Benefits of Restorative Yoga and Poses to Try

Restorative yoga is a style of yoga that encourages physical, mental, and emotional relaxation. Appropriate for all levels, restorative yoga is practiced at a slow pace, focusing on long holds, stillness, and deep breathing.

Unlike more active yoga styles such as vinyasa or Bikram, you can expect to hold a pose for 5 minutes or more, only performing a handful of poses in one restorative yoga session.

Read on to learn more about restorative yoga, poses to try, and the benefits of this gentle style of yoga.

What is restorative yoga?

Gentle, supportive, and therapeutic are just a few words that describe restorative yoga. At its core, restorative yoga is a practice of passive healing.

This yoga style is known for its ability to activate the parasympathetic nervous system. This is the “rest and digest” part of your nervous system that helps keep basic functions working as they should.

As the name suggests, this style of yoga “restores” the body to its parasympathetic nervous system function, which, in turn, helps the body rest, heal, and restore balance.

By allowing time for longer asanas (postures or poses) and deeper breathing, restorative yoga helps elicit the relaxation responseTrusted Source. This response can help slow breathing, reduce blood pressure, and produce a feeling of calm and increased well-being.

A key feature in restorative yoga is the use of props such as blocks, bolsters, or blankets. The props help you hold passive poses for longer without exerting or tiring out your muscles. It also allows you to feel comfortable and supported, regardless of your experience with yoga.

And, since you’re encouraged to relax fully in the pose while focusing on your breath, restorative yoga allows you to release tension in your muscles for longer periods without discomfort.

What are the benefits?

The benefits of restorative yoga are similar to many of the benefits you may experience with other forms of yoga. Key benefits, supported by science, include the following:

• Relaxes your mind and body. Yoga is linked to reduced stressTrusted Source and anxiety, and lower levels of cortisolTrusted Source, the stress hormone.
• Soothes the nervous system. Restorative yoga helps shift the balance from your fight-or-flight response (sympathetic nervous system) to your relaxation response, or the parasympathetic nervous system.
• Enhances your mood. Yoga promotes relaxation and deep breathing, which, according to researchTrusted Source, may reduce depressive symptoms.
• Reduces chronic pain. ResearchTrusted Source has shown that yoga may help reduce pain associated with headache or back pain, as well as osteoarthritisTrusted Source.
• Improves sleep. StudiesTrusted Source have shown that adding yoga to your daily routine may help boost the quality of your sleep.
• Improves well-being. In addition to lower levels of stress, researchersTrusted Source have also found that doing yoga regularly may result in less fatigue, more vigor, and improved well-being.
• Gentle on your body. Restorative yoga is generally safe and often recommended for people with acute or chronic injuries.
• Works as part of an overall treatment plan for chronic health conditions. People with a chronic illness may benefit from a regular practice of yoga. A 2018 review of studiesTrusted Source found that people with cancer who practiced yoga reported an improvement in their psychological and physical symptoms, as well as improved quality of life.
• Safe to perform during pregnancy. Restorative yoga is easy to modify and safe to practice during pregnancy. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists ranks prenatal yoga as one of the safest ways to exercise during pregnancy. 

Restorative yoga poses

Restorative yoga is known for its reliance on props such as bolsters, blocks, or folded blankets to make poses gentler and more supportive. That said, you can also practice any restorative yoga poses without the use of props.

In general, you can expect to hold poses in restorative yoga for a minimum of 5 minutes. If you want to hold a pose for longer, you can do so, as long as it feels comfortable. Some people hold restorative poses for 20 minutes or more.

Fish pose

This restorative pose is an excellent choice if you spend a lot of time sitting during the day.

The Fish Pose can help elongate your spine, release tension in your neck and shoulders, and open up your chest.

To make this pose more comfortable, you can use a bolster or two folded blankets or towels under your shoulders and head.

To do this pose:

1. Place a bolster or two folded blankets on the center of your mat, parallel to each other with a small gap between them.
2. Start in a seated position with the blankets at your back.
3. Lie back and rest your shoulder blades on the blanket closest to you. Rest your head on the second blanket. You can keep your legs folded, or extend them in front of you.
4. Rest your arms at your sides, or extend them above your head, palms facing upward.
5. Close your eyes and take deep breaths while releasing tension in your body. You will feel your entire body sink into the blankets and floor.
6. Stay in this pose for 10 minutes or more. Focus on deep breathing and releasing the tension in your muscles.