What is restorative yoga?
Restorative yoga is more than relaxation – it is a gateway to profound healing and transformation. This is a branch of yoga that will support and sustain you throughout your lifetime, offering tools to navigate life’s challenges with resilience and ease.
The self-healing power of this practiced is based on the neuroscience behind rest, which is at the heart of living well. We have inherited a grind culture – a constant need to push, to work, to never slow down, and quality rest represents resistance against the grind.
Quality rest opens our ability to think creatively and critically and brings us back to the full spectrum of our feeling dimension. It is a homecoming to our deepest self and a remembrance of our connection to and union with the greater whole.
What can I expect in a restorative yoga class?
Restorative yoga focuses on cultivating the relaxation response, which is the body’s ability to counteract the fight-flight response to decrease psychological and physiological responses to stress and modern-day life pressures.
In restorative yoga classes the body is methodically invited to release tension through the support of restful postures. As the body is supported to rest, the breath, mind and central nervous system naturally follow suit.
The relaxation cultivated in this practice is about dropping into a physical state of deep rest that supports changing your physical, mental and emotional response to stress. By regularly attending restorative yoga classes you can learn to release stress and avoid becoming overwhelmed.
What are the benefits of restorative yoga classes?
Often referred to as a “natural antidote” to stress, restorative yoga classes offer deep restoration for an overworked nervous system and provide numerous benefits.
Even after a single class, you can expect improved sleep quality and resulting increased energy and alertness. A regular relaxation practice can ease and improve physical symptoms associated with stress such as tension and digestive issues and improve emotional resilience and concentration. And longer term you can expect relief from chronic stress effects, plus enhanced efficiency, adaptability and harmony in today’s demanding world - which is key to maintaining both physical and mental health and wellbeing.
Where can I find restorative yoga classes near me?
If you are located in Brisbane you can find restorative yoga classes at our boutique yoga studio in Grange. We offer fortnightly ‘Relax and Restore’ classes on Friday evenings 5.45pm – 7.00pm, and weekly ‘Release and Relax’ classes on Tuesdays 7.30pm – 8.30pm. Both classes incorporate restorative yoga practices for deep rest. Our restorative yoga classes are open to all levels. You don’t need to be fit or flexible and no prior yoga experience is needed. Simply book your first class at sohoyoga.com.au/grange-timetable. We look forward to welcoming you.
Source/credit: Alexandra Rodrigues, SoHo Yoga Senior Teacher, Restorative Yoga Trainer and Body Psychotherapist. bodywisepsychotherapyandrestore.com
