Restorative Yoga For Overworked, Exhausted, Stressed Out People

Before the restorative sequence, practice progressive muscle relaxation.

Choose a quiet time of day. Lie down on a mat – wearing comfortable, warm clothing – support head with a folded blanket – breathe slowly focusing on your exhale.

Tense the muscles in your feet, shins and calves

Then release these muscles

Tense the muscles in your thighs and buttocks

Then release these muscles

Breathe in deeply and fill your chest and belly to the max that you can

Hold breath briefly

Then exhale fully and feel relaxation

Lift your shoulders up to your ears and tense the muscles in your shoulders

Then release these muscles

Repeat three times in the shoulder area – tensing and releasing

Press the back of your head into the blanket supporting it tensing the neck muscles

Then release these muscles

Gently rock your head from side to side

Yawn

Frown

Smile

Raise your eyebrows

Tense all of your face muscles

Then relax your face muscles

Come back to your breathing – breathing slowly and smoothly – resting

Now practice the restorative sequence

Restorative sequence

Supta Virasana – Resting Hero Posture

Knees apart. Props: 1-2 bolsters for under the upper body. 1 blanket between bended knees. Use more or less props as needed for support to allow your body to melt down. Rest here for 5 minutes

Nakrasana. – Resting Forward on a bolster

Props: 1 bolster under upper body. 1 block or blanket under forehead. Use more or less props as needed for support to allow you body to melt down. Rest here for 5 minutes.

Jathara Parivrtti – Lying Spinal twist with bolster

Props: bolster under knees. Optional blanket under head. Optional blanket between knees. Optional sandbag on top thigh. Use more or less props as needed for support to allow your body to melt down. Rest here for 3 minutes on each side

Supta Baddha Konasana – Lying Butterfly pose with bolsters

Props: 2 bolsters at knees. 1 bolster and 2 blocks to allow upper body to rest on an angle with head being highest away from the floor. Optional blanket under head. Use more or less props as needed for support to allow your body to melt down. Rest here for 5 minutes.

Viparita Karani – Legs up the wall

Props: blanket under head if needed. Optional strap around calves. Optional bolster under hips. Allow your body to melt down. Optional pranayama while in this pose.

Mindfully inhaling through the nose slowly and smoothly, exhaling through the nose slowly and smoothly, pause after exhaling as long as is comfortable. Practice pranayama for 2 minutes

Finish by resting and allowing the breath to return to natural breath for 3 minutes – if choosing not to do pranayama, simply rest in this pose for 5 minutes

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