Restorative Yoga: Slow Pace and Gentle Stretching

Restorative yoga was developed by Judith Lasater in 2007. She followed the teachings of yoga pioneer B.K.S Iyengar, who believed that the most important aspect of yoga was correct positioning of the body during the poses. To achieve this, he and later Lasater encouraged the use of props such as straps, blocks, and blankets, thus allowing the students to comfortably reach more difficult positions.

After teaching Iyengar yoga for years, she then began to find a more therapeutic form of yoga, thus restorative yoga was born.

Restorative yoga classes have more of a focus on relaxation instead of flow and building heat within the body. Therefore, there is limited movement. Some classes may only have a few poses, due to them being held for up to twenty minutes.

Not every pose can work in a restorative yoga practice. For example, one will not find many standing poses. Instead there are more supine and seated ones. Some common asanas in a class are corpse pose, “legs against the wall”, reclined goddess pose, or seated forward bend.

It is not uncommon for teachers to try to control the atmosphere of the room by dimming the lights or playing relaxing music and to speak with very soft tones. However, many of these techniques are employed in other types of yoga classes too.

Because there is less movement, students are encouraged to wear warmer clothes and socks to prevent from getting cold, something that may interfere with the deep meditation of the practise. Sometimes a teacher may even put a blanket upon the student to help them keep warm. It is not uncommon for people to fall asleep during a class. This can even be beneficial.

Because of its slow pace and large amount of support, restorative yoga is less of a form of exercise than many other modern yoga styles. Therefore, it lacks much of the typical benefits such as strength building, balance, and muscle toning. It does still give some of the other physical benefits though, such as an increase in flexibility.

This type of yoga is exactly what its name implies – a time for mental and physical healing. The goal of restorative yoga is to create an optimal environment for deep rest. In contrast to more active or even fight-or-flight states, the goal is to engage the parasympathetic nervous system, also known as the “rest and digest” mode, which occurs when the body begins to conserve energy and lower the heart rate.

One study has shown that restorative yoga can also help burn fat, at least when compared to simple stretching exercises. There is also some suggestion that restorative yoga may lower one’s blood pressure.

In addition, holding supported postures for extended periods of time can help individuals achieve better sleep by allowing complete relaxation of muscles and connective tissues.

There is some evidence that when used as a supplementary therapy, it can have a positive effect of those going through cancer treatment, especially in helping patients sleep better, cognitive functioning, and managing fatigue. It has also shown to be correlated with a reported decrease in pain for breast cancer patients.

It has been claimed that restorative yoga can help reduce anxiety. Due to its meditative nature, it can help encourage mindfulness and a deeper awareness of the body. When one has a stronger focus on the body, they can better notice the areas that carry stress. This can direct one to the areas that need further stretching or massage.

Some have suggested that restorative yoga can be used to help one build up to a proper meditation routine. Like other types of meditation, it can also cause a reduction in stress. Given how much stress can have negative effects on both our mental and physical health, healthy activities that reduce it can be seen as beneficial.

Even though there is little movement, it is not completely uncommon to have some soreness after a class, due to the deep stretching that holding a pose for such a long time can induce. It has been suggested that some people may feel emotionally vulnerable during this practice, but it is often temporary and can be controlled through deep breathing.

Updated: July 29, 2024. – This article was originally published on February 3, 2021.