Restorative Yoga – What Is It? And What Are the Benefits of This Practice?

In a world that glorifies being busy, restorative yoga offers something beautifully radical: permission to slow down.

Unlike more active styles of yoga, restorative yoga is a deeply restful, floor-based practice that uses props like bolsters, blankets, and blocks to support the body in gentle poses held for longer periods—sometimes up to 10 minutes or more. The goal? To invite complete and conscious rest.

This is yoga for your nervous system. Yoga for the part of you that’s exhausted from always doing, fixing, rushing, and holding it all together.

What Is Restorative Yoga?

Restorative yoga is often described as the art of non-doing. It’s not about stretching, strengthening, or breaking a sweat. Instead, it’s about softening, releasing, and creating space—physically, emotionally, and mentally.

In each pose, you’re fully supported so your muscles can relax completely. You may only do four or five poses in an hour-long session, giving you time to settle deeply and access a state of deep rest.

This practice gently guides the nervous system out of “fight or flight” and into the parasympathetic “rest and digest” mode, where healing, repair, and regeneration happen.

The Science of Deep Rest

Although there’s more scientific research specifically tied to Yoga Nidra (a close cousin of restorative yoga), the principles and benefits are often shared. One study published in the International Journal of Yoga found that deep relaxation practices like Yoga Nidra and restorative yoga significantly reduce stress, anxiety, and even symptoms of depression.

A 2020 study published in Health Psychology Open found that restorative yoga helped reduce burnout and fatigue among healthcare workers, suggesting it has powerful implications for emotional resilience and nervous system recovery.

In short: rest works. It’s not lazy. It’s medicine.

Benefits of Restorative Yoga

Here are just some of the reasons why people fall in love with restorative yoga:

• Reduces stress and anxiety

  
  

  By calming the nervous system, restorative yoga helps shift you out of chronic stress and into a more relaxed, balanced state

  
  

• Improves sleep and rest quality

  
  

  Many people report sleeping more deeply and peacefully after a restorative practice.

• Supports emotional healing

  
  

  Creating stillness allows suppressed emotions to surface, soften, and move through.

  
  

• Soothes the nervous system

  
  

  Consistent practice can help regulate your response to stress and support long-term resilience.

  
  

• Gentle and accessible

  
  

  It’s a practice for every body. Whether you’re recovering from illness, navigating burnout, or simply seeking quiet, restorative yoga meets you where you are.

Want to Experience the Benefits for Yourself?

At Wild Wood Movement, I offer restorative yoga workshops periodically and Yoga Nidra practices as part of my on-demand library—so you can rest, restore, and reconnect from the comfort of your home, anytime you need it.

Whether you’re winding down after a busy day, supporting your mental health, or simply craving some stillness, these practices are here to hold you.

Explore the on-demand sessions, workshops and let your rest be sacred.

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day… is by no means a waste of time.” – John Lubbock

And in the wild wood of your nervous system, this is how you begin to come home.

Namaste 🙏