Instead, restorative yoga focuses on what happens when you release tension in the body, in areas that have been tight and unopened. Yoga is a well-known flexibility enhancer, but restorative yoga is not focused on how bendy you can get after a certain number of sessions, like some other forms of yoga have become subjected to. This may be because of the effect restorative yoga has on reducing cortisol levels, with high levels of the stress hormone linked to increased stubborn tummy fat. A 48-week study from the University of California in San Diego found that restorative yoga helped overweight women trim subcutaneous fat, and, in fact, they lost more weight than overweight women practicing more active stretching sequences. Strenuous exercise and eating healthy, of course, both have their benefits to weight loss, but the interesting thing is that restorative yoga does too. It’s basically the polar opposite to slowing everything down and resting, which is what restorative yoga is based on.
Everything we’re taught growing up about weight loss is that it is about eating small amounts of healthy food and torturing your body with strenuous exercise. This is the one that came as quite a surprise to the fitness community. Hip-opening restorative yoga poses use some of the best techniques to release that build-up of emotion. Restorative yoga poses focus on stretching and opening muscles, releasing tension and stress in the body. During a moment of fear, when stress hormones are released, the body’s natural instinct is to clench those deep muscles, and the problem is, constant clenching with no counteractive releasing causes them to store that stress. But tight hips aren’t just the result of extended periods of sitting or standing – they can also be signs of stress.
The hip flexor muscles are large and are usually held in position, when standing up or sitting down for long periods of time, causing them to be quite tight. The pelvis area is made up of bone, muscles, tendon, ligaments and fascia, and it is a central point in the body, used to stabilize, support and control motion. It sounds like a metaphor, but the link between the hips and emotions is real and quite fascinating. For example, many women carry tension in their hips. Restorative yoga poses allow you to find out where your body holds tension. It decreases the stress hormone, cortisol, which is associated with weight gain, high blood pressure and heart disease when constantly released due to anxiety or persistent worrying. Science has discovered that restorative yoga is even better than sleep for releasing muscle tension, reducing joint pain and calming the mind. It is a much more therapeutic and relaxing practice, but that doesn’t mean it is ‘easy’ or lacks the benefits of faster-paced styles… Benefits Of Restorative YogaĪlthough the thought of minimizing effort to reap physical and mental rewards may seem alien to Western yogis, there is mounting proof that suggests this form of yoga has a number of incredible health benefits. Restorative yoga uses a lot of props, including blocks, bolsters, blankets and beanbags, to help you comfortably hold stretches and poses for longer periods of time than the more active yoga styles. Part of the reason it has not been as popular a choice as more dynamic styles of yoga is because people have a short window of time each week to include exercise into their routine, and restorative yoga doesn’t look as beneficial from the outside as yoga that makes your muscles burn and your glands sweat. There is a lot of focus on centering the breath and body, practicing stillness along with gentle movements, and holding poses for extended periods. The practice emphasizes relaxation over flowing movements and physically challenging poses, instead focusing on simple stretches. It asks us to do what we are so bad at doing in the Western world: slow down, reflect, heal and recuperate.
As the name suggests, restorative yoga is, well, restorative.
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