| Ashtanga Yoga or Restorative Yoga - how to make | | | | be held for some minutes but there will never be any |
| the choice | | | | strain placed on the body because each pose is |
| Ashtanga Yoga is very different to the gentle practice | | | | TOTALLY supported by soft props. The careful |
| of Restorative Yoga. In fact Ashtanga Yoga is a | | | | placing of these props means that the body is free to |
| lovely choice for people who are strong and healthy | | | | relax and release its own powerful healing system |
| but it would not be a good choice for anyone who has | | | | while the person is taken through the most essential |
| been recently ill, is suffering from burnout or quite | | | | postures for their needs. Bodies are clever and know |
| chronic stress related conditions such as high blood | | | | very well when they find their very own balance point |
| pressure, severe headaches or chronic fatigue | | | | as all the systems find themselves supported enough |
| syndrome. The more active forms of yoga such as | | | | to come down off 'high alert'. As soon as your body |
| Ashtanga, with its emphasis on building towards | | | | experiences that degree of support it knows it can |
| physical strength as well as flexibility, tend to move | | | | switch out of overdrive and it heaves a sigh of relief! |
| quickly with the breath of the person doing the practice | | | | Experienced Restorative Yoga teachers will take time |
| and form very beautiful flows of movement which are | | | | to help students work out their own Restorative Body |
| followed carefully by the Ashtanga practitioner. At its | | | | Map and show them how to constantly bring their |
| best the student can mediate as they do the flow but | | | | bodies back to balance point and so to healing. A |
| they have to have good health and a strong body to | | | | session would typically include a posture to help to |
| do this. For those who know a little about yoga | | | | gently open the chest and aid breathing, a quiet |
| sequences like 'The Salute to the Sun' is a good | | | | supported forward bend to ease the spine, a very |
| example of an Ashtanga flow. | | | | gentle twist of the torso to ease the digestion and a |
| For the person who has been ill and wants to start on | | | | very beautiful relaxation to help the body fully switch |
| a self-help route to recovery and wellbeing this form | | | | channels from the Sympathetic High-Alert Nervous |
| of Yoga is not advisable. That person's body needs to | | | | System to the ParaSympathetic Calm-and-Centred |
| rest, refresh and restore itself quietly and gently while it | | | | Nervous System. |
| heals. Restorative Yoga helps that happen by | | | | There is a great contrast in the two styles but |
| emphasising the unique needs of a body whose | | | | underlying them both are age old principles of body |
| nervous system has been overloaded and whose | | | | care and the use of postures to work through all parts |
| immune system has started to break down under | | | | of the body so that health and wellbeing are promoted |
| ongoing stress - or which is in pain following distress in | | | | along with a calm, controlled mind. We just have to find |
| their muscular or skeletal systems. A restorative yoga | | | | the yoga approach that is right for us at any point in |
| session will involve only 4 or 5 postures which will each | | | | time. |