Restorative Yoga Poses For Beginners Practice At Home

Restorative yoga is a relaxing practice that is a completely different experience from other styles of yoga. It is quite gentle and focuses on de-stressing the body and mind and slowing down the relaxing power. Restorative yoga poses for beginners will provide a gentle stretch.

It is a practice of gentle yoga as well deep relaxation that is quite gentle and is all about slowing down and opening up your body through passive stretching. You stay in the pose for 5 minutes to 30 minutes, doing only a few asanas during this time, rarely moving. Restorative Yoga Poses (asanas) can be held almost effortlessly for long periods using props to support the body.

This deep relaxation will slow down your heart rate and breathing. The restorative yoga style is often recommended for beginners because in this yoga style you can use different types of props like chairs, walls, straps, ropes, bolsters, cushions, pillows, yoga blocks, blankets, books, sandbags, eye masks to support your posture.

Best Restorative Yoga Poses For Beginners to Try

It’s time to relax and stretch with a restorative yoga sequence, allowing your body and muscles to relax. It can help you relieve any stress of the day, of course, it’s also very easy to do a slow-moving restorative yoga class at home.

Here are some great restorative yoga sequences to help get you started: You may find that it is safe to practice some simple restorative yoga poses with chronic illness or an injury.

Child’s Pose (Balasana)

Restorative Child Pose for Beginners is performed with the support of props that gently stretch the spine and create a moment of relaxation. This pose helps relieve tension and fatigue from the lower back and head and provides a gentle stretch to the hips, glutes, hamstrings, and spine.

While this can be a bit challenging, it can be extremely relaxing if you place a bolster or blanket between the inner thighs and your head over the bolster.

How to Do

• Get down on your knees on the yoga mat.
• Touch the ankles together, touching both the ankles and the big toes.
• Place a folded blanket between your thighs for support.
• Slowly spread your knees out to the side as much as possible.
• Taking a deep breath, tilt the torso forward between your thighs.
• Take the stomach between both the thighs and exhale.
• Lower your head toward the floor and place it on top of the bolster.
• Bring the hands to the front and place them on a cushion for extra support.
• Stay in this posture for 5 to 15 minutes, take deep breaths and release.

Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana)

You only need one block for the supported bridge pose. It activates the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) or helps in improving blood circulation. It is a new experience to slowly open the body over a long period of time.

How to Do

• Lie on your back on a yoga mat and spread your feet hip-width apart. Keep your breathing rate normal.
• After that keep the hands by the side.
• Now slowly bend your legs from the knees and bring them near the hips.
• With the help of your hamstrings and core muscles, lift the hips off the floor as high as possible. Slide blocks, cushions, or pillows under your sacrum.
• The hands will remain on the yoga mat.
• Hold your breath for a while.
• After this, exhale and come back to the ground.
• Straighten the legs and relax.
• After resting for 10-15 minutes, start again.

Happy Baby Pose (Ananda Balasana)

This yoga pose looks like small children playing in fun. Actually, this pose gives a stretch to the whole body along with reducing belly fat. It also stimulates and stretches your thighs and knees, reducing problems like body aches, tension, fatigue, and back pain.

How to Do Ananda Balasana

• Lie on your back on a yoga mat with a folded blanket under your head and while exhaling, bring your knees to your chest.
• While inhaling, hold the outer part of your feet with both hands.
• Open your knees slightly and bring them up.
• After lifting up, hold your feet with your hands.
• Now stay like this for a while and relax.

Legs-up-the-wall Pose (Viparita Karani)

Do a leg-up-the-wall pose or Viparita Karani to ease your tired legs and mild backache. It stretches your hamstrings and the back of the neck and helps reduce swelling in the feet and ankles. The body of pregnant women getting reenergized with this flow.

How to Do

• Keep the width of your yoga mat close to the wall.
• Place a folded blanket, cushion, or pillow against the wall to support your hips.
• You can also use a folded blanket or cushion on the opposite end of the mat to support your neck.
• Place your head on a blanket or cushion on the opposite end of the mat and lie down on your back.
• Try to bring your buttocks as close to the wall as you can and straighten your legs up on the wall.
• Use as many props as you can to get comfortable in this position as per your convenience.
• Relax your body and rest in this position for 15 minutes.

Savasana (Cropes Pose)

Savasana is one of the best Restorative Yoga Poses for Beginners to deep relax and relieve stress. Consider the corpse pose, usually at the end of the session. It relaxes the body, helps in reducing stress, anxiety and increases the flow of prana in the body.

How to Do

• Place a folded blanket, pillow or cushion on top of the mat and lie on your back.
• place a bolster or folded blanket under your knees and ankles
• Keep in mind that spread the legs slightly apart from each other.
• Keep the hands in the natural position with the palms facing upwards. And breathe.
• Here you cover your body with a thin cotton cloth to induce more comfort.

Conclusion

Restorative yoga is suitable for practitioners of all levels, including beginners, as it doesn’t require strength or flexibility. It can be particularly beneficial for individuals experiencing stress, anxiety, fatigue, or recovering from injuries. By gently stretching the muscles, releasing tension, and calming the mind, restorative yoga can promote overall well-being and improve sleep quality.

Some common poses you might encounter in a restorative yoga class include supported Child’s Pose, reclining Bound Angle Pose, Supported Bridge Pose, Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose, and Corpse Pose (Savasana). Each of these poses is designed to facilitate relaxation and deep release.