorative and nurturing nature of the practice.
It is a deliberately passive form of yoga which incorporates the use of props to support you in poses. You lie on the mat and stay in a pose for between 5 and 15 minutes, allowing time for your body to release tension that it is holding. It is completely different from the more active forms of yoga such as Vinyasa Flow and Hatha.
7 Reasons Why Restorative Yoga is Good for You:
1. Relieves Stress and Calms the Mind
When we are stressed, the brain sends signals to the body via the nervous system, telling it to go into fight or flight mode. This is useful if we are being chased by a wild animal, but most ordinary day to day situations such as a deadline at work don’t require you to make a run for it! Unfortunately, the body is unable to distinguish between these extremes and any situation that it deems stressful will trigger the fight or flight response. Not only that, but we only need to be thinking about a potentially stressful situation to set off this response.
The triggers for stress are different for everyone. We can all cope with a certain amount of stress. In-fact we need a purpose to get us out of bed and motivated each day. But we all manage stress in different ways and the amount of stress we can handle differs for each person. One person may thrive on organising a large event, whereas another person can be sent into a tailspin just thinking of it.
The body and mind respond in many ways to these stressful triggers. The signs of stress include anxiety, worry, broken sleep patterns, irritability, feeling overwhelmed, poor digestion, memory problems, tension headaches, rapid heartbeat, nervous habits such as nail biting, excess alcohol, caffeine, dry mouth. We can all recognise at least one of these signs. However, we very often ignore the signals and they become chronic i.e. habituated or the norm; every day becomes an emergency for our body. How often do we lose sleep and just shrug it off, perhaps consuming more coffee to keep us alert?
When we are stressed, a part of our nervous system called the sympathetic nervous system triggers the fight or flight response. It sends signals to our body which in turn produces chemicals such as cortisol and adrenalin which flood the body and creates all the stress responses.
In restorative yoga, we remove all distractions and interruptions to quiet the mind. The room is darkened, and you have an eye pillow over your eyes. The breath is used as our focus.
The breath triggers the parasympathetic nervous system, which reverses the effects of the sympathetic nervous system. In restorative yoga, we have breathing exercises which take us out of the shallow breathing patterns we fall into when stressed. The breath helps to soothe and calm the mind.
2. Relieves Tension in the Body
When stress becomes chronic and habituated, the body stores it up in every nook and cranny. Common areas for holding tension are the base of the skull, face and eyes, tongue, shoulders, abdomen, and pelvic floor. How often do we find that our shoulders are wrapped around our ears at the end of the day?
In Restorative Yoga, each pose is designed to target certain areas of the body, encouraging it to release the tension it is holding. We use props such as bolsters, blankets, blocks and straps to support the body in the pose. The pose is then held for 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the area we are targeting.
The release of tension triggers the parasympathetic nervous system, which counteracts the fight or flight response and lowers cortisol levels.
3. Restorative Yoga is Good for Injuries
Restorative Yoga is non weight bearing. Your body is completely supported by props such as bolsters, blankets, and bricks. It is also stationary. Therefore, you are not creating any impact to exacerbate injuries.
When the body gets an injury, the surrounding parts of the body often tense up in order to protect the injury. We can end up with aches in other parts of the body. If the injury is long term, the tension stores up.
Another reason for pain in the body is muscle rigidity or muscle tension, which is created when muscles cannot relax once they are tensed up. It can last for hours or days. This is turn can create pain and it is exacerbated by stress.* So Restorative Yoga helps to relieve ands relax the muscle tension.
Restorative Yoga can be practiced if you have back pain. Your back is fully supported with props and they can placed to suit your needs. Certain poses can also be adapted to ensure your back is comfortable. The back is allowed to relax and the pain eases.
Restorative Yoga can be practiced if you have a chronic illness or condition and can be particularly helpful if your condition affects the muscles, such as fibromyalgia, Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Scleroses, rheumatoid arthritis or chronic fatigue syndrome.
With any injury or medical condition, medical advice should be sought before undertaking exercise.
4. Restorative Yoga Frees the Breath
We get into bad habits when breathing. Most of the time we are not paying our breath any attention. When we are relaxed, the breath is quite slow. However, when stressed, the breath becomes shallow and stuck in the chest. We are not using the full movement of the diaphragm. It then becomes stuck in this pattern and gets chronic.
In restorative yoga we utilise the breath in the poses, lengthening and slowing it down. Awareness of the whole body is used in each pose as it creates space for the breath and we start to engage the full movement of the diaphragm. It becomes a new pattern and in turn it starts to calm the mind and relax the body**.
5. Restorative Yoga Enhances Mood
Restorative yoga is a passive form of yoga. You are not actively taking the body into strong stretches or deep poses as you would in other forms of yoga such as Vinyasa Flow or Hatha. Instead, you are relaxing into a pose and allowing the props to hold you and do all the work. This will relax your body and mind, leaving you feeling very peaceful after class.
Hormones such as oxytocin are released in Restorative yoga. This is the ‘cuddle’ hormone and is released when our bodies are in close contact with the props we are using, especially when you hug a bolster! Serotonin, the chemical associated with happiness is also released whilst you are enjoying the relaxation.
6. Restorative Yoga Promotes Sleep
Cortisol is a stress hormone that often keeps us awake at night. Restorative yoga triggers the relaxation response in the body, as explained above, and lowers cortisol levels. Most yogis that attend my Restorative Yoga session report having a good night’s sleep after class (Read more).
7. Restorative Yoga is Therapeutic
Restorative Yoga relieves stress by triggering the parasympathetic nervous system and lowering cortisol levels. The breath is used to help focus and calm the mind. You are removed from your daily distractions and allowing your body to release tension, feeling it melt away in each pose.
With anxiety and depression – the benefit of Restorative Yoga varies with each person and degree of mental health. As the practice has no distractions and is introspective, it may be too much. However, if you are receiving treatment and your mental health is under control, Restorative Yoga can be a wonderful addition to your toolkit for self-help. The release of tension in the body and the focus on breathing is calming to the mind.
As Restorative Yoga is a passive form of exercise it can be a safe alternative whilst recovering from illness or injury. Medical advice needs to be sought before undertaking any exercise if under treatment.
Health benefits also include weight loss, despite being a passive form of exercise (Read More).
Conclusion
Restorative Yoga is beneficial for the lowering of cortisol levels and stress relief, particularly if practised consistently over a period of weeks. After just one session, you are likely to feel the benefit, such as a release of tension, feeling relaxed and often getting a good night’s sleep afterwards.
Restorative Yoga can be beneficial to anyone, whether you need a form of exercise to balance out a rigorous sport or strong yoga practice, or you have a neurological condition or recovering from injury.
At Ellie Stafford Yoga, all Restorative Yoga classes are carefully laid out before you arrive. All the professional props are provided and positioned next to your mat. The room is darkened as much as possible and eye pillows are provided. The classes are small, so that I can tailor each pose to the individual to ensure your comfort. You are encouraged to advise me if props need adjusting to suit you and your needs. All you need to bring is yourself!
We focus on what you can do in your yoga practice, not what you can’t do. Therefore, if you have an injury or feel uncomfortable at all, I will immediately adjust the props or suggest an alternative pose.
All Restorative Yoga workshops are 90 minutes long and held Friday evenings (see live timetable), the most sought-after day to let go of the stresses built up over the week.
Come along for a taster session for just £10. Check out the timetable for the live dates (fortnightly or occasionally varied). Book via
Ellie Stafford
500hours Advanced Yoga and Restorative Yoga Teacher
Registered Yoga Alliance
www.facebook.com/EllieStaffordYoga
**https://www.happiness.com/magazine/health-body/restorative-yoga/