Welcome to this restorative yoga tutorial for a supported shavasana.
So if you're new to restorative yoga,
What we're doing here is basically supporting the body with a lot of different props to help the body really settle and relax into deep stillness.
And in that space,
We are able to activate that parasympathetic response,
Which is our rest and digest mode.
And restorative yoga has really been a life-changing practice for me.
As someone who has lived with chronic illness,
This is a practice that I started doing every single day for about 10 minutes.
And it had a profound impact on my health and well-being.
And I really hope that this practice can be supportive for you as well,
Wherever you are in your own journey.
So what we're doing as well is really just helping the body to access and feel safe.
And that's why this work is so profound,
Even though it looks very,
Very simple.
So the key is to really start easy.
That's why today we're going to start with five minutes.
And as your body kind of gains this capacity and safety,
As your nervous system starts to feel safer,
It's going to be possible to access stillness with more ease and perhaps doing longer sessions.
So perhaps then moving to 10 minutes,
15 minutes or 20 minutes in the same pose.
But I really recommend starting with these shorter timeframes to just build that capacity Tune in with yourself and your body as you do these practices and see what feels good for you.
Okay?
So we're going to take a look at the props we're going to need.
So right here I have what we call a head scroll.
And this is a blanket that we've kind of folded into a rectangle like this.
So you want to reach this kind of rectangle shape and this kind of size roughly to create a head scroll.
And then we take either side and we just kind of roll it into the middle.
And then we flip it to the other side like that.
And we place it here for our head to come in between these scrolls to rest.
And the reason we do this is because one of the most important places to support in restorative yoga is the neck and the head.
Because if the neck and the head is not supported,
That's going to make it really difficult for the rest of our body to fully come into stillness and relax.
Okay so i've also got a little eye pillow right here Now,
If you don't have an eye pillow,
That's fine.
You can use maybe a towel or just something small that you can cover your eyes with easily.
And I like to keep it here so it's easy for me to reach for when I'm already lying down.
And right here,
Below the knees,
We're going to support with a bolster.
And if you don't have a bolster,
You could try using a pillow or even just rolling up a really chunky blanket could do the job as well.
And right here I have a smaller blanket.
That I've rolled up.
Into a kind of Small little sausage,
Let's call it.
Like this.
And place it here to go underneath the heels.
And then I have a bigger blanket right here to cover the body with.
Which can be nice and cozy depending on the temperature.
It's a little warm here today,
But I'm going to use it simply for effect.
And I usually like to.
.
.
Place it a little bit like this so it's easier for me to reach for when I'm already in the pose.
So it's already kind of half covering me as you see.
And we're going to use Insight Timer's lovely timer today to practice together for five minutes.
So when you're ready,
Place yourself so that your knees come to rest on the bolster.
Your heels are on this little cushion.
This little sausage blanket that we created.
We cover ourselves a little bit with the blanket so it's easier.
And I'm going to press start.
And we're going to support with our hands like this.
And then we're gonna breathe in through the nose.
And as we exhale,
We're going to come to lie down.
And we might need to adjust a little bit with the head scroll.
So that our head comes to rest comfortably in between the scrolls.
And you might reach for your eye pillow.
Bring that over your eyes so that feels safe and comfortable for you.
And cover the rest of the body with the blanket.
Let your arms come to either side,
Palms facing upwards.
And just take.
Couple of breaths here.
Breathing in through the nose.
Exhaling through the bow And letting your breathing return to its natural rhythm.
And just know the same.
Inhale.
And the exhale.
Noticing where the body meets the props.
And really letting yourself feel the support of the props.
To feel held.
You Mmm.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Mmm.
Mmm.
Mmm.
Mmm.
You Thank you.
And just see if you can start to become aware of.
.
.
Any sounds around you now.
Any textures?
Just always starting to Roll over to the other side.
Perhaps for moving the eye below.
Coming to rest on your side for a moment.
And just taking your time here.
No need to rush out of the pose.
Just taking it at your own pace.
And you can place The right hand on the mat next to your head to support yourself from coming to sit when you're ready and just.
.
.
Take a breath in.
And as you exhale.
Gently coming up to a seated position again.
Okay.
So thank you so much for practicing with me today.
I hope to see you soon here again.
Take care.
