Restorative yoga, combined with blocks, offers a deeply healing and nurturing practice that promotes relaxation, stress relief, and rejuvenation. Here’s how you can embark on a healing journey with restorative yoga using blocks:
- Set the Scene: Create a tranquil space with dim lighting, soft music, and comfortable props like blankets and bolsters. Having a peaceful environment sets the stage for relaxation.
- Choose Your Blocks: Select two blocks of the same height or varying heights based on your comfort and the desired intensity of the poses.
- Supported Heart Opener: Place a block horizontally under your upper back (between the shoulder blades) while lying down. Support your head with a pillow or another block if needed. This gentle backbend opens the chest, counteracting the effects of hunching over and relieves tension in the upper body.
- Reclining Bound Angle Pose: Use blocks under each knee to support and elevate them while lying back. This position gently opens the hips and groin, promoting relaxation and releasing tension in these areas.
- Supported Child’s Pose: Place a block under your forehead while in Child’s Pose, allowing your forehead to rest comfortably. This position encourages a sense of surrender and relaxation as you breathe deeply into the back body.
- Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose: Sit close to a wall and place a block under your sacrum (lower back) as you extend your legs up the wall. This inversion promotes relaxation, eases lower back tension, and encourages blood flow back to the heart.
- Supported Savasana: Lay a block horizontally under your head to elevate it slightly during Savasana. This helps release tension in the neck and allows for deeper relaxation.
- Breathing and Mindfulness: Throughout these poses, focus on deep, mindful breathing. Use each exhale to release tension and sink deeper into relaxation. Cultivate awareness of sensations and thoughts without judgment.
Restorative yoga with blocks encourages a gentle, nurturing practice that allows the body to fully relax and restore itself. The support provided by the blocks in various poses helps in releasing physical and mental tension, fostering a sense of calm and well-being. As you explore these poses, honor your body’s needs and sensations, and allow the healing journey to unfold at its own pace.
