The Magic of Restorative Yoga

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©Patrick Kern

Hi friends,

Yes, that’s me in that photo above, tucked in amidst all those blankets. This is a sneak peak of how I cope with the world’s crappy news and life’s inevitable stress. (How else do I cope? Lifting weights, forest bathing, dancing, and hanging with my sweet doggo - but let’s save those for another newsletter!)

The prop setup above took just a few minutes, but the 20 minutes I spent there was a whole journey….

  • At first, my mind was busy… and sometimes big waves of emotion arose. I tried to allow it all.

  • Then, I gave my physical body permission to release into the support of the wall, the bolster, the floor.

  • I gave my face permission to release expression and any tension in the jaw and forehead (where I tend to keep it).

  • I turned my attention to my breath, initially just noticing what it was like, then inviting it to even out, and then ultimately extending my exhales to be longer than my inhales.

  • I observed the mind… how it constantly changes course, repeats itself, pulls me into the past or into the future… and how easily (or not) it is to draw my awareness back to the now.

  • The reality of my thinking mind is that it will move back and forth between presence and non-presence. But I continued to return to my body and my breath, over and over and over again.

  • Sometimes, when I’m really lucky, I have found myself floating in a kind of wide, wordless container of existence – where I can’t sense my physical body’s edges and my breath is automatic and my mind is empty – if even just for a millisecond.

  • And then the timer went off, I slowly roused myself, rolled onto my side, and then curled up into a seat for a few breaths before I moved on with my day – more resilient and grounded for the rest of the day.

I’ve been teaching Restorative yoga for over 12 years, and it remains one of the most essential practices I know. My primary teacher, Judith Hanson Lasater – whom I often call the “fairy godmother of Restorative yoga” – studied under B.K.S. Iyengar, the man who invented and normalized the use of props in modern alignment-based yoga. As their mentee and assistant, my other cherished Restorative teachers, Britt Fohrman and Darren Main (themselves students of Judith’s), taught me the refined nuance and skill in meeting my students exactly as they show up, as well as how to just stop talking and be still for my students! I’ve also learned so much from my studens and fellow Restorative teachers, patricularly my friend and collaborator Claudette Evans, with whom I co-offer Restorative Teacher Trainings. This collective teaching lineage has shaped my practice into what it is today: a low and slow, deeply intentional approach that prioritizes rest and slowness as medicine.

Restorative Yoga is designed to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system – often called “rest and digest.” When this system is activated, the body moves toward homeostasis, or balance. In a culture that prizes productivity, speed, and efficiency above almost everything else, choosing to rest can feel countercultural, even rebellious – like we are “wasting our time”. But, in fact, it’s one of the most powerful choices we can make.

An active rest practice isn’t passive at all – it’s receptive and an investment in our vitality and resilience. Restorative yoga supports:

  • Immune function

  • Vagal tone

  • Mental health

  • Cardiovascular health

  • Digestion

  • Hormonal balance

  • Sleep

  • Deep listening, discernment, and clarity

In other words: coping skills and better health outcomes for life.

Even 10–20 minutes a day (or every other day!) can shift everything. Turning away from screens, covering your eyes if that feels comfortable, and lying in a supported, cozy posture with props or pillows can be a full body nervous system reset button. Over time, a regular rest practice becomes a powerful ally, helping us move through the world with more steadiness and focus than scatter and distraction.

Restorative Yoga reminds us that slowing down doesn’t mean giving up – it means reclaiming your energy, your time, and your power. Far from a waste of time, rest might just be the most valuable thing you can give yourself.

Do you want to practice, but need some guidance? My online video library has several relevant videos available:

  1. Restorative Yoga (2 practices, ~60 min each)

  2. 1/2 Gentle & 1/2 Restorative (17 practices, ~75 min each)

  3. Deluxe Savasana with Guided Meditation (4 practices, about 40 min each)

  4. How-To's: Restorative Pose Set-ups (7 instructional setups, 1-7 min each)

  5. Guided Meditations (2 practices, about 12 min each)

  6. Yoga Nidra (4 practices, ~30-45 min each)

Or, come to my Sunday night Candlelight Restorative class at 7pm Pacific – in studio or online!

Yours in rest and resilience,
Nicole