| Anusara Prenatal Yoga Restorative Therapeutic |
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Restorative Yoga intentional relaxation
I offer this work with much gratitude to Judith Hanson Lasater for her guidance and heartful sharing of her 35+ years of teaching experience. To find out more about restorative yoga, see below ..... To download Clare’s interview with Judith published in the November 2007 - March 2008 Issue of Australian Yoga Life, AYL_Article.pdf
What is Restorative Yoga? I like to think of restorative yoga as intentional relaxation. Intentional relaxation is different from sleep. When we are asleep and dreaming often our muscular tension increases, as well as other physiological signs of tension. Intentional relaxation is a state in which there is no movement, no effort, and the brain is quiet, allowing us to deeply rest. In a restorative yoga pose the body is fully supported in an asana or yoga posture so that little physical effort is needed to maintain the position. Restorative postures are generally held for anywhere between 5 and 20 minutes or more, allowing the benefits of the pose to fully permeate the body, mind, and heart. For more information about restorative yoga you can visit restorativeyogateachers.com Why practice Restorative Yoga? In restorative yoga the body is put in a comfortable position, with gentle attention directed toward the breath. This allows the nervous system to shift from the stress response to the relaxation response i.e. from ‘fight or flight response to restore and nourish response. As such, restorative poses help relieve and heal the effects of chronic stress
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Most of us lead busy lives and live with chronic stress which is detrimental to our health and well being, resulting in many symptoms including muscular pain and tension, digestive disorders, headaches, and sleep disturbance. Restorative yoga shifts us out of the stress response into the relaxation response, nourishing and healing the body and quieting the mind.
