Sue Ransom Yoga

“What’s the point of this?” I silently asked myself the first time I experienced restorative yoga. Propped on a bolster, covered by a blanket, staying still. I’d done regular hatha yoga for years and was used to the movement involved. Was I doing this right? What was I meant to be doing? Was I missing something?

If you haven’t yet experienced restorative yoga it does, indeed, involve staying still. With the use of props – bolsters, blankets, blocks, perhaps straps, a chair or wall – you come into the postures with support, get deliciously comfortable, and stay there a while. The idea is this gives your body time to open up in the asana – generally gentle back bends, forward bends, twists, and mild inversions. It also gives you an opportunity to access deep levels of relaxation.

Think of savasana. You’re lying down; you’ve taken the weight off your feet so you must be relaxed, right? But if you practice yoga regularly you might notice that’s not the case. After being in savasana for a while you may become aware of places – for instance the shoulders are big ones here – where you’re holding on more tightly than your physical position requires. Simply lying down didn’t alleviate this. But some time being supported by the earth, a little awareness, and then you feel your shoulders softening and releasing…

There’s much evidence to show that hatha yoga with its combination of movement, breathing and relaxation is good for your overall wellbeing.

So why do restorative yoga in particular?

With restorative yoga the emphasis is on relaxation. In any toolkit for wellbeing we know nutritious food, enough water, good amounts of sleep and exercise and social connections are all beneficial. Rest is also vital. But don’t we rest when we socialise with friends, watch TV, or scroll through our phones? Well, yes, and no. A relaxation technique which decreases sympathetic nervous system activity, and takes you out of your everyday thinking patterns is hugely beneficial, helping to re-set your nervous system, and giving your immune system a ginormous boost.

What’s Normal?

 At a Svastha Yoga Therapy Module on the Psychology for Well-being, Management of Stress, Anxiety I attended in Sydney, Dr Ganesh Mohan talked about the speed and complexity of modern life. Just a hundred years ago people in the western world used gas lights and candles – electric lighting became more available in homes in the 1920’s. Then we could stay up later and do more. In the last twenty years communications have enabled people to work all the time – we’re hyper-connected.

So for your parents, grandparents or great-grandparents (who undoubtedly worked hard – less gadgets to assist them, after all) there would have been time in the day when they did nothing. Sitting down for a rest, a cup of tea, there would be no technological interruptions. Short, in-built natural breaks. Mini-retreats, if you like. In contrast one of my daughters mentioned that, if she’s waiting for someone in a café, she uses her phone to go online.                     

Perhaps it’s not evolutionarily normal for human beings to have this pace of life – as a species we haven’t had time to adapt to the demands created by the speedy development of new technology. The word “normal” is important. If we assume an abnormal way of life is normal, it’s not sustainable.

What’s Sustainable?

In our demanding 21st century lives where accomplishments and doing are lauded, it can be difficult to give yourself permission to simply be even for a little while. But it’s vital.

Relaxing deeply is a way of bringing balance.

Your body needs to be in a sympathetic nervous system state to prepare you for activity. It’s your mobilisation response. It gets you up and motivated, out of danger, doing. Fight or flight. When your sympathetic nervous system’s “on” blood goes to your limbs. Your heart, breathing rates and blood pressure increase. You run on adrenaline.

But being in your parasympathetic nervous state is vital, because in this state you repair and restore. Rest and digest, mend and befriend – your heart and breathing rates slow, it’s associated with lower blood pressure, and feel good hormones. Blood isn’t needed in the limbs to flee, so goes to your digestion. Your muscles release tension, and your resources are available for general maintenance of body and mind. It’s conducive to positive emotions like joy and contentment, and to creative thinking – ideas for making, doing and problem solving – all of which have a positive knock-on effect on relationships. There are no contra-indications for relaxation. Everyone benefits and needs to relax.

Ideally you spend the majority of your time in a parasympathetic dominant state, as being in the opposite – fight or flight – is only intended for short bursts of time, and is unsustainable long term.

Sometimes you can get so used to being stressed it feels normal, and you get stuck in sympathetic nervous system dominance. It becomes difficult to switch off and relax. Maybe you’ve experienced this in the initial days of a holiday. You may not even be aware that you are stressed.

For physical and mental health and wellbeing we need the capacity to move fluidly between our sympathetic and parasympathetic modes. Sometimes we need to learn to relax again. Practicing restorative yoga can help you do that. You strengthen your ability to relax as the brain maps how it feels in body and mind – you practice relaxing, and then it’s easier to do in daily life, and to recognise when you’re feeling stressed and need to bring yourself back into a healthy balance.

Looking After Yourself – Mini-Retreats

To create your own mini-retreat…switch your device to “do not disturb”. Go somewhere quiet and alone for twenty minutes or so. Keep it simple. Lie on your back in savasana, perhaps with a rolled blanket under your knees, a pillow under your head, and a throw over you. Gently close your eyes and let yourself be. You may experience some agitation especially if you’re used to being switched “on”. Listening to a guided relaxation or relaxing music may be helpful.

A regular restorative yoga session can be beautifully beneficial to everyone, and a wonderful addition to any more active yoga practice. It’s great for the management of everyday stresses. If you’re someone who thrives on challenging sporting activities and you think it would be far too slow for you, you may be surprised at how challenging it is to be still. I offer weekly restorative yoga sessions, as I love sharing the benefits and power of this lovely way of nurturing yourself.   

Relaxing Yoga. Wednesday evenings. Ideal as part of a balanced wellness toolkit.