Deep rest in yoga

2 legs up the wall by kellinahandbasketRecently I had my first great experience with restorative yoga. I had always come away stiff and sore in my ribs and back when I tried restorative, but not this time- under the expert guidance of Sarahjoy Marsh from Portland.

Her emphasis was on calming the nervous system and moving us into the parasympathetic rest and digest mode.

One of the best ways to do this, is to encourage abdominal breathing,  by putting the chest into a position to restrict breathing into the upper lungs. Try it now, just hold hands behind your back, allow your shoulder blades to move downward on your back and stand up straight. Notice your belly beginning to expand with the breath.

My favorite way to do this in a restorative yoga pose, is to fold two heavy blankets lengthwise (so you have a hight of 2 or 3 inches) and a width of no more than 6 inches and place them lengthwise under your back (a yoga bolster will also do the trick, but may be a little high). Make a little hump to support your neck. This way your hands rest lower than your back, and your shoulders gently slump toward the floor, in a way that they do not get to do all day long. Beside changing your breathing and deeply calming the nervous system this also helps counteract our sitting/computer slump and helps calm upper back and neck and should tension and pain.

Place your legs onto another two folded blankets, on the sofa at a right angle, up the wall as in the picture, or over a bolster/ a bunch of pillows. Anything to make you comfortable. Your lower back should be relaxed, adjust supports until it is. You can try having your butt on or off the blankets.

To help you hands relax, you could put a weight on each one- there are the traditional sandbags, but a tube sock filled with some rice will do very well (this can also be heated for about 2 minutes in the microwave for a great heating pad). Putting an eye pillow over your eyes may help you relax even more.

Now allow your breathing to calm, allow long comfortable exhales, briefer comfortable inhales. Allow your mind to just notice what is happening and ask thoughts to wait until you are done.

I am finding that setting myself up in one of these variations when I come home from work, rather than flopping on the couch to rest, makes an amazing difference.