We all live in a hustle and bustle world and even if we never leave the house, that hustle/bustle brain just keeps spinning tales of memories, regrets, to do lists, worries, plans...ARRRGGGHHHH! Make it stop!
Restorative poses are designed to "make it stop". The goal of yoga, after all, is to calm the fluctuations of the mind. We get our bodies in good working order through asana practice so that they are not obstacles to meditation. Also, BONUS!, while in the midst of asana practice we put our attention on acquiring the pose, which already slows down the constant whirl of the thinking mind.
We get a mini restorative practice at the end of every class, as we settle into Savasana. We might put a blanket under our heads, an eye pillow over our eyes, prop our legs over a bolster, cover up with another blanket...and get as comfortable as possible for 10 minutes. It's not perfect, but it's pretty great, right?
Well, there are actually practices of only restorative poses! Usually only 4-5 poses in a whole class, because moving from one to the next requires gathering up enough props to start your own studio, then erecting quite the Barcalounger effect. The rule is "no hanging limbs", meaning every square inch of you should be supported in the greatest degree of comfort possible. This is accomplished differently for everyone, but as a teacher we are to assess how a person's body is lying there and then scurry about finding the appropriate bolster, blanket, block, sandbag, eye pillow -- often multiples of each -- to ensure our practitioner has achieved maximum comfort. Even if they say they feel fine, we are to continue to offer accommodations until the moment of pure Nirvana is reached.
Some of my sister yoginis in teacher training excel in this -- both as a teacher and as a practitioner. I watched in awe as they created nests of absolute beauty, building a veritable Comfort Fort around their charge. It was an image to behold (sorry I didn't take photos!). And many seemed to sink into this experience with complete ease and appreciation.
As luck would have it, my final partner and I sort of sucked at this exercise. We understood the theory behind it and we could support each hanging limb with the best of them. We just didn't groove on the whole thing. We both sort of chuckled and felt glad we'd partnered up because our motto became "good enough" when either being the teacher or the student in our pair. We both agreed that a mountain of props feels "clutter-y" to us as a teacher and a bit claustrophobic as a practitioner. We never totally achieved bliss. We were glad not to be the frustrating partner of a classmate who was totally into it.
As is true of every aspect of yoga, we do what is right for us, finding our edge and settling into the pose that fits for our bodies. This is one I'm still destined to find.
I hope my certification isn't in jeopardy from this admission. Test me on it! I can do it well enough I think and my student will find a peaceful repose and come away refreshed and restored.
As for me, I'll have a lot of props to put away as I dismantle the fort.
Namaste, donnajurene
Photo Credit: Image via life.dailyburn.com
Never new you wrote a yoga blog. This is great, I love my yoga practice.
ReplyDeleteI have written this blog for several years. Lots of post for you to catch up on! Thanks for reading.
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