Yoga

Restorative Poses--Softer Yoga

N K Srinivasan Iyengar

Yoga Practice comes in several flavors. We have sedate, accurate alignment-based 'Iyengar Yoga' (after B K S Iyengar ) and then swift 'Ashtanga' Yoga ,with the flow of one asana or pose merging with the next in a sequence (after Pattabhi Jois). Then we have power yoga ,'Anusara yoga' and others in between.

Restorative Poses fall into another category;they are performed slowly and you maintain the poses for a sufficiently long time--typically from 5 mins to 30 minutes in each session. You may be familiar with one resting,relaxation pose--Savasana or Corpse pose performed at the the end of each session. In this article, we will examine several other restorative poses which confer specific benefits. They

all can be performed if you are recovering from some illness and if you are stressed out due to heavy work or family situations or traumatic events.

Benefits in general Restorative poses are relaxing, reduce stresses from different parts of the body, tone up internal organs and strengthen the organs towards healing and curing chronic ailments. They act gently on your glands. Thus these poses form part of yoga therapy along with other poses.[For therapeutic effects, consult the reference books cited below.]

These poses are most suited for senior citizens and elders who are less mobile and may have restricted lung capacity and need to regulate the function of the heart. They are part of "healing arts"--they slowly heal the internal organs of various diseases and promote health. Restorative poses are being practised by many athletes and sports persons. As we shall discuss shortly, some of these poses are

intended to help women during the menstrual cycle and during pregnancies.They should,however, be performed under the supervision of a trained, experienced yoga teacher.

Easy versions Almost all these poses can be done in supported form ,called 'salamba' asanas. Some are easily done half way--called 'ardha' asanas. For supported versions ,you will be using props---blankets, bolsters,bricks and chair or just a wall. Many of the poses can be done very easily using chairs, until such time you get strength and gain confidence.

Main Restorative Poses

The poses can be classified as reclining [supine] poses, sitting poses , inverted poses and twist poses. Reclining Poses They are reclining versions of sitting poses, with the

word "supta" added to their names. 1 Supta Virasana {reclining hero pose] 2 Supta Baddha konasana [reclining bound angle pose] 3 Supta Padmasana [reclining Lotus pose]

4 Supta Padaangustana asana [reclning foot-big toe pose] Of these the first two, Supta Virasana and Supta badda Konasana are very effective poses. These poses stretch your abdomen and chest and after a while ,enable you to breathe freely. I knew that one of my aunts was doing supta virasana to cure her asthmatic problems. These poses would improve your digestion and relieve gases from the abdomen. They strengthen your spine and legs, like many of the standing poses. [Note that standing poses are more strenuous and are difficult for senior citizens to perform when compared to these reclining poses.] You may perform these for 5 to 30 minutes.But in the beginning, practice only for 2 to 3 minutes for about a

week. One of the 'Iyengar Yoga" books state that "during menstruation or in pregnancy, only Supta Baddha Konasana and Supta Virasana and lying on bolsters may be practised."

Balasana Child pose

Forward bending poses 5 A great forward bending pose is the Child Pose or balasana. This is also called "Supta Vajrasana." {Some call it 'rabbit pose'.] Balasana is easy to perform.Initially keep some blankets or pillows below your chest when you bend over. Stay in this pose for 1 to 5 minutes.

You can do this pose in between other poses to relax.It is ideal for getting rid of back pains . [This pose is used in prostration before deities in temples by Indian women.] One of the variations of this pose is to stretch the two hands to the front.

Inversion Poses The most important restorative poses of inverted type are: 6 Adho-mukha Svanasana ---Downward Facing Dog Pose 7 Viparita Karani-- Inverted Action.

The Downward Dog pose is a staple of any beginner yoga session; it is so well known that you may be familiar with this pose already;if not, you must learn this in the first yoga class.[This is also a part of sun-salutation sequence.] Practice Downward Dog daily, at least for 1 to 2 minutes.You can repeat this pose several times a day.

I know of some yogis in India who perform this ,along with Upward-facing Dog and Child pose [Balasana], five times a day. You may do this for 5 minutes as part of yoga therapy. You must have strong ,healthy wrists to do this pose for long durations. Do not hurt your arms or neck or wrists while doing this pose.Increase the duration very slowly over several weeks.[ Initially you can practise "downward Dog" pose using a chair] Viparita Karani is a great rejunevator. It is ideal for those suffering from swollen feet and ankles ( with fluid accumulation) and varicose veins. It rests the heart ,lowers blood pressure and pulse rate. It is a great help for tired legs . It helps to relax and to remove stresses. It can enhance your sexual energy .It improves digestion and helps to relieve gases. It works gently on thyroid glands. This simple "leg-on-wall' pose can be modified to suit your needs and condition. Place several blankets below your butts or use a low stool to lift up ,near a wall.

Stay for 5 minutes and gradually increase to 30 minutes.[ Some yogis perform for several hours.But that is not recommended for lay persons.] I have written a separate article on "Viparita karani" in www.scribd.com. Legs-on- the chair poses: Though this is not listed as a separate pose, it can be treated as a simpler modification of Viparita Karani.Lie flat on the floor and keep your legs on the seat of a chair, bending your knees. Stay for 10 to 15 minutes. I suggest this pose for all chair bound persons to do after they return home from office. This would also help those with swollen legs. If you are going to do only one pose every day to keep yourself healthy and young, let this be Viparita Karani. 8 Supta -sethubanda Asana This is another restorative pose---reclining Bridge pose. This pose could be strenuous for some since it involves considerable 'back-bending' and chest opening. But it is rather easy to perform if you keep a stack of

blankets below your rib cage and also suitably adjust the height of the support. You can have a thin pillow below your head.You can also rest your feet or toes against a wall to aid stability...Try this for a few minutes to begin with. Roll to the side when you exit from this pose. Those with breathing difficulties or wheezing can practise this resotrative pose. I would consider this as an alternative to hard poses such as fish pose [Matsyasana] and wheel pose.

9 Savasana --the last pose

Savasana or Corpse pose is easy to perform from physical angle. Just lie flat on a mat, keep the arms at 45 degrees to the body,palms turned upwards. You may keep some supports, below the knee or below the upper body and a small blanket below the head.You may also use an eye cover. The room must be calm; avoid disturbance from telephone or door bell.Switch off all music. Breathe

slowly and normally.Check the alignment of the body in a straight position. { If lying flat is difficult, you can bend your knees and keep the thighs vertical or keep the legs on a small stool.} You can keep the feet separated by one foot. This pose is at once easy and difficult. The yoga master B K S Iyengar states that this is a difficult pose! Why--because you have to relax not only your joints and muscles ,but also your mind. Keep your mind calm and serene and watch your thoughts flow by, like water in a river. Do not react to thoughts and emotions. In "Iyengar Yoga" practice, you must relax the skin too, to get the full benefit of Savasana. You have to relax in this pose for a minimum of ten minutes...later you can increase the duration to 20 or 30 minutes. For those not averse to religious practices, I would suggest chanting some mantra or holy name for the first few minutes to calm the mind. You may also visualise

some pleasant scenery or watch your breath in the first few minutes. Benefits: Savasana relaxes the body,calms the mind and tones the nervous system. In measurable terms, it would lower the blood pressure and pulse or heart rate.It is always used to end a yoga session. It would reduce your restlessness and anxiety in daily activities. It prepares you well for any meditation practice.It is considered by yoga masters and swamis as a simple means to reduce aging process and achieve longevity.

Restorative poses and weight loss

Weight loss programs with yoga need not be through sweating or burning calories from fat as in other exercise systems. In yoga, weight reduction seems to follow another ,involved mechanism. Yoga reduces stress ,especially the restorative poses like Viparita Karani or Savasana. Then when stress gets reduced , our body's metabolic system would produce less amount of certain hormones which help to store fat and

create a fat belly. To reduce abdominal fat, reduce the stress. If the belly fat is reduced, this in turn creates a situation for less of metabolic syndrome disorders like insulin resistance, high cholesterol or triglycerides and excess weight. There are several articles in reputed journals outlining such a mechanism. Probably one should try out controlled experiments and correlate belly fat, stress and over all weight reduction achievable by yoga.

Contraindications: You must learn the contra-indications for these poses to avoid injury or illness.See the website of "Yoga Journal" or "My Yoga Online" for this information for each asana. Disclaimer: The present author is not responsible for any illness or injury due to the practice of these asanas.A thorough medical check up may be required before you start any yoga practice. Consult your doctor and your yoga teacher before starting the yoga

practice.

Monitoring your progress There are several simple means to track your progress: 1 Measure your blood pressure and pulse rate after each session. 2 Once a month ,take the blood test for serum cholestrol and sugar; 3 You may also measure oxygen in the blood with finger oxymeter ,before and after each session.. Keep a record of these measures. Summary To sum up, I have mentioned nine restorative poses . I would suggest that you do at least a few of them for a total duration of about 15 to 30 minutes every day --to reduce stresses,to remain healthy and young. You may do some of these poses for specific therapeutic effects. A great restorative pose for almost everyone is 'viparita karani" or "legs-on-wall" pose. Savasana is ,

of course, a must for every yoga session. Contact: nksrinivasan@hotmail.com

References: 1 Yoga -the Iyengar Way --Silva Mehta ... j knopf Publishers [A Classic Yoga text book/manual by early students of B K S Iyengar.] 2 New Yoga for healthy aging --Suza Francina--Health Communications-- { A book for all senior citizens] 3 Relax and Renew --Judith Lasater --Rodmell Press [An excellent introduction to restorative poses.] 4 Yoga for all of us--- Peggy Cappy [Easy introductory book] -------------------------------------------------------