Restorative Yoga, thus far...

If you leave your mind as it is, it will become calm. This mind is called big mind. -Suziki

How Restorative Yoga Works:

Restorative poses help to relieve the effects of chronic stress in several ways. The use of blankets and props provides a completely supportive environment for total relaxation, and each gentle sequence is designed to move the spine in all directions. These movements illustrate the age-old wisdom of yoga that teaches well-being is enhanced by a healthy spine. This is why in each class we practice forward bends, back bends and spinal twists. Through gentle stretching and breath awareness, we both energize and soothe the body, and prepare the mind for deep relaxation, or savasana.

Savasana is the last and most important pose in your yoga practice. All of the other poses were developed to bring the body and mind into a deep state of restful awareness, which is the ultimate goal of yoga. In some ways, savasana might be the most difficult pose of all.

My teacher, Judith Lasater, says, "As you relax, you may experience some physical comfort, but increased mental agitation. Relaxing is like peeling an onion. As you remove the top layer, the next layer reveals itself. Allow space for your mental agitation--not pushing it, not judging it. Just notice what arises in your body and in your mind, as layer after layer of tension reveals itself and releases."

Philosophy:

In class, we have been studying Buddhist philosophy and applying it to our yoga practice, and hopefully to our daily lives. The beautiful book, Buddhism for Mothers of Young Children by: Sarah Napthali, has been our guide.

In the first class, we used breath awareness and focused movement to remind us to live in the present moment.

In the second class, we continued to use the practice of mindfulness and breath awareness as we worked on patient acceptance and gratitude.

Tomorrow, we will work with intuition and self-observation as we move into deeper stretching and relaxation...

Namaste, friends!