Fitness: Restorative yoga

Yoga is one of my favorite things. It is incredibly nourishing to your mind, body, and soul.  There are so many types of yoga, and the type that is the most relaxing is actually the most difficult for me. 

Restorative yoga is a practice that to me, is easy on your body but tough on your mind.  It is practiced by holding relaxing/healing poses for a period of time (minutes) and focusing on your breath. 

I love many things about restorative yoga. It is the one time I feel like I can truly let my body relax, and the tension and stress can melt away. I can hold poses that benefit and heal my body where I feel I need it: shoulders and neck, back, hips and groin, or just opening up the whole body.  While you hold the poses, you're focusing on your breath and melting into the shape you're in. It is a sort of meditation for your mind AND body, and allows your body the time to heal. 

The thing I struggle with most about restorative yoga is letting go. Not so much letting go of my body, but letting go in my mind. I have an extremely hard time not letting my mind wander and work constantly (This in turn makes falling asleep a huge task every night, and naps are basically impossible). This makes meditating and focusing so much work, but shows that I need restorative yoga. It not only is letting my body the time to relax and heal, but let's me discipline my mind and focus on letting go and slowing things down. The more I can let my mind go, the more benefits I will receive from restorative yoga. 

Another thing that I really appreciate about restorative yoga is the affect it has on my muscles. I am a fitness junky- I love working out, building muscle, and cardio activities. Restorative yoga helps those muscles that I destroy in a sense, to heal and be taken care of. The stretch that occurs, as well as just letting go of the muscles, is highly beneficial!

I try to practice restorative yoga with my mom a few times a week in the evening. Even our furry friend likes to join :) 

We love the YogaGlo website, which is full of yoga options and plenty of restorative classes to utilize. There isn't much better before bed than a warm candle-lit room and melting into your mat! I highly suggest trying restorative- I promise you won't regret it.