Former yoga teacher in Wellington New Zealand
When I was researching the purpose of śavāsana (corpse pose), I came across a comment from restorative yoga expert Judith Lasaster that it takes the average person 15 minutes to physiologically relax. She talked about this in a podcast on
Legs up the wall (viparita karani) is often best known for the benefit of triggering the parasympathetic nervous system, sometimes called the rest and digest response. In these variations you can add a range of different stretches for the legs and hips, while also gaining the stress-relieving benefits of the pose.
Take time to be in the moment and connect with the family and friends who support you – if you can’t connect in person, you can connect online and the phone. If you are feeling anxious or stressed, I’ve written many posts about the different ways yoga can help with managing stress, including breathing practices, meditation and restorative yoga.
Pratyahara, one of the eight limbs of yoga, is just as vital for managing stress as the more well known practices of asana, pranayama and meditation. Pratyahara is more than just disconnecting.
These brief audio-recordings are guided meditations that explore imagery in nature. One uses mindfulness and the other connects feelings to nature.
Some yoga poses can help trigger the rest and digest response, or the parasympathetic nervous system. They work by giving the body physiological cues that it should move into the rest and digest state. They’re known as inversions. Here a few gentle options to try.
he gentle version of supported bridge pose can help trigger the parasympathetic nervous system (think rest and digest response) by providing a gentle and safe way to raise the body above the head. It makes a safe and easy alternative to headstand or shoulderstand.
Restorative yoga is more than just getting comfortable with extra pillows. It offers relaxation by stretching fascia, triggering the rest and digest response and supporting conscious relaxation like meditation.
Mantra meditation is repeating either out loud or silently to yourself a word, phrase or syllable as a form of meditation.
Try my 20 minute audio recording of a guided meditation and explore the idea of letting thoughts come and go.