Restorative Yoga for the Nervous System

A few additional notes about these poses.

Forward folds tend to be calming and cooling to the body, supporting more sympathetic nervous system states, such as the experience of anxiety.

Backbends tend to be more warming and stimulating, supporting more dorsal nervous system states, such as depression.

Inversions, which are poses where the head is below the heart, can also support regulating the nervous system. These can quiet the mind. Examples above of simple inversions are Legs up the Wall and Instant Maui.

You don’t need a whole collection of yoga props to create these poses at home. Consider using towels, blankets, pillows, couch cushions, cloth/scarves (e.g. to cover the eyes), chair, couch, etc.

Forty-Five-degree angles. This angle can be really supportive in a child’s pose and in a reclined butterfly pose. You don’t have to be flexible enough to meet the ground with your upper body in these poses.

Whatever parts of the body are open and lifted in a pose will be more energized in a pose, while the more closed or lowered parts of the body in a pose will be more calmed and quieted.

Do your best to ensure your head and neck are comfortable and supported in these poses. You might even prop towels on either side of the head to keep it from rolling or from having to to work to keep itself still.

Some of the key conditions for supportive restorative yoga are warmth, stillness, darkness, and comfort.

Here is a video of a guided restorative sequence, this is offered by Lizzie Lasater, the daughter of my teacher Judith Lasater, a pioneer maven of yoga and restorative yoga, specifically.