7 Tips for Teaching Restorative Yoga by Kelly McGonigal, PhD

Students come to a restorative class to let go of the stresses of everyday life. The guiding principle of restorative yoga is that support creates release. Every pose is a variation on that theme, and the aim of each pose is the same: relaxation. The most obvious feature of a restorative practice is the array of props: blankets, bolsters and blocks support the body to release muscular tension. Equally important, though less obvious, is the teacher's skill in creating an atmosphere that encourages students to let go of mental stress. Keep the following seven factors in mind when designing and leading a restorative yoga class. 1. Center Yourself Before Class Teaching restorative yoga requires a different mindset than teaching other styles of yoga. The restorative yoga teacher sheds the role of instructor and authority, instead adopting the role of guide and caregiver. 2. Provide Physical Support When the body is fully supported in a pose, students can relax into the shape of the pose without exerting any physical effort to stay there. Bolsters, blankets and blocks can be arranged in many shapes and heights to support from below. The primary anchoring props are straps and sandbags. 3. Keep It Neutral In other styles of yoga, students are encouraged to find the edge of their flexibility in a stretch. In restorative yoga, the aim is muscular release, which happens before one becomes aware of the sensation of stretch. For this reason, you need to help students support the body in a shape that is comfortable and sensation-neutral—not in a deep stretch. 4. Give Personal Attention For restorative yoga, you need to adapt your usual correcting and adjustment skills to provide a different kind of personalized attention. Instead of instructing students on how to improve their form, focus on helping them figure out how to adapt a pose to their own needs. If you have trained your eye to look for what is "wrong" in a student's pose, retrain your eye to look for signs of effort or discomfort, such as a student fidgeting or adjusting props. 5. Leave Empty Space In a restorative yoga class, poses are typically held for several minutes, and it is quite natural to have long stretches of silence as students relax into a supported pose. If your students seem uncomfortable with long periods of silence, there are many options for "filling the space" that honor the intention of a restorative practice. The most simple option is to guide students through breath awareness, inviting them to notice each inhalation and each exhalation. 6. Create Mindful Transitions Give your class an early cue when the end of a pose is near. Provide students specific verbal instructions on how to mindfully move props and find their way out of poses. Allow practitioners to come out of each pose at their own pace, and offer a simple recovery pose, such as child's pose or a reclining pose, for them to move into next. 7. Sequence Poses for Relaxation Most restorative poses are gentle enough to stand alone or be practiced comfortably in almost any order. Sequencing a restorative class should focus instead on maintaining a relaxing atmosphere. A common complaint from students is that the setup for some poses is so elaborate that it interrupts the flow of the practice. As you build a sequence, include some poses, like supported child's pose, that require minimal setup. For an example of a short restorative yoga sequence, see the full article, "Teaching Restorative Yoga" by Kelly McGonigal, PhD, in the May issue of IDEA Fitness Journal or online in the IDEA Article Archive.