In 2002 I read an article in a Yoga magazine about a new type of Yoga called Restorative. (They call it “Restore Yoga” in the UK). In addition to the simple use of a Yoga mat along with the standard condiments of the Yoga block and strap, this style seemed to be using lots of pillows and blankets. At the time, I was working as the resident Yoga Therapist at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s The Lifestyle Enhancement Center, a prototype-project modeled after a progressive health center in Iowa back in the “old days” when Iowa was progressive.
Reading the article got me thinking about which demographic I could serve with this new modality in a group setting. At the Center, we were working with people recovering from cancer, but I structured that as a one-on-one Yoga and breathwork service - not a group dynamic approach. Taking the concept of stress relief combined with support groups, I had the idea of women with infertility issues coming together to practice Yoga as a way to lessen their stress while simultaneously being able to share their struggles with each other in the group classroom setting. Studies were coming out at that time linking high stress with infertility issues, but in 2002 there were no support groups active in Omaha for women going through IVF. After phoning around to the infertility clinics in Omaha, we formed a group of ten women, and after a few months practicing Restorative Yoga together, we were invited to a local television news program because each woman in the group became pregnant.
"We are using active relaxation as a way to relieve chronic stress." - Judith Lasater
When I opened my Yoga studio in 2007, I held Restorative Yoga on Sunday afternoons. Unlike other styles of Yoga, we practiced Restorative for 90 minutes. With the participant comfortably positioned in a supported Savasana - Pose of the Corpse - the first 30 minutes of class are dedicated to a full body scan. Cozied up with blankets and sheets, essential oil of lavender eye pillows placed smoothly over the eyes, and a bolster slid under the knees for support, clients enjoyed a verbally guided inventory of their body from head to toe. After that, an assistant and I would go down the row of six clients and guide them into the next pose hold, re-sheeting, and re-pillowing. At the end of the hour and a half, people left relaxed and rejuvenated.
In my training workshops on how to teach Restorative Yoga, at the outset of our weekend together I always ask my training attendees to think about what demographic they might serve. Over the years, this is the list we have compiled together - see if you can notice a few you might never have thought of.
Who Can Benefit from Restorative Yoga? (Demographics)
Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome sufferers
Infertility
Stress-trauma (car accident, sports injury, knee surgery, depression)
Elder care
SIDS mothers
Mental health practitioners
Caregivers
Hospice workers
Pain-management (chronic and acute)
Long Covid
Massage therapists
Nurses
Autistic Disorders
Yoga teachers and students wanting meditation/healing time
Insomnia
Teens/Young adults
Menstruation days
Cancer recovery
Correction facility inmates
PTSD trauma diagnosis
Opioid recovery
Cultural services
Drug and alcohol recovery
In the above quote, Judith Lasater - a longtime student of B.K.S. Iyengar and founder of the Restorative Yoga methodology - refers to “active relaxation.” To clarify it, we can look at its opposite - passive relaxation. Passive relaxation is felt when receiving something that you have no partnership or contribution in. Examples are receiving a massage, a facial or a pedicure; lying down for a nap or to rest in the Pose of the Corpse (Savasana) without a verbal guide; floatation pods, or Watsu (a flotation therapy). Passive relaxation involves semi to total unconsciousness - and there is nothing wrong with that. However, it is common during the experience of passive relaxation to have uncontrollable “active thoughts” and thinking - that is, until we become unconscious. At that point, we are no longer practicing Yoga - we are sleeping.
The active relaxation to which Judith refers is a participation activity on the part of the practitioner. It is a partnership with the Restorative guide or teacher, practiced in full, conscious awareness. The person who is receiving the Restorative Yoga service is in control of their process, engaging their mind with their body. The teacher uses various auto suggestive tools, such as body scanning, attention to breath, as well as detailed tools to facilitate breath awareness. Examples of active relaxation are Restorative Yoga, Yin Yoga, Tai-Chi, meditation (Dhyana), biofeedback, breathwork (Pranayama), and hypnosis.
There is no need to invest in Yoga props to practice Restorative. You can use a firm couch or chair cushion in lieu of a bolster and simply round up a sheet or blanket and a throw pillow from your household. A thick book - does anyone have a dictionary lying around these days? - acts in the stead of a block. Take a moment to yourself - listen to soft, soothing music, place the couch cushion under your knees, tuck in with a blanket, and focus on your breathing. Let your fingers touch-count a mala bead string or rosary - and let yourself experience deep, conscious rest.
Blessings & Breath,
Melanie x
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