While many yoga styles emphasize building strength or working up a sweat, restorative yoga focuses on gentle healing. These poses release muscle tension, foster deep relaxation, and support mental and physical recovery. Ideal for beginners, simply hold each one for a few minutes to experience profound benefits. Ready to begin?
This pose opens the chest to expand your lungs, gently stretches the abdomen, and strengthens the shoulders and wrists.
How to do it: Start in plank position, then lower to the floor. Tuck your toes under, straighten your arms, and lift your chest. Draw your shoulders down and squeeze your shoulder blades together for optimal alignment.
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This grounding floor pose relaxes the spine—especially the lower back—opens the shoulders, and invites tranquility. Use it anytime for a restorative break. Breathe deeply into your lower back and rib cage, holding as long as feels good.
How to do it: Kneel with knees wide in a V shape and big toes touching. Sit back on your heels, fold your chest toward your thighs, extend arms forward, and rest your head on the mat.
Beyond releasing tension, Dancer Pose enhances balance, improves posture, and builds leg strength. It's also elegantly graceful.
How to do it: Stand with feet together. Draw one knee to your chest, then reach back to grasp your foot with the same-side hand (e.g., left hand to left foot). Extend the opposite arm forward, lift your chest, and balance on your standing leg.
Yoga supports emotional processing, including trauma. This wide forward fold releases stress through a blend of strength and surrender, allowing deep breaths.
How to do it: Stand with feet 3-4 steps apart (wider than hips). Hands on hips, hinge forward from the torso to lower your upper body. Place hands on the floor or clasp behind your back, whichever is more comfortable.
This beginner-friendly backbend mobilizes the spine, opens the hips and chest—an effective precursor to more advanced poses.
How to do it: Lie on your back, knees bent, heels near buttocks. Arms at sides, fingertips toward heels. Press feet down, engage glutes, and lift hips.
Ready to advance? Wheel Pose deeply benefits the spine, hips, and shoulders—though slightly more challenging.
How to do it: Lie on your back, knees bent, heels near buttocks. Place hands beside ears, fingers toward feet, elbows skyward. Press feet down to lift hips and shoulders off the floor, letting your head release gently.
