The Most Effective Restorative Yoga Poses

Have you ever practiced yoga for stress relief? What are some of the restorative yoga poses that will bring the most benefit to your life? 

Learn the answer to what is restorative yoga, and how you can get the most from it. 

What Is Restorative Yoga?

Restorative yoga is a slow-moving, intentional type of yoga that includes stretching, opening up your chest, and listening to your body.

Instead of moving through pose after pose to raise the heart rate, restorative yoga poses are held for up to five minutes each, giving you time to breathe, clear your mind, and relax every muscle in your body.

Restorative Yoga Benefits

It’s not often that we take the time to sit down and unwind from a long day. 

Sure, you lay down in bed each night, but are you giving yourself a chance to shut off your mind and focus on recharging? 

Restorative yoga poses can do just that for you. 

“By allowing time for longer asanas (postures or poses) and deeper breathing, restorative yoga helps elicit the relaxation responseTrusted Source. 

This response can help slow breathing, reduce blood pressure, and produce a feeling of calm and increased well-being.” –Healthline

What can you do to prioritize movement in your life, including restorative yoga poses? 

Why Restorative Yoga?

Benefit from regularly exercising while practicing restorative postures that will release stress from your body. 

With scientific proof behind reducing blood pressure and helping you feel in control of your life, why not try restorative yoga?

Finding the Right Restorative Yoga Class for You

Fight the intimidation of walking into a studio and trying restorative yoga for the first time. 

Yogis are the most nonjudgmental group, always ready to give tips and cheer you along. 

Real Simple outlined what you can expect, “During a typical session of restorative yoga, at home or at an in-person class, you’ll likely hold just a few—often very few—tension-relieving stretches and positions for longer than, say, energizing vinyasa yoga (which flows from pose to pose more fluidly and quickly). 

You’ll likely pay close attention to your breath while maintaining a pose: breathing deeply into each stretch, decompressing tense areas, focusing on what you feel and think, and cultivating a connection between brain, breath, and body.”

And you do not have to travel to a yoga studio to practice restorative yoga poses.

Online Restorative Yoga Classes

What is restorative yoga? Find out without ever having to leave your home. 

Powerflow On the Go offers top-quality yoga sessions from the finest instructors. 

Experience movement, stretching, endurance, and empowerment by practicing yoga from your living room, office, hotel room, or the beach.

Very Well Fit explains, “Restorative yoga is a time to relax and stretch, allowing your mind and body to be at ease. While you can enjoy a slow-moving restorative yoga class, it’s also very easy to do at home. 

You’ll find that a few simple poses offer great relief from any stress in your day and can calm your mind while stretching your body.”

Restorative Yoga Poses That Make a Difference

Get familiar with some standard restorative yoga practices before you ever take a class.

Some of these poses may be familiar already. 

Supported Childs Pose

As a modification to the classic childs pose, supported childs pose is like a big hug around a pillow or folded blanket.

Kneel down, sit back on your ankles, and bend your body forward over your pillow. 

“Extend arms in front of you with palms facing down. Ahh, that’s the spot. This peaceful pose gently stretches the hips, thighs and ankles while calming the mind.” –PureWow

Legs in a Chair/Legs Up the Wall

Relieve muscle tension by laying on your back and placing your legs up in a chair or lining them up a wall. 

This pose relieves back pain, releases tension in your shoulders and hips, and rests your feet.

Reclining Bound Angle Pose

Lay on your back, arms out to the side, and palms up. Bring your feet together and let your knees fall to the side.

Feel the stretch in your inner thighs as you let your knees fall to a comfortable position. 

Breathe as your stomach expands, pushing the air out in an audible sh sound. 

Thread the Needle

Fall forward into childs pose and reach one arm under your body, perpendicular to the other arm. Gaze in the direction of your moving arm. 

Feel the stretch in your shoulders and the release of tension.

Supported Fish

Lay flat on your back, palms facing up. 

Prop up your shoulders with yoga blocks or a rolled-up blanket. 

Also, prop up your neck with a block or pillow. 

Let your arms stretch out and feel your body relax into the restorative yoga pose.

Powerflow On the Go offers tutorials on restorative yoga poses and other poses that need detailed instruction. 

Best Restorative Yoga Postures 

Restorative postures are unique to your body. Where does it feel good to stop as you stretch forward during childs pose? 

No one asks you to hit a mark. Find the reach that makes sense for your body. 

Modifying Yoga Poses 

Each yoga pose can be modified to accommodate your situation. 

Perhaps you are recovering from an illness that depleted your energy, or you are nursing an injury and using yoga to keep movement in your routine. 

Never be afraid to modify with props, rolled towels, and pillows. 

Using Props in Yoga

If a pose feels wrong, add a yoga block. You may get to the point where you can remove the block and hold the pose without it.

And you may not. 

That’s okay. 

Breath and Yoga Postures

Our Powerflow On the Go instructors will help you focus on breathing to get the maximum benefits. 

Breathing during yoga is audible, and you can picture yourself pushing out all of the negative energy in your body. 

How Long Do I Hold a Yoga Pose? 

Restorative yoga poses include holding a yoga pose for an extended amount of time. 

That timeline is up to you! You can follow the teacher or pause and continue to hold a pose that feels good.

That is one valuable benefit of using Powerflow On the Go for restorative yoga. 

Finding Restorative Yoga That Makes a Difference

With a million different ways to relieve stress in your life, why not try a way that feels indulgent? 

Forget about running up a mountain or plunging into ice-cold water when you can cozy up in your favorite sweatpants and practice restorative yoga poses at home. 

Get to know restorative postures, so you can breathe into childs pose or legs up the wall to regulate your nerves before a big meeting or presentation. 

Restorative yoga may be just what you need to get through stressful times in your life. 

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