Restorative, the Yoga of Contentment

October 27, 2012 — health, medicine, mental-health, restorative yoga, spontaneous zest for life, yoga

What does the word restore man to you? Do you think of groceries, batteries, credit, or your spirit? When stress exhausts your spontaneous zest for life, how do you recover ?  If bombed out cities can be restored, so can your severely wiped out spirit.  There are many methods available, but restorative yoga is an easy to learn, simple to use sequence that brings bliss to most people almost instantly.  A good class will introduce the props and the various poses.  The teacher can make sure the student is properly aligned and taking personal limitations graciously. This YouTube teacher gives a good guide to the uninitiated.

After some instruction one can decide which props to own.  This collection can grow over time, and none really wears out, so the bolsters and straps are good investments.  I also have learned how to deconstruct a hotel room to create the temporary props I want in the moment.  Folded blankets and pillows work well when they are all that is available.

The undisputed queen of restorative yoga is Judith Hanson Lasater.  She is a delight as a teacher.  If she comes to your town I highly recommend that you seek out her workshops.  She has that yogini presence that is precious in and of itself, but her compendium of knowledge is unique and powerful.  She is a physical therapist, was thrown out by Mr. Iyengar  (I always love the heretic) and a brilliant author.  Living her yoga, indeed, is her conduit for  teaching.  She is a shining example of balance between the active and the restorative parts of life.  If you are not lucky enough to see her in person, all of her books are excellent.

“[Let] go of your attachments: your attachment to being right, to having total control, or to living forever. This process of letting go is integral to the process of becoming whole.”
― Judith Hanson Lasater