Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow It WorksHealth BenefitsPosesHow Often to Do YogaPrecautions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
How It Works
Health Benefits
Poses
How Often to Do Yoga
Precautions
Restorative yoga is a meditative type of yoga that focuses on long holds in gentle poses. Its purpose is to allow the body to relax and restore. Some yoga circles lovingly refer to it as the practice of learning to lie down in many ways.
Unlike the more active forms of yoga, in which the body’s muscles must work to hold the poses, props like blocks, bolsters, or blankets are used to hold the body in the poses so that the muscles can fully rest.
Restorative yoga has many health benefits, including stress relief, better sleep, and improved physical and mental well-being. It is a gentle practice accessible to most people and can be practiced every day.
How Does Restorative Yoga Work?
Restorative yoga is a passive form of yoga. The sole purpose of movement is to situate the body into a pose that allows the body to fully relax. In restorative yoga, poses are typically held for five minutes or more, and a session might consist of just five to 10 poses.
Props are essential to the practice and are used to “prop” the body into the pose so that the muscles do not have to work to hold it. Props can be blankets, pillows, blocks, bolsters, and straps. Their purpose is to support the body and allow for full relaxation.
When the body can fully relax,the parasympathetic nervous systemturns on. This state is where the magic of restorative yoga begins. The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for the body’s relaxation state, known as the rest-and-digest state.It is the opposite of the sympathetic nervous system, responsible for the fight-or-flight response.
Like other yoga practices, restorative yoga has manyhealth benefits, including:
These poses can be practiced alone or in the order listed below to create a full sequence. To get the full benefits of each pose, hold it for at least five minutes.
Before beginning, gather props. These can be yoga bolsters, blocks, and straps. If you don’t have yoga props, household items such as pillows, towels, and blankets can be used.
As you practice, remember to fully relax in each pose. There should be no pain, pulling, or stretching, just a gentle feeling of being able to let go.
Child’s Pose
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Known as a resting pose in other types of yoga, child’s pose can help you ease into the practice. To do the pose:
Reclined Spinal Twist with Support
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Twists can help maintain flexibility in the spine. Reclined spinal twist with support is a gentle way to do this. To do the pose:
Supported Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose
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A pose to take pressure off the legs, supported legs-up-the-wall pose can help relieve stress. To do it:
Supported Bridge Pose
A heart-opening pose supported bridge stretches the chest and front of the body. To do the pose:
Fish Pose
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Another heart-opening back bend, fish pose can be a great counter pose to sitting at a computer all day. To do the pose:
Reclining Bound Angle Pose (Reclined Goddess Pose)
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Bound angle pose allows for a supported way to stretch the hips. To do the pose:
Supported Corpse Pose
The final resting pose in all types of yoga, corpse pose allows the body to fully relax and absorb the benefits of the practice. To do the pose:
How often you practice yoga depends on your goals and other physical activity levels.
Restorative yoga can be a nice complement to other forms of exercise. If you practicevigorous yogaor other intense forms of exercise three to five times a week, adding in restorative yoga once a week can be beneficial.
If you already have a mindfulness practice but might need a monthly reset, practicing restorative yoga once a month can also be helpful.
Who Should Avoid This Form of Yoga?
While restorative yoga is generally considered safe for most people, certain conditions require special consideration.
People with spine or orthopedic issues should be careful with spinal twist, supported bridge, and possibly fish pose. They might want to consult a physical therapist for modifications specific to their body since using a yoga block to press on the spine can mobilize the bones and aggravate some people’s symptoms.
People with glaucoma should avoid poses that place the head below the heart, as this can increase intraocular pressure (pressure inside the eyes). These include the fish, legs-up-the-wall, and bridge poses.
Other conditions that require avoiding inversion poses, where the head is below the heart, include:
Also note that because the practice is based essentially around lying down, if you tend to experience dizziness or light-headedness when getting up from a supine position (lying on your back), it’s best to move slowly as you finish your practice.
In general, talk to your healthcare provider before starting a yoga practice to ensure its safety.
Summary
Restorative yoga is a gentle meditative practice that emphasizes long holds and the abundant use of props. It allows the body to fully relax into the poses. The benefits of restorative yoga include relaxation, better sleep, improved mood, increased quality of life, and reduced pain.
In a restorative yoga practice, the poses are held for five minutes or more and rely heavily on props like blankets, bolsters, and blocks. Poses focus on twists, opening the chest and neck, and stretching the hips. Some pose examples include reclined supine twist, restorative goddess pose, and supported bridge pose.
The recommended frequency of restorative yoga practice depends on your goals and current physical activity levels. People with certain conditions, such as spinal or orthopedic issues should consult a physical therapist before doing some poses. Those with glaucoma, and uncontrolled high blood pressure, should avoid poses that place the head below the heart, such as supported bridge.
7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Eda N, Ito H, Akama T.Beneficial effects of yoga stretching on salivary stress hormones and parasympathetic nerve activity.J Sports Sci Med. 2020;19(4):695-702.Turmel D, Carlier S, Bruyneel AV, Bruyneel M.Tailored individual Yoga practice improves sleep quality, fatigue, anxiety, and depression in chronic insomnia disorder.BMC Psychiatry. 2022;22(1):267. doi:10.1186/s12888-022-03936-wde Orleans Casagrande P, Coimbra DR, de Souza LC, Andrade A.Effects of yoga on depressive symptoms, anxiety, sleep quality, and mood in patients with rheumatic diseases: systematic review and meta-analysis.PM R. 2023;15(7):899-915. doi:10.1002/pmrj.12867Schmid AA, Fruhauf CA, Sharp JL, Van Puymbroeck M, Bair MJ, Portz JD.Yoga for people with chronic pain in a community-based setting: a feasibility and pilot RCT.J Evid Based Integr Med. 2019;24:2515690X19863763. doi:10.1177/2515690X19863763Lapen K, Benusis L, Pearson S, et al.A feasibility study of restorative yoga versus vigorous yoga intervention for sedentary breast and ovarian cancer survivors.Int J Yoga Therap. 2018;28(1):79-85. doi:10.17761/2018-00039Jasien JV, Jonas JB, de Moraes CG, Ritch R.Intraocular pressure rise in subjects with and without glaucoma during four common yoga positions.PLoS One. 2015;10(12):e0144505. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0144505Cramer H, Quinker D, Schumann D, Wardle J, Dobos G, Lauche R.Adverse effects of yoga: a national cross-sectional survey.BMC Complement Altern Med. 2019;19(1):190. doi:10.1186/s12906-019-2612-7
7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Eda N, Ito H, Akama T.Beneficial effects of yoga stretching on salivary stress hormones and parasympathetic nerve activity.J Sports Sci Med. 2020;19(4):695-702.Turmel D, Carlier S, Bruyneel AV, Bruyneel M.Tailored individual Yoga practice improves sleep quality, fatigue, anxiety, and depression in chronic insomnia disorder.BMC Psychiatry. 2022;22(1):267. doi:10.1186/s12888-022-03936-wde Orleans Casagrande P, Coimbra DR, de Souza LC, Andrade A.Effects of yoga on depressive symptoms, anxiety, sleep quality, and mood in patients with rheumatic diseases: systematic review and meta-analysis.PM R. 2023;15(7):899-915. doi:10.1002/pmrj.12867Schmid AA, Fruhauf CA, Sharp JL, Van Puymbroeck M, Bair MJ, Portz JD.Yoga for people with chronic pain in a community-based setting: a feasibility and pilot RCT.J Evid Based Integr Med. 2019;24:2515690X19863763. doi:10.1177/2515690X19863763Lapen K, Benusis L, Pearson S, et al.A feasibility study of restorative yoga versus vigorous yoga intervention for sedentary breast and ovarian cancer survivors.Int J Yoga Therap. 2018;28(1):79-85. doi:10.17761/2018-00039Jasien JV, Jonas JB, de Moraes CG, Ritch R.Intraocular pressure rise in subjects with and without glaucoma during four common yoga positions.PLoS One. 2015;10(12):e0144505. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0144505Cramer H, Quinker D, Schumann D, Wardle J, Dobos G, Lauche R.Adverse effects of yoga: a national cross-sectional survey.BMC Complement Altern Med. 2019;19(1):190. doi:10.1186/s12906-019-2612-7
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Eda N, Ito H, Akama T.Beneficial effects of yoga stretching on salivary stress hormones and parasympathetic nerve activity.J Sports Sci Med. 2020;19(4):695-702.Turmel D, Carlier S, Bruyneel AV, Bruyneel M.Tailored individual Yoga practice improves sleep quality, fatigue, anxiety, and depression in chronic insomnia disorder.BMC Psychiatry. 2022;22(1):267. doi:10.1186/s12888-022-03936-wde Orleans Casagrande P, Coimbra DR, de Souza LC, Andrade A.Effects of yoga on depressive symptoms, anxiety, sleep quality, and mood in patients with rheumatic diseases: systematic review and meta-analysis.PM R. 2023;15(7):899-915. doi:10.1002/pmrj.12867Schmid AA, Fruhauf CA, Sharp JL, Van Puymbroeck M, Bair MJ, Portz JD.Yoga for people with chronic pain in a community-based setting: a feasibility and pilot RCT.J Evid Based Integr Med. 2019;24:2515690X19863763. doi:10.1177/2515690X19863763Lapen K, Benusis L, Pearson S, et al.A feasibility study of restorative yoga versus vigorous yoga intervention for sedentary breast and ovarian cancer survivors.Int J Yoga Therap. 2018;28(1):79-85. doi:10.17761/2018-00039Jasien JV, Jonas JB, de Moraes CG, Ritch R.Intraocular pressure rise in subjects with and without glaucoma during four common yoga positions.PLoS One. 2015;10(12):e0144505. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0144505Cramer H, Quinker D, Schumann D, Wardle J, Dobos G, Lauche R.Adverse effects of yoga: a national cross-sectional survey.BMC Complement Altern Med. 2019;19(1):190. doi:10.1186/s12906-019-2612-7
Eda N, Ito H, Akama T.Beneficial effects of yoga stretching on salivary stress hormones and parasympathetic nerve activity.J Sports Sci Med. 2020;19(4):695-702.
Turmel D, Carlier S, Bruyneel AV, Bruyneel M.Tailored individual Yoga practice improves sleep quality, fatigue, anxiety, and depression in chronic insomnia disorder.BMC Psychiatry. 2022;22(1):267. doi:10.1186/s12888-022-03936-w
de Orleans Casagrande P, Coimbra DR, de Souza LC, Andrade A.Effects of yoga on depressive symptoms, anxiety, sleep quality, and mood in patients with rheumatic diseases: systematic review and meta-analysis.PM R. 2023;15(7):899-915. doi:10.1002/pmrj.12867
Schmid AA, Fruhauf CA, Sharp JL, Van Puymbroeck M, Bair MJ, Portz JD.Yoga for people with chronic pain in a community-based setting: a feasibility and pilot RCT.J Evid Based Integr Med. 2019;24:2515690X19863763. doi:10.1177/2515690X19863763
Lapen K, Benusis L, Pearson S, et al.A feasibility study of restorative yoga versus vigorous yoga intervention for sedentary breast and ovarian cancer survivors.Int J Yoga Therap. 2018;28(1):79-85. doi:10.17761/2018-00039
Jasien JV, Jonas JB, de Moraes CG, Ritch R.Intraocular pressure rise in subjects with and without glaucoma during four common yoga positions.PLoS One. 2015;10(12):e0144505. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0144505
Cramer H, Quinker D, Schumann D, Wardle J, Dobos G, Lauche R.Adverse effects of yoga: a national cross-sectional survey.BMC Complement Altern Med. 2019;19(1):190. doi:10.1186/s12906-019-2612-7
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