the eight limbs of restorative yoga
I’m preparing discussion questions for my upcoming 40 hour restorative yoga teacher training.
A question I’ll ask is:
How does restorative yoga connect to Patañjali’s 8-limbed path?
I got to thinking on how I would answer this question, and it became this blog. In short, restorative yoga is a way to simultaneously connect with ALL 8 limbs. For more ideas on this, read on:
YAMA + NIYAMA
outward + inward ethics
How can a restorative practice become a way to tend to yourself? I land at ahimsa (non-harming) as my guiding foundation. Can I actually make sure my body feels supported, rather than challenged? And can I meet my mind and whatever it needs to do during practice with the same generosity?
In a restorative practice, the domain I’m working with is my own system. I’m reminded time and again that when I tend to myself, I’ll enhance my capacity for extending that care to the community around me. With this approach to a restorative practice, my inward ethics translate into outward ethics.
Asana
the physical component of a yoga practice
We practice ‘poses’ during restorative classes but rather than effort, we unlock ease by forming shapes with our body. Each posture becomes a supportive āsana through the alchemy of props + gravity + your own system.
PRANaYaMA
the energetic component of a yoga practice
Time in a shape makes space for exploring the finer components of yourself: your breath, your emotions, your energy. This could be super tangible or whimsical and creative. When I’m no longer spending energy to be in a pose, I free up the ability to sense/feel/connect into the larger (but certainly subtler) picture — something more is happening here than just moving my spine.
PRATYAHARA
the sensory component of a yoga practice
I know we often define this limb as a ‘withdrawal of the senses’ but I use my restorative practice to dive deep INTO my senses. In restorative yoga, we can forge a clarified relationship to our senses. I can more accurately track a thought. I can embrace a present moment connection to my sense of hearing, for example. Stillness affords us perspective - what can I REALLY listen to here? Or feel? Or smell? Are my eyes opened or closed?
Sidebar - I most certainly use restorative yoga to listen to an album. It’s one of my most favourite applications of this modality!
And then, the remaining three limbs… the trifecta of Patañjali’s system.
The inner limbs teach us that..
concentration (DHARANA) can unfold a meditative (DHYANA) and absorptive (SAMADHI) state.
What does that even look like in a restorative practice?
I think it’s different for all of us, but I know I’ve tasted ‘absorption’ when I hear a cue to come back and I realize how far I’ve travelled — out of this room, out of my stories, out of context, out of time and space. One pose could feel timeless and as someone bound by the rules of time, I welcome the break!
And what can we concentrate on that might offer us a well-deserved break from the stories of our lives?
We could concentrate on the tangible sensation of the posture… scanning the journey your spine takes when reclined over a bolster; or feeling the feet and hands on earth.
We could concentrate on how the breath can explore new crevices in the body.
We could concentrate on forging a present moment connection to one of our senses.
***
On the outside, a restorative yoga practice looks like a cool way to use blankets and pillows. (And listening to New Age music is optional but highly recommended.)
Beneath its discrete packaging, we are able to embody and engage all 8 of Patañjali’s limbs through restorative yoga. The practice grows alongside you and at times, some limbs will be more pronounced than others. I adore watching this evolution, this is the adaptive, responsive, brilliance of yoga. I trust (always), that I’ll get what I need.
I offer my restorative yoga training about once per year. To see where I’m teaching next, visit here.