Rest & Digest

RESTORATIVE and GENTLE SOMATIC YOGA

Why pay to lie around on the floor for two hours?! Good question!

Think of Restorative and Gentle Somatic Yoga as being constructive ways to rest. A less constructive way might be slouching on the sofa watching a horror movie, for example! It’s probably not helpful for your back or for your nervous system! When your body is on high alert, a flash flood of hormones boosts the body's alertness and heart rate, sending extra blood to the muscles.to help you run or fight. This takes vital energy away from your organs of digestion, respiration and reproduction.

When the body and mind feel safe and calm, we tend to move from the part of our nervous system that readies us for flight, fight or freeze into the part where we rest, digest and repair. Ways of knowing that you’ve moved into rest and repair include hearing your tummy rumble and feeling your breathing slow down and even out.

With more time resting and digesting, our brains can better learn to distinguish regular life stress from life-threatening stress. In other words, with regular practice of Restorative or Gentle Somatic Yoga, you'll move more easily into rest and digest mode.

During a Restorative or Gentle Somatic Yoga, you might be guided through a gentle breathing practice, experience mindfulness techniques and guided meditation, all designed to help you switch off and enjoy Savasana. Savasana is the last pose in a yoga class, also known as relaxation. It's ideally 15-20 minutes in length, and is beneficial for slowing all the left brain “things” and stimulating right brain activity making it useful for reflection, insight, creativity and wisdom

Find relief from the stress of your busy life with Restorative or Gentle Somatic Yoga. Discover that by deeply resting in a constructive way, you’ll re-charge your batteries and have more energy for family, work and creativity.