Introduction to Restorative Yoga

Let’s take refuge in Rest. There is very little we can reclaim with certainty right now, but I have found centering rest gives me a point of inner anchorage from which to navigate both our unprecedented times and the seasonal changes.

Restorative yoga is a profoundly nourishing, restful and gentle form of practice. The intention of this weekend is to introduce the key principles, postures & practices of restorative yoga, so you can begin to explore its qualities, effects and possibilities in your own practice, and if you are a yoga teacher, begin to share this practice with your students.

Given how common experiences of stress, burnout and fatigue are for many people, restorative yoga can offer an extremely supportive space for us to actively relax and rest in a way that feels held and guided.

Communal rest is oftentimes inherent to yoga as rest practice; every time we take savasana at the end of a class we have attended (physically or virtually) we are embracing collective rest. Resting in held spaces, supported by the facilitator as well the people we share the setting with, can not only take us deeper into our own rest but can also be a way to embrace how community action and activism benefits from these moments of collective inaction.