There's a lot of confusion around restorative yoga. I've had students in class say, "I don't feel anything." Meaning, they didn't feel a stretching or strengthening sensation. In this post, I'm going to break down restorative yoga and offer some guidance for you if you want to explore this beautiful practice further.

As before I want to be clear, I am not an expert and this post should not be used as a resource for research or study. This is simply an overview.

History of Restorative Yoga

Most resources say that Restorative yoga as we know it today began with a teacher named B.K.S. Iyengar. He was a renown teacher who used resting poses to balance with challenging poses.

I first learned about restorative from Judith Lasater, who is a very respected contemporary yoga authority. She explains that in today's stressful world, we need to practice mindful rest in order to bring homeostasis, or balance.

Benefits of Restorative Yoga

When you practice restorative yoga regularly, you may experience:

✨less stress and tension

✨improved sleep

✨calmer nervous system

✨better digestion

✨faster recovery from workouts or illnesses like cold or flu

✨overall wellbeing and contentedness

It's easier to explain what Restorative Yoga ISN'T

This style of yoga can be difficult to describe, other than the practice of "not doing."

That means that there is no sensation of stretching and no holding.

Unlike Yin Yoga, Restorative asks that you release all effort, turn your focus to your breath and allow your body to completely become still.

My experience with Restorative Yoga

As I said in last week's post, I used to get yin yoga and restorative confused, and I'm not alone in this. So when I would take class, sometimes it would be intense and sometimes not. So that's how I taught it in the beginning. But in advanced yoga training, I was given deeper more thorough experience in the WHY and HOW of restorative yoga and now I practice at least once a week.

Restorative Yoga videos

Are you ready to feel restored? Here are a few Restorative yoga videos you may enjoy:

💜Peace & Calm https://youtu.be/W1T3pQ6dGhc

💜Create Space https://youtu.be/JYCyxpU80YM

💜Calm the Mind https://youtu.be/OHjGOlX0S2g

If you are ready to release all effort and develop a deeper sense of peace and ease, then I invite you to attend a LIVE interactive class with my in my online studio. Click the SCHEDULE link above to join the next restorative class. See you there!