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Yes, you should give restorative yoga a try

by Lorraine C. Ladish December 11, 2019
written by Lorraine C. Ladish December 11, 2019
I was always one of those type-A, go-go-go people. I enjoyed only the most powerful and challenging yoga flows. Otherwise, you´d find me weightlifting, running or swimming laps until my arms couldn´t take it any longer. This meant that I sustained many injuries throughout my life. It also meant that I missed out on the benefits of slowing down. When I first heard of restorative yoga and even when I took my first class, I felt I was wasting my time. My brain ran through to-do lists, and sometimes my heart pounded. I didn´t think it was any fun. Thankfully, because I'm hard-headed, I stuck with it. I read all about the benefits of easing into supported asana poses and I was determined to figure this out! Restorative yoga has since become a regular part of my asana practice, especially in the evenings, when I´m traveling, or when I´m stressed out. I still gravitate towards sweaty challenging asana flows, but restorative yoga plays a vital role in my physical, mental and emotional recovery. While some may think (as I did) of restorative yoga as something akin to taking a nap (it isn´t), as a waste of time and energy or something reserved only for people with severe physical limitations or the very elderly, restorative yoga has benefits for each and every one of us. When you enter a pose where muscles and joints are supported by props - bolsters, pillows, blocks, blankets - and you allow yourself to relax and surrender, focusing on your breath, your body and mind acquire the rest and digest response. This is the complete opposite to fight or flight mode, which is where we seem to spend most of our time in! I´m sharing only a couple of poses here. One is a heart opener, meaning it will help improve posture, breathe more easily and improve your mood while helping you relax. The other is a forward fold, which has a calming and nurturing effect. The more supported your body is, the better. Play some relaxing music while enjoying these poses. Count your breaths, focus on a mantra or simply be. Maybe diffuse some calming essential oils, like lavender, or apply them to your wrist. Now I stay in each pose for as long as I am comfortable, but at first I used to use a timer. I would set it for around 5 minutes to start with. I made sure the sound was a soothing chime so I wouldn´t be jostled out of my serene state. Read more about restorative yoga on Yoga Journal.

I was always one of those type-A, go-go-go people. I enjoyed only the most powerful and challenging yoga flows. Otherwise, you´d find me weightlifting, running or swimming laps until my muscles couldn´t take it any longer. This meant that I sustained many injuries throughout my life. It also meant that I missed out on the benefits of slowing down.

When I first heard of restorative yoga and even when I took my first class, I felt I was wasting my time. My brain ran through to-do lists, and sometimes my heart pounded. I didn´t think it was any fun. Thankfully, because I’m hard-headed, I stuck with it. I read all about the benefits of easing into supported asana poses and I was determined to figure this out!

Restorative yoga has since become a regular part of my asana practice, especially in the evenings, when I´m traveling, or when I´m stressed out. I still gravitate towards sweaty challenging asana flows, but restorative yoga plays a vital role in my physical, mental and emotional recovery.

While some may think (as I did) of restorative yoga as something akin to taking a nap (it isn´t), as a waste of time and energy or something reserved only for people with severe physical limitations or the very elderly, restorative yoga has benefits for each and every one of us.


Yes, you should give restorative yoga a try
Restorative heart opener

When you enter a pose where muscles and joints are supported by props – bolsters, pillows, blocks, blankets – and you allow yourself to relax and surrender, focusing on your breath, your body and mind acquire the rest and digest response. This is the complete opposite to fight or flight mode, which is where we seem to spend most of our time in!

I´m sharing only a couple of poses here. One is a heart opener, meaning it will help improve posture, breathe more easily and improve your mood while helping you relax. The other is a forward fold, which has a calming and nurturing effect. The more supported your body is, the better.

Play some relaxing music while enjoying these poses. Count your breaths, focus on a mantra or simply be. Maybe diffuse some calming essential oils, like lavender, or apply them to your wrist. Now I stay in each pose for as long as I am comfortable, but at first I used to use a timer. I would set it for around 5 minutes to start with. I made sure the sound was a soothing chime so I wouldn´t be jostled out of my serene state.

Read more about restorative yoga on Yoga Journal.

I used to think restorative yoga was a waste of time and energy, until I started reaping its benefits. You should try it too! #restorativeyoga #yoga #yogateacher

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Lorraine C. Ladish

I’m a 21st. Century Communicator, helping empower women and others to achieve their goals. I am the founder and CEO of Viva Fifty! a bilingual community that celebrates being 50+. I’ve worked as an editor and social media coordinator for a number of online publications. I’m a content creator and regular contributor to NBCNews, Huffpost, AARP, Babycenter and Mom.me. I’ve contributed to People en Español, La Palma of The Palm Beach Post, Purple Clover, Latina magazine and Redbook . My latest book on embracing age was published by HarperCollins in 2017. But most of all I am a woman, a mom, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a writer, an entrepreneur, a yogini.

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About The Flawed Yogini

About The Flawed Yogini

Yoga & Wellness

I'm Lorraine C. Ladish, bilingual writer, mom, wife & yogi. I started my yoga & wellness journey at 12, with a book by Richard Hittleman. I have a huge flaw, an addictive and compulsive personality. In the long run, this turned out to be my biggest asset. I learned to channel it into leading a creative and productive life. At 58, I'm committed to sharing my journey to inspire others to channel their flaws into positive things and achieve greatness.

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