Restoring Balance through Restorative Yoga
Restorative yoga has become more widely practiced since BKS Iyengar developed it through his therapeutic approach to Yoga. Generally speaking, restoring through Yoga is an essential aspect of Yoga since Yoga practices return our body/mind to its natural state of well-Being. The use of props in Restorative Yoga, such as bolsters and blankets to support the body, has a soothing yet powerful physiological affect; it promotes a “relaxation response” in the nervous system and counteracts the negative forces of a “fight, flight or freeze” response on the immune system. In addition, extended stays in yoga postures that stretch and tone the internal organs activates an internal cleansing and those that invert the body increase the functioning of the glandular system. By resting the bones that usually bear weight, and releasing the muscles that move us into action, the “undoing” quality within Restorative Yoga is powerfully healthy for body, mind, heart, and spirit.
Benefits of Restorative Yoga
The practice of Restorative Yoga helps to balance fatigue, mental or physical illnesses of all kinds and speed up recovery from sickness, injury, or general burnout. Moreover, a restorative practice can enhance the lives of people with back pain, migraine and tension headaches, high blood pressure, asthma, chronic fatigue, any stress related and/or immune dis-ease, or cancer. Restorative Yoga spontaneously brings the practitioner into a state of relaxation. From years of conditioning, the body/mind can live in a continued state of emergency (fight, flight or freeze). When the body is use to constant stimulation, relaxation takes patience to practice and a willingness to change patterns, supported by the desire to increase the quality of one’s life. Real relaxation requires and expresses a natural ease. Research has been done on the physiology of relaxation and a few very significant factors have been found. Primarily, to create a deep state of relaxation, one has to minimize sympathetic (fight, flight or freeze response) stimulation and maximize parasympathetic (rest and digest response) activation.
Join me for a Fall Equinox Restorative Yoga Session ~
The Art of Balance with Amy Cooper
Friday, September 22, 5:30-7:30 pm Cost: $25.
Though supported yoga asana, pranayama and meditation, we will align with the balancing energy of this moment in time, when the Earth’s two hemispheres are receiving the sun’s rays equally, and night and day are approximately equal in length. Come replenish and rebalance after the fullness of summer and bring more equanimity to your life. Join us, and make the transition from the outward focus of summer to an introspective fall with more grace and ease. Invite your friends and loved ones! Open to All!
To register, go to Workshops page at: shastayogainstitute.com
Wishing you peace and ease,
Amy
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