In Restorative Yoga the person does not demand anything, not even stretching the muscles in a certain way or performing a specific posture.
The practice of relaxation and mental calm is essential in personal development. That is why traditionally in yoga there are postures whose primary objective is relaxation and rest. With them it is not sought – not even with the classic yoga asanas – to stretch the body more or better than another student or reach a certain level of perfection, but to surrender to rest in every way.
Today it seems that acceleration affects us all. Commitments and responsibility easily overburden us. In addition, remaining without doing something materially productive even begins to be frowned upon.
Is it really a waste of time to rest, meditate, spend some time daydreaming or even sleep? It is intended that all our activities have a profitable purpose and an immediate practical utility. That’s why caffeine sells so much. But coffee does not give energy but stirs it. And agitation is confused with energy.
On the other hand, when doing a posture like Savasana to finish an intense yoga session, sometimes the person does not feel exactly calm, but rather exhaustion. In fact, relaxation can be confused with exhaustion.
Some blame themselves for experiencing tiredness, using pejorative terms like “lazy.” Only when it reaches the extreme that health is no longer sustained due to stress or insomnia, nervousness or some illness, the person is allowed to practice relaxation, as if it were a doctor’s prescription or a luxury.
Therefore, dear reader, I invite you to interrupt the reading for a moment and reflect. Is there anything in your life you would do better being calm and relaxed? Wouldn’t you be a better father, brother, son, neighbor, friend, professional…? Would you rather have a fast-paced, nervous partner or a calm, relaxed partner? What kind of mind do you offer to your partner and your community? What kind of mental attitude would you like to live with?
REST IS NOT A LUXURY BUT AN ESSENTIAL NECESSITY
Being calm and relaxed raises both our own level and quality of life and that of others. That is why rest is not a luxury but an essential necessity. When a sick animal tends to isolate itself and remain collected, letting its body recover and find balance again.
Those who are thirsty do not feel guilty for wanting to drink, nor do they wait to finish their tasks to do so: they simply drink a glass of water naturally. But since rest is a time-consuming process, it can start a whole cycle of shame and guilt that further agitates the mind.
What can really be scary in the practice of stopping and resting is that conflicting emotions arise or having realized that there is something (a relationship, a habit, an attitude …) that really does not serve us and that we do not know how to manage alone; as if we were opening a box of surprises.
That’s why stopping and realizing takes courage. Sometimes, it can be useful to have a professional who can accompany you in the process of authentic relaxation. However, the goal of relaxation practice is to be relaxed and calm off the yoga mat to the circumstances of everyday life.
FOUR BRAIN WAVES
Since the invention of the electroencephalogram, numerous investigations have studied the relationship between the electrical activity of the human brain and its moods. Hence the medical division of brain activity into four basic frequencies based on the brain waves captured by the electroencephalogram.
The so-called delta waves, the lowest frequency of brain activity, correspond to deep sleep. It is important for the body to return to this level daily, because in this state the production of red blood cells increases, the immune system is strengthened and the absorption of amino acids in tissues and protein synthesis improves. The body regenerates with deep sleep.
This state corresponds to sleep, hypnosis and trance. A mind established in the delta waves has little self-awareness. The opposite state is that of wakefulness, when the so-called beta waves predominate, the state of alertness and attention to a bodily or intellectual activity. In the state of predominance of beta waves is also where anxiety appears above all.
Between the delta and beta waves are the so-called alpha wave states and theta waves. That of alpha waves corresponds to a state of tranquility and creativity, since it is where the activity of the left cerebral hemisphere begins to predominate.
Theta waves are associated with a deeper state of calm, related to daydreaming or doing an automatic activity that does not require attention or awareness in its execution. Stress leads to spending the day forcing yourself to stay in a continuous state of alertness, the one corresponding to beta waves, to fall asleep in bed at night and then go through alpha and theta states while sleeping.
THE ONLY PURPOSE IS TO STOP AND REALIZE
It is important to allow yourself to go through other mental states during the day. Dreaming, looking into the distance without aim, and spending time consciously doing nothing, even opening oneself to boredom – what the philosopher Walter Benjamin called “the bird that incubates the egg of our experience“ – is as important as sleeping and being alert when necessary.
In Restorative Yoga classes the space is opened to practice these transient moods between activity and sleep, in order to perfect the ability to return to them during the day.
This offers a revolutionary practice of rest and relaxation. It is a training whose sole purpose is to stop and realize. Stopping physically means that no dynamic posture is usually done in the classes of this type of yoga. It is used, yes, a lot of material: blankets, belts, chairs, cylindrical cushions (bolsters), yoga blocks …
The wall allows you to support any part of the body in order to be in positions where it can rest for a long period of time. In addition, as the support is symmetrical, the uniformity that the body receives through the proprioceptive system allows for further relaxation in the postures, which encourages a deep sense of confidence and letting go.
JOINTS ARE NOT EXTENDED OR MUSCLES ARE STRETCHED
Unlike the classic yoga classes, which propose vigorous asanas of stretching and toning, these other postures barely stretch the muscles in order to reduce stress on the body as much as possible. Stretching the muscles intensely, forcefully or abruptly can stress the body.
In fact, the muscles can contract to protect themselves from overstretching or a sudden and careless movement. This also breaks the habit of demanding too much, because performing a practice without the goal of pushing or controlling the body opens the space to another way of doing.
Another reason why the muscles are barely stretched in these postures is so that there are no unnecessary stimuli that the body has to manage.
Combining these premises with the observation that an embryo has all joints flexed has led to the development of a type of posture in which the joints are not extended or the muscles are stretched. In the so-called Yin Yoga, it does seek to stretch the muscles to gain more muscle flexibility and joint mobility – two factors that favor health.
But in Restorative Yoga only calm and peace are sought through literally stopping moving and realizing what arises. The practice of stopping is so refined that music or visualization exercises are not usually used, as it happens for example in Yoga Nidra, another excellent discipline to create a deep state of relaxation.
All styles and currents of yoga complement each other, as the reasons why yoga is practiced and the psycho-corporal needs and abilities change throughout life.
In Restorative Yoga the practitioner seeks above all to become familiar with the wise silence. During the postures the eyes are usually covered with a mask and the body with a blanket, in search of warmth and darkness; Two other elements that encourage stillness and interiorization.
CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUSNESS
When you start practicing it is possible to feel nervous in that space of stillness and silence; But it is not the posture that creates the discomfort or restlessness but the mental noise that previously existed and of which we are now more aware. Remaining in resting postures, in silence and without any entertainment for the mind – such as music, visualization, prompts from a teacher, etc. – allows an experience of connection with the depth of consciousness.
Restorative Yoga is also suitable for those who suffer from injuries or impediments to participate in a common yoga class. In addition, it is recommended for pregnant women, who can enjoy a rest that allows them to release accumulated tensions and create an open mental environment, which also generates a healthy biochemical environment for the fetus.
BEING KIND TO ONESELF AND OTHERS
Yoga is based on practicing a serene observation of what arises and trusting in human goodness and ability to choose the best response to any situation or person. That is why it is said that an authentic yoga practice provides a radical change of perspective on life. The person feels more relaxed, patient and kind to himself and others.