Welcome to the first blog post of meteorological Autumn! Last week I was enjoying the late summers warmth whilst sat in garden drinking tea and talking with a very wonderful woman I consider myself blessed to call a friend. She had just finished reading a book that she had found really useful, in this book the author spoke about there being 3 kinds of rest and relaxation:
Physical – often the easiest; flumping down on the sofa at the end of the day.
Mental – giving yourself a break from the mental load we carry, which often, oddly, leads to lots of mental clarity when you take that break
Emotional – allowing yourself a break from managing the emotional demands and workload of ourselves and of those we support.
And I realised something- Restorative Yoga offers exactly this kind of rest!
Mental and emotional rest is much less visible than the physical rest – not only that but it is much less spoken about and much less readily accessible. I for one am an expert in sitting down to rest and within 5 minutes having a notepad out whilst I write to do lists, or suddenly getting out the laptop to do something urgent I just thought of, or just mentally juggling all the things I need to do the following day. The emotional rest, well, this is the next level deeper than mental rest in terms of visibility. You can appear to be resting physically, maybe even you have put aside the to do lists so it looks like mental rest is happening, but that does not mean there isn’t still a significant emotional workload going on!
What has this got to do with Restorative Yoga you may be wondering? Well, restorative yoga isn’t just physical rest, in fact you are holding a yoga pose for up to 10 minutes and your body is getting all of the benefit of whichever pose it might be in. However, you are doing this in a fully supported way, there should be no strain on the body as it is fully supported by bolsters, blocks and blankets. So it is a different form of physical rest to simply lying down or sitting on the sofa, the body is resting, it is still, but it is held in a position that brings with it huge benefit for the body, whilst having to expend no physical effort on maintaining that position.
This physical stillness away from your everyday life offers an opportunity to be granted full permission to just stop mentally too. There is nothing to do whilst you are on the yoga mat except simply be on the yoga mat; there are no phones, there are no demands from others, all the different hats which we wear in our daily lives can be taken off - all those labels mean nothing for these moments in time. Beautifully simple breathwork might be incorporated into the poses to help still a busy mind. In the time you have to settle into physical stillness the mind will have the chance to slowly settle to a quieter slower place too.
Emotionally, this physical and mental stillness allows time and space for the acceptance of the ebb and flow of our emotion. Emotions are in a state of constant movement, constant change, nothing is permanent, even though sometimes emotion can often feel permanent, overwhelming and all encompassing, it will always shift and change. As you gently shift into a soothing restful space it allows to process emotion and quieten, accept or process your emotional response. Thoughtfully selected readings and short poems will be offered occasionally in the practice to nourish and inspire us here.
You may rest in any one of these ways regularly, but how often do you truly rest in all three ways? Let alone for 90 minutes at a time? It is this trinity of rest in the body/mind/soul that really meaningfully nourishes and nurtures us at a deeply necessary human level. It is this perfect combination of all three types of rest for an extended period which makes the practice of Restorative Yoga so profoundly beneficial in reaching for deep rest.
This is precisely why Restorative classes are only run in Autumn and Winter at Emma’s Yoga Hut, these are the times when we most need meaningful rest in order to best support us through the period where the nights, and our energies, draw in. Incidentally, two other things offered at Emma's Yoga Hut offer this same trinity of deep rest - yoga nidra (a specialist extended guided meditation which works through all the different layers of our consciousness: body, breath, energy and mind) and Sound Baths.
Emma’s Yoga Hut is lit by fairy lights and scented with essential oils blended for relaxation. Decorated with seasonal flowers, usually from the garden, everything you need is provided in the hut - yoga mat, bolsters, blocks, weighted yoga sandbags, lavender eye pillows and soft pink blankets to rest under, plus, there is space for only 3 people in our restorative class - so you get all the attention you need to ensure you get a restorative practice tailored to your needs.
If this beautiful deep and full rest is calling you then our next Restorative dates are Sunday 22nd September (the autumn equinox) and Sunday 20th October. Both at 5pm – 630pm. Go to Classes and Events if you want to reserve your space for restoration, nourishment and fulfilling rest.
With love,
Emma xx
(Emma runs Emma’s Yoga Hut in Earley. A tiny garden studio for small group yoga tuition. She is a yoga student and yoga teacher and has practiced yoga for nearly 30 years. She trained with the Traditional Yoga Association right here in Reading between 2016 and 2018 to achieve her 500 hour yoga teaching accreditation. She has additional teaching qualifications in Yin Yoga and Yoga Nidra. She is an accredited Sound Bath Facilitator and specialises in crystal singing bowls. She teaches Chair Yoga classes at local community centres where there is almost always a coffee and a chat after class. She is passionate about getting the beautiful benefits of yoga out to as many people as possible, Emma tries her best to practice yoga every day, and especially in autumn and winter this is very often a very slow and luxurious restorative or yin practice!)
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