It’s gray and rainy in Paris, ergo: it’s Restorative Yoga season

Shorter days means longer savasanas and no one’s mad about that

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Restorative Yoga junkies will tell you that any time is the right time for Restorative Yoga. And they’re not wrong. In these FOMO-a-go-go, side hustle mad times, our bodies and nervous systems need regular time outs.

That said, there is something primordially soul-satisfying about doing Restorative Yoga in the autumn and winter when the light is telling you to stay in pyjamas and the outside temperature is telling you to stay in pyjamas. Restorative Yoga is basically the pyjamas of yoga! It places zero demands on you apart from staying warm, getting comfortable and letting it all hang out. The point of Restorative Yoga is to put the body at ease in a setting that is conducive to complete relaxation.

Of all the poses in the Restorative Yoga cannon, Savasana is the queen and the quickest entry point into the practice. And a Restorative savasana is a bit different from a regular old savasana in that five elements need to be present in order to transform savasana with a little ‘s’ into Savasana Queen of Poselandia 👸with a capital “S” (pageantry optional):

1. Stillness

2. Darkness

3. Quiet

4. Warmth

5. Time

“Long-term (Restorative Yoga) practice can also become a buffer to chronic stress,” says Aditi Nerurkar, MD, an integrative medicine physician who teaches at Harvard Medical School.

Ok, let’s do it

Set yourself up any way that’s comfortable on the floor and set a timer for 20 minutes. 20 whole minutes! According to Judith Hanson Lasater, “it takes at least 15 minutes to relax deeply.” This 15 minute mark is essential as it’s at that threshold that your identification with your body recedes, your senses retreat and your mind moves into witness mode. Delicious!

Need a bit more guidance? Check out this FREE no-props-necessary Restorative Yoga session from Restorative Yoga pioneer Judith Hanson Lasater and her daughter Lizzie.

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Fortunately in Paris, there are several ways to indulge in regular Restorative Yoga sessions (see below) so you never have to go without 💗

© Laëtitia Lécuyer