What is Restorative Yoga?
Restorative yoga is very different from the more well-known practices seen in gyms and yoga studios, like vinyasa (flow) or hatha yoga. These are active, oftentimes vigorous yoga styles that build strength and stability.
Restorative yoga is just the opposite. It’s a practice that seeks complete relaxation of the body and mind, allowing us to slow down, find calm, and activate the body’s own healing capabilities. It’s perfect for everyone.
While yoga originated over 5,000 years ago, Restorative yoga is, relatively speaking, fairly new. It was developed in the 1970’s by Judith Lasater , based on her studies with renowned yoga teacher B.K.S. Iyengar .
Initially, the primary focus of Restorative yoga was to help in recovery from illness or injury. Today, it has become a way of restoring quality of life when struggling with stress and burnout from our hectic modern lives.
Why Practice Restorative Yoga?
Restorative yoga activates the parasympathetic nervous system – often called the “relaxation response,” and what is the flip side of our “fight or flight” response to perceived dangers.
When the fight-or-flight response kicks in, the body releases hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, which increase heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure, and begin to break down body tissues. [Read: More about cortisol, the “stress hormone”] The relaxation response is the complete opposite, bringing the body back to a state of equilibrium by slowing down these processes.
Endless text messages, notifications, work and family demands, and – as I write this in the spring of 2025 – chaos, uncertainty and fear driven by drastic changes implemented by our United States government, result in an almost constant fight-or-flight state. Now, more than ever, Restorative yoga is an essential practice for everyone.
The benefits of Restorative yoga are many, but here are the big ones:
It helps you slow down
In Restorative yoga, we move from a state of “doing” to one of just “being.”
Because Restorative yoga poses are held for longer periods of time (more on this below), the mind and body have the opportunity to slow down. And when you give your mind and body the space for quiet and stillness, you’ll begin to see what really needs your attention and what isn’t all that important. You’ll be able to make decisions from a calmer place instead of giving into the endless urgency of everything coming at you.
You’ll sleep better
When you practice Restorative yoga in the evening or before bed, your body is already in a state of relaxation. You may find yourself less tempted to scroll through emails or text messages, social media or TV. And your sleep may be much more peaceful and uninterrupted because you’re already unwound from your day.
You’ll become a bit more mindful
There’s lots of talk about mindfulness these days. Practicing mindfulness is a proven way to live a much more healthy and fulfilling life.
Mindfulness is essentially the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.
Over time, a Restorative yoga practice can help you make more mindful (i.e. better) decisions. You’ll be more empowered with the knowledge of what keeps you balanced, and therefore when it’s right to say yes or no to requests for your time and energy.
It helps you recover – both physically and mentally
Restorative yoga is a wonderful complement to exercise, because recovery is an essential part of any fitness program. Besides being released during times of stress, cortisol and other stress hormones are also triggered by high intensity exercise . When the body releases cortisol, lots of extra stored glucose is also released into the bloodstream. All that extra glucose, which isn’t really needed, is eventually stored as body fat – particularly in the midsection.
Mental/emotional recovery is also critical to wellbeing. Any experience that makes you sad, angry, or even lonely can benefit from a deliberate form of recovery like Restorative yoga. All too often, we hold it all in and tell ourselves to just get over it, rather than giving ourselves enough time to process these experiences.
What Does Restorative Yoga Look Like?
In a Restorative yoga class, you can expect a quiet, soothing environment. You’ll use various “props” – like a bolster cushion, blankets, yoga blocks, a strap, and of course a mat – to help you come into various poses. Many locations offering Restorative yoga classes will provide most, if not all, of these props for you.
You’ll typically begin the class by sitting quietly in a comfortable position, taking some time to relax and “come to center” – meaning turning your mind away from all the busyness and stress of the day by focusing on sensations in your body and observing your breathing. You might then be guided through a few gentle movements to help you transition into the practice. From there, the instructor will show you how to set up your props for the first pose.
Typically, Restorative poses are held for anywhere from 2 to 10 minutes, with 5 minutes being the most common. When the time is up, the instructor will guide you out of the pose, and you’ll rest comfortably for a moment. Then you’ll be guided into the next pose in the instructor’s sequence. The class will finish with a final Savasana pose.
The Take-Away
Taking the time to be still is a conscious act of improving your physical and emotional wellbeing. In doing so, you help counteract the stresses of our fast-paced, overstimulated world. By practicing Restorative yoga, even just once a week, you give yourself permission to relax, heal and renew.
About the Author
Laurie Kelly, RYT-200, CPT, is an experienced yoga instructor with advanced training in Restorative, Yin, and Trauma-Informed yoga practices. Based in Lone Tree, Colorado, she offers classes in these practices as well as Vinyasa (Flow), Hatha, and Chair-Based yoga styles in the south metro Denver area. Laurie welcomes your comments and feedback – you can reach her here.