Restorative Yoga for Beginners: Gentle Poses for Relaxation and Healing

Description

Relax, relieve, restore—a beginner’s path to healing with restorative yoga Recovering from an injury, an illness, or just interested in a natural way to relax? Restorative yoga focuses on simple poses in supported positions, encouraging deep relaxation so your mind can enter a peaceful, meditative state. Dive in with an introduction to the spiritual origins and rejuvenating benefits of restorative yoga. Find the right position to reduce lower back pain, relieve stress, breathe easier, improve your energy, and even prepare your body for childbirth—all with illustrated instructions to get you into and out of each pose safely and comfortably. Restorative Yoga for Beginners includes: Take it easy—Make restorative yoga a lasting practice with simple suggestions on what to wear and what props you’ll need. Strike a pose—Ease into 36 essential restorative yoga poses, including labels with the therapeutic benefits of each—and extend your practice for deeper healing with 20 sequences. Breath of fresh air—Refresh your vital energy (prana) with breathing exercises and meditations designed to improve your digestion, heart rate, and more. Restorative Yoga for Beginners offers the guidance to begin your yoga practice and bring harmony to your quality of life—one gentle stretch at a time. Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Contents Introduction How to Use This Book Part I: All About Restorative Yoga Chapter 1: Restorative Yoga Basics Chapter 2: What to Know Before You Begin Part II: Poses and Sequences Chapter 3: Poses: The Basics Basic Relaxation Pose Simple Supported Side Bend Grounding Spinal Twist Spine Lengthening Pose Heart Pose Supported Forward Fold Supported Child’s Pose Reclining Butterfly Elevated Legs Up the Wall Chapter 4: Poses: Stress Relief Mountain Brook Supported Open Twist Heart Pose with Butterfly Legs Extended Supported Bridge Supported Straddle Forward Fold Reclining Pigeon Reclining Butterfly with Feet on the Bolster Restorative Frog Legs Up the Wall Chapter 5: Poses: Pain Relief Supported Heart Pose with Legs Over a Bolster Gentle Open Twist Restorative Tree Seated Half Butterfly Seated Butterfly Head to Bolster Pose Supported Pigeon Supported Half Frog Legs Up the Bolster Chapter 6: Other Poses for Healing Pregnant Goddess Pose Side Lying Pose Supported Bridge Reclining Hero Pose Heart Pose with a Chair Chair Forward Fold Single Leg Up the Chair Legs Up the Chair Seated Meditation Pose Chapter 7: Sequences From Effort to Ease A Minimalist’s Dream Flow Like a River A Grateful Heart Inward Bound Nourish the Roots Back to Bliss Sciatica S.O.S. Dissolve and Evolve Air Becomes Breath Unwind and Recharge Steady as You Go Let Your Soul Shine Brand New Day Fly Me to the Moon Smooth Cycle Family Style Office Space Mindful Mama Build Your Own Sequence Chapter 8: Breathing and Meditations Balanced Breath Spinal Breath Incremental Breath Sun Breath Moon Breath Body Scan Gratitude Meditation River Meditation Ocean Meditation Loving-Kindness Meditation Resources References Acknowledgments About the Author