The world is slightly...chaotic right now, right?
If you are feeling overwhelmed with lockdown lifting (or just the general state of the world right now), you are not alone. A good Restorative Yoga class may be just what you need.
Restorative Yoga can help you:
Improve sleep
Process and make room for emotions
Strengthen your body in a gentle way
Want to know more? I've got you!
As practitioners of Yoga, some of us have been very excited about lockdown easing and we’ve been hitting the mat hard; doing fast paced vinyasa classes, training and sweating it out like never before!
Others have been so busy that our schedules have not allowed much mat time at all. Whichever kind of Yogi you are – one thing is for sure. We are all human first.
After what felt like a year of lockdown and limited social activity, you have probably got accustomed to a slower pace of living. And a sudden change, however welcome, still takes a toll on our mental, physical, and energetic health. It takes time to process any kind of change. Absolutely take your fill and make the most of the return of challenging classes and being able to practice around people again. But don’t forget to be kind and unwind too.
This is where the slower practises like Restorative yoga come in. You may have heard of ‘Yin’ Yoga, but did you know that these longer-held, slower paced classes, can be considered the ‘other half’ to more physically challenging ‘yang’ practises? Intended to bring your nervous system to a more balanced state of relaxation, restorative yoga places importance on the practice of stillness and invites us to release tension. Something we all need as lockdown eases amidst a global pandemic!
So, if you are feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment, you are not alone! Here is how Restorative Yoga could be the answer:
Improves Sleep
Whether you are seeing friends at the pub, back at the office or hitting it hard at the gym, you are probably going to be subject to a lot more stimulation than over lockdown and could benefit from more relaxation and letting go.
Practising restorative yoga stimulates conscious relaxation through deep breathing techniques that calm the nervous system. A 2014 study has found that the restful, meditative nature of restorative yoga practices are more effective at inducing relaxation and promoting better sleep than yoga exercises based on passive stretching alone.
2. Helps Process and Understand Emotions for Improved Mood
Yoga & Meditation practices can support you through difficult and challenging emotions and emotional states. Getting back to ‘normal’ life can be rather stress and/or anxiety inducing. Whether it be increased trips on public transport, engaging in small talk with colleagues/clients or just simply leaving the house more often.
Due to the meditative nature of Restorative Yoga, it makes room for you to feel, process and accept your various emotions, even if they feel negative. By slowing down and decreasing stress levels, these practices enable you to stop chasing the need to be ‘productive’ and instead take a moment to look at your feelings objectively. In short, it frees up space in your mind to experience and process difficult emotions and sets you on the path to healing and renewal.
3. Strengthens your body in a gentle way
Since the focus of restorative yoga is on the mind and deep tissues, the postures that are part of these practices are generally gentler on the joints and aimed towards releasing the tensions your body holds. However, though they are low-energy, consistent practise of these poses helps strengthen the connective tissues that surround the bones and joints, thus making you more limber and flexible.
Summer Restorative Yoga Retreat
Sunday 11th July
1:00-2.30pm on Zoom
I’m running a Summer Restorative Yoga Retreat and would love for you to join me. It’s going to be an online retreat so you can partake from the comfort of your own home. 1.5 hours of delicious Restorative Yoga targetting all the various parts of the body that are prone to accumulating tension and tigethness due to stress and lack of movement. We will end with a meditation specifically curated to cultivating gentleness and self-love using Tara Brach's RAIN self-compassion technique.
£25 for non-members
£20 for members with an active monthly pass (please message me and I will send you the discount code)
All levels welcome
You will need a mat, cushions and a blanket for your retreat. Furry friends welcome.
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