top of page

Why I Prefer Restorative Yoga to Yin Yoga

Restorative Yoga and Yin Yoga are both slow, sustained practices that can help relax body and mind. Both involve holding poses for extended periods on the floor on comfy props. But they can be very different in practice and impact. I have a strong preference for Restorative, and I'm not the only one. Read on to learn why...



Restorative Yoga and Yin Yoga share many common traits. Both are "yin"-style practices, meaning they're slow, grounding, cooling and inward facing, as opposed to warming, energizing "yang" flow yoga.


In both Restorative and Yin, students hold just a small handful of floor-based poses on props for several minutes. There's time to settle in and cultivate calm and rebalance the nervous system.


But the two styles can differ in significant ways, and as a result, Restorative Yoga is a mainstay in my personal and professional toolbox, while Yin is not.


Here's why I strongly prefer Restorative Yoga over Yin, and recommend it to my community...


Firstly, it's critical to note that everybody and every body differs. The MOST important thing is to listen to your body and see what feels best for you and what has the greatest positive impact. And be sure to notice what doesn't feel good or work for you!


My body is a dancer's body. Has been since I was maybe 6 years old. Flexibility has always come easily to me and my practices and pursuits have emphasized it. Perhaps too much!


As I've gotten older and injuries have surfaced, probably 75% of them have been caused by lack of strength and muscular imbalances. Through tendonitis, back pain, hip issues and more and many hours of physical therapy, I've learned that flexibility is really important, but it has to be balanced by strength.


Flexibility is a key to mobility, while strength leads to stability. And we really do need both.


For my body, Yin is typically too much stretch.


Yin Yoga's emphasis is not only on relaxation; it's also quite often centered around deep stretching. There are poses like seated wide-legged straddle forward fold, butterfly and sustained pigeon woven in. (Note that this can and does differ depending on the teacher, lineage and studio, though!)


The practice aims to help stretch not just muscles, but also connective tissues like ligaments, tendons and fascia, the container that surrounds our muscles.


For some bodies, particularly those with high flexibility, hypermobility, injury or imbalance, stretching for extended periods and getting into connective tissues may overstretch the tissues and can lead to joint instability.


Holding forward folds is also risky for folks with back issues, for instance a big no-no for those with osteoporosis and many with disc issues.


On the other hand, when practiced in its pure form...


Restorative Yoga is gentle on the body and focused solely on relaxation and releasing mental and physical tension.


Restorative Yoga poses are designed to help the physical body relax. Many of them, for example, help release the psoas muscle that connects torso to lower body and serves as our primary fight-or-flight muscle. Calming the psoas can send deep signals back to the brain that it's safe to relax.


Practiced on soft props, Restorative Yoga poses include savasana and variations, gentle bridge, legs up on a bolster or wall, gentle twist, side lying or side lean, and gentle heart openers. Still not every pose is suitable for every body, but there's less risk inherent in Restorative poses than deep stretches.


Restorative Yoga's primary focus on nervous system reset is exactly what my body needs most to help keep stress and anxiety in check.


I've run high-stress ever since childhood. A period of intense physical, mental and emotional burnout during the pandemic sent me on a deep healing journey and led me to explore and discover so many practices.


Restorative Yoga was my greatest discovery and so life-changing for me. It helped me better understand how much impact we can have on our stress levels by making the physical body more comfortable and relaxed.


Did you know, for example, that 80% of the fibers of the vagus nerve, our primary parasympathetic nervous system (or relaxation-response) nerve, run UP to the brain from the gut, rather than top-down? So the more we can soothe and relax the body, the more it, in turn, helps soothes the mind and begins a positive, calming feedback loop.


Restorative Yoga works to calm the body through physical positioning, and, frequently, through vocal guidance at the beginning of class and start of poses.


This guidance is aimed at helping students practice:


  • Just being right here, in your body in this moment.

  • Letting go of needing to "do" anything...and practicing doing less!

  • Finding places in your body where you feel tension or efforting...and releasing what you can.

  • Feeling the steady ground beneath you and letting yourself be held.

I often describe Restorative Yoga as "meditation from the body up." It's meditation with our body and breath as the anchors we keep drawing our attention back to.


For me, it's brought deep calm and rebalancing, and is a key go-to for me in periods of heightened stress and anxiety.


So if you're looking for a restorative practice to cultivate calm, you might ask yourself what your unique mind and body need most, and start exploring class options in your area and/or online practices that align.


Maybe deep stretching is what you need. And maybe, as with me and my body, it's not.


I encourage you to keep listening within and exploring practices and classes. In addition to every body differing, so do every class, teacher, studio and area. Some classes veer into other territory than the title suggests, for better, or not. So be open, and really get to know yourself and what works and doesn't for you.



 

READY TO PRACTICE RESTORATIVE YOGA?

If you're in the DC area and would like to explore Restorative Yoga in-person, I teach weekly and monthly classes and lead workshops and retreats across the area.



I also lead virtual and in-person 1-on-1, small-group and corporate wellness sessions in Restorative Yoga (and much more!).



Looking for online, on-demand practices and further resources? Check out the end of my "What Is Restorative Yoga?" blog post for recommended home practices, books to read and folks to follow!


コメント

5つ星のうち0と評価されています。
まだ評価がありません

評価を追加

Based in the greater Washington, DC area in Northern Virginia, I offer meditation, mindfulness, restorative yoga, dance, Reiki and other stress-reduction and self-care programs locally, regionally and virtually. In addition to group classes, I also offer private 1:1, small-group and corporate wellness sessions.

  • Instagram
  • Facebook

Contact

Thanks for reaching out!

© 2025 by Jenny Mayo Mind & Movement.
Powered and secured by Wix

bottom of page