A yoga practitioner doing Balasana or Child’s pose.
Whether you’re an avid yogi, an athlete or someone who moves their body a lot on a daily basis, embracing restorative yoga can do wonders for your physical and mental health.
“Restorative yoga (aka Yin yoga) is a type of yoga practice that includes holding each posture for a considerable period to facilitate the space for your body and mind to come back to balance and to help you feel more like you again,” explains Lindsay Monal, a Yin yoga instructor and meditation director at YogaRenew.
Besides promoting relaxation, this gentle form of yoga may help relieve muscle tension, reduce soreness and pain, increase blood flow and improve your sleep quality—all of which facilitate a speedy recovery.
Below, Monal shares five restorative yoga poses that anyone can do to maximize their muscle recovery:
#1 Child’s Pose
This pose calms down the nervous system of the body and helps in releasing tension in your neck, shoulders and back—therefore effective in getting rid of anxiety.
How to do it:
- Begin on your hands and knees.
- Sink your hips back towards your heels as you reach your arms forward.
- Relax your belly onto your thighs and rest your head on the mat.
- Take several long deep breaths here and stay here for up to 3 minutes if comfortable.
Pro Tip: Allow yourself to let go and release tension in your body. As you sink towards the mat and rest here, breathe here for several minutes. With every exhale, feel any stress leaving your body. With every inhale, feel yourself filling up with peace.
#2 Supine Twist
Relax your body and mind with this deep twist and hip opener. As you release into the Supine Twist pose, close your eyes and stay here for up to a minute on each side. Allow your mind to be quiet and revel in this moment of peace you have created for yourself.
How to do it:
- Begin by lying down on your back and draw your knees into your chest.
- Allow your knees to softly fall over to your left side and extend your arms out to a ‘T’.
- Optional: Turn your head to gaze in the opposite direction of your knees.
- Hold for several breaths and switch sides.
#3 Extended Hand to Big Toe Pose
If you have tighter hamstrings, you can keep a gentle bend in the extended leg’s knee as you build flexibility. If it still doesn’t feel comfortable, bend your grounded leg’s knee so that your foot can plant firmly into the ground for more stability and support.
How to do it:
- Begin by lying down on your back with both legs extended.
- Hug your right knee in, interlacing your hands behind your thigh.
- Extend your foot up toward the ceiling, while keeping your shoulders supported on the ground.
- Hold for several breaths and switch sides.
#4 Reclined Pigeon Pose
Like its Full Pigeon pose counterpart, this posture gives you all the hip opening and lower back stretching benefits without as much pressure on the joints.
How to do it:
- Begin by lying down on your back your knees bent.
- Cross one ankle over the opposite thigh, as you open the hip out gently toward the side.
- If you want more sensation, pick up the grounded foot and hug the knees toward your chest.
- Hold for several breaths and switch sides.
#5 Butterfly Pose
This is a great posture to help de-stress and combat muscle stiffness and soreness after a long day, making it a great option to add to your active workout recovery days.
How to do it:
- Begin in a comfortable seat and bring the soles of your feet together, knees out wide.
- Sit up tall, and on an exhale, hinge forward at the hips.
- Keep the spine long as you continue breathing here and settling in.
- Close your eyes, and breathe into the areas where you feel the sensation, hold for several breaths and release gently when you’re ready.
