Does your body sometimes feel like it belongs to someone else? Unfamiliar, uncomfortable, stiff? No, there’s no app for that, but there is yoga!
Yoga isn’t only for flexible people, coordinated people, fully mobile people, or younger people. There is no one way that yoga is practiced; it is always adapted for the individual, even for the most flexible bodies. Stiffness is a perfect reason to begin a yoga practice.
All physical yoga practices are based on Hatha Yoga asanas (postures) despite the many different styles that you may have heard of. These “types” of yoga were named by yoga studios in Western countries to distinguish variations of practices based on speed, asana sequences, level of activity, and founder.
Gentle, Supportive Practice
For a gentle introduction, Restorative Yoga is a great first step. It’s also a balancing practice for yogis who have a very fast or active yoga practice. It’s a slower, gentler practice which uses yoga props to help ease into the asanas.
Restorative classes are less intimidating than more vigorous forms. Postures don’t require high degrees of balance, strength, or flexibility. It seems more realistic and achievable for those who are less flexible or have constraints on movement.
The body is supported, sometimes completely resting on yoga blocks or a soft yoga bolster. When touching your toes or other parts is not possible, straps help you bridge the gap and extend the reach of your arms.
In a restorative practice, you hold each posture for a longer period of time, which provides you with an opportunity to tune into your physical state. Staying in a posture increases your awareness of the amount of muscle tension in your body.
Holding postures at a comfortable level of stretch allows you to actively release the tension in your muscles. Even if that release is just for a split second before the tension returns, that’s still progress. Each stretch becomes an opportunity for you to feel a sense of achievement.
Relaxing the Mind
People are constantly stimulated by the external world: there are work emails, social media posts, demands from family, and appointments with friends. We’re used to being pulled in different directions, both mentally and physical.
Restorative yoga brings the exact opposite of this. There are no distractions to pull your attention away from what you’re doing. Your body is still and calm in each posture, and the room is completely silent. You are alone. Or so it seems.
In this moment, your mind can become a distraction in and of itself. It starts to wander away, further and further as each thought moves seamlessly into another. Then, the teacher reminds you to allow your mind to slow down, to keep your mind on the sensations in the body or on the breath.
It’s easy to be aware of how active your mind truly is during a Restorative class. If you’re able to give your mind a moment or two of rest, you’ll find some mental calm.
Physical tension occurs as a result of mental or emotional tension, or from the body being in protection mode. Having released your mental tension, your body can begin to release physical tension and stiffness.
If you’ve been thinking about trying yoga to increase flexibility, or if you’re looking for a respite from the hectic pace of everyday life, give Restorative Yoga a try. It’s not as easy as it looks, but it feels great!