About

This is a Yoga & Yoga Nidra session and is around 2 hours in duration. This session is held at Marchwood Village Hall, it is also online if you cannot attend in person. What is Restorative yoga? Restorative yoga enables deep relaxation as you hold poses for longer periods of time with the help of props to completely support you. The main focus of Restorative Yoga is that by relaxing in poses, with the aid of props, without strain or pain, we can achieve physical, mental and emotional relaxation. Restorative yoga classes are very relaxing and slow paced. Props, like blocks, bolsters, blankets and straps are used so that you are supported in your pose comfortably. You will then hold the pose for an extended period of time. This practice is great to balance an active yoga schedule or to give yourself a break when you feel under the weather. Our parasympathetic nervous system is stimulated when we relax into poses, which promotes a relaxation response and reduces stress in our bodies. The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for slowing your heart rate and breath and increasing blood flow to your vital organs, among other things. What is Yoga Nidra? Yoga Nidra is a form of guided meditation also known as “yogic sleep” or “effortless relaxation”. It’s usually practiced lying down with a teacher guiding the session. The practice draws our attention inwards, and we learn to surf between the states of wakefulness and sleep, where our body finds its natural state of equilibrium (homeostasis) – the breath balances and becomes quiet, unconscious and conscious aspects of the mind reveal themselves, and we fall into an innate state of deep, blissful awareness. As we rest here, we can turn our attention easily and effortlessly to the very nature of awareness and consciousness. We start to experience the ‘deeper’ features of yogic teachings that previously we perhaps considered intangible, such as feeling our interconnected wholeness and becoming aware of our true, unified nature – expansive, inclusive, and deeply restful. Yoga Nidra takes us effortlessly into a state of harmonious, restful being. From here, we can be healed, restored and awakened to our deepest, all-knowing, all-welcoming self. It’s a sublime practice, gaining popularity the world over, and ongoing research continues to prove its effectiveness.