The Importance of Restorative Yoga

Slowing down is a great way to heal.” - Yoga teacher Tias Little

• I’ve recently started leading restorative yoga classes at YogaMaya in Vacaville and have been deepening into my own restorative practice. Like with any form of yoga I practice, the layers of meaning and benefit are gradually becoming more and more apparent to me. Before diving into the scientific benefits of restorative yoga, I’m curious if you relate to any of the following statements and questions.

  • Do you continually find yourself in a “do, do, do” mode? Perhaps you have endless to-do lists and issues that need to be “solved” and it’s hard to take time for rest when you feel guilty for not doing a task.

  • Do you find it difficult to wind down at the end of a day and truly relax?

  • Do you feel perpetually exhausted? Is it a challenge to calm down a racing mind and deepen into the body?

  • Are there health issues related to immunity, emotional wellness, digestion, and/or reproduction that you would like to address?

  If you relate to any of these questions, you’re much like many other Americans and yogis. Welcome to the club! One of the most common reasons Americans practice yoga is to manage overwhelm.

  While almost all forms of yoga are helpful in regulating emotions, leading us to a greater sense of ease, presence, and wellness, Restorative Yoga specifically focuses on calming down the nervous system (activating the parasympathetic nervous system) so that our bodies can come into a place of “rest and digest.” That means that once we can fully calm the nervous system, our body’s natural ability to heal itself comes online.

  "We work very hard in our lives, and while we may sleep, we rarely take time to relax. Restorative yoga poses help us learn to rest deeply and completely."

  - Judith Hanson Lasater, Ph.D., PT,