When one is exhausted, one may want to simply collapse in front of the TV and vegetate; or simply roll into bed and do nothing. Does it sound paradoxical that when you’re feeling really exhausted, some type of activity will help you feel better? But this is in fact true: certain types of yoga poses; also known as restorative yoga, will help reduce exhaustion and help a person feel both relaxed and rejuvenated.
What is Restorative Yoga?
This form of yoga is thought to have been derived from the B K S Iyengar school of yoga and popularized by Judith Lasater. It is a form of yoga that aims to relax the body and reduce the mental stress that most of us experience as an almost inevitable part of the daily grind. This form of yoga can also help in dealing with traumatic events such as losing a loved one, financial problems, or life changing events such as moving to a new city and so on.
Restorative yoga can put you in a better frame of mind and could also help you sleep better. Some experts believe that this form of yoga can stimulate the body’s parasympathetic nervous system (which controls metabolic processes, digestion, relaxation etc) to offer short term benefits. It may also shore up the body’s immune system and thereby offer long term benefits. The practice of restorative yoga also gives you time for some introspection to help you analyze why things seemed to go wrong on a particular day. It helps to create self awareness and determine the right course of action ahead. It is a spiritual practice that will help a person feel the divine connection.
Restorative Yoga Poses
On the day that you get home from work bone tired from a long working day and feeling mentally drained because of setbacks or disagreements that you may have encountered at work, try these poses:
Balasan (Child’s Pose) – With the legs tucked under the buttocks, stretch your torso out along the top of the thighs with the eyes closed and the face downward. Stretch the arms out and up, parallel to the ground to get a nice stretch along the legs, arms and shoulders while feeling the abdominal stimulation.
Legs up the wall (Viparitkarni) or legs on the chair pose – Lie with your back flat on the ground close to a wall. Raise the legs straight up to rest against the wall and feel the relief that comes from taking the weight off your legs. As the blood circulation to the brain and vital organs improves you will feel the stress and tiredness reducing. You can also perform a similar aasan using a chair to prop up the legs. While the thighs remain parallel to the legs of the chair, the calves rest on the seat of the chair. This pose has similar stress relieving properties and also helps fluids drain from the feet and ankle regions while relaxing the knees.
Baddha Konasan or Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining bound angle pose) – For Baddha Konasan, you sit up straight with the legs folded out on the floor, like in the butterfly pose, and the feet touching each other. For the supta baddha konasan, you lie on your back with the arms stretched out loosely on either side of the torso. The legs are spread out and the knees are bent at an angle so that the feet are facing each other and joined together. Both poses stretch the core of the body and open out the pelvic muscles to help one feel more relaxed.
Supta Padangusthasana or the reclining hand to big toe pose – Lying down flat, one leg is raised in the air at right angles to the body. Then, try to get hold of your toes with your hands or use a towel or length of cloth to do the same; to pull the toes down. Feel a lovely stretch along the feet, ankle, calves and hips.
Shavasan or corpse pose – This position requires you to lie on your back with your limbs loose and go through a conscious systematic relaxation of every muscle in the body while breathing deeply, evenly and consciously. It is a conscious relaxation technique that anyone can perform.
Try these aasans on days when you’re really tired and then make them a part of each day to reduce stress and live a more relaxed life.