Restorative yoga poses help cultivate the quality of presence and the ability to inhabit yourself in the present moment fully. They will help you connect with your body and mind, both in a conscious way and on an intuitive level. These poses are perfect for those who suffer from anxiety, stress-related ailments, or need some magic to feel more peaceful throughout their day. Plus, they're easy enough for even beginners to practice!


This article will teach you 11 of these poses that are simple enough for anyone (including beginners) to try at home. Let us go through the definition of restorative yoga and the signs and benefits of these poses.

What is Restorative Yoga?

Restorative yoga is a meditative practice that you can efficiently perform at home. It helps you regulate your nervous system and alleviate physical tension. By doing this, you can feel more relaxed each day and improve your physical and mental well-being.

Signs That You Need Restorative Yoga

Various signs indicate that you need restorative yoga poses in your life. You might find yourself experiencing the following: 

• Anxiety and stress
  
  Stress is often associated with anxiety, but you can alleviate it by applying yoga to treat both. Restorative yoga is perfect for anyone who suffers from chronic stress or is simply looking to enjoy a calm mental state.
• Back pain
  
  Experiencing back pain may be a significant symptom of an existing medical condition, or it could just be a sign that you need restorative yoga practice in your life. It can provide you with the healing effects of yoga and help you manage your pain over time.
  
• Sciatica and nerve damage
  
  Back pain isn't the only thing that can develop from being in an unhealthy state for an extended time. Nerve damage is also a sign that you're not taking care of your body the way you should. These poses will help improve circulation and heal nerve damage so you can feel fully rejuvenated.
• Insomnia
  
  Restorative yoga is beneficial for those who have insomnia and restless sleep. Practicing these poses allows you to finally disconnect from your thoughts, relax your muscles, and fall asleep quickly and peacefully.

These are a few signs that you need restorative yoga in your life. It's not hard to see the benefits of this type of pose.

What are the benefits of Restorative Yoga?

Restorative yoga is excellent for your body, mind, and spirit. It helps you to relieve physical tension and mental stress while allowing you to improve the quality of your life. This type of practice isn't just a quick fix; instead, it's something that will continue to benefit you over time. Let us look at these benefits:

• Helps relieve pain
  
  As you may already know, yoga is an excellent source of pain relief. Restorative poses are beneficial in achieving this, as they give you a chance to relax your muscles and melt away all of the tension that has built up over time.
• Improves circulation
  
  If your body isn't getting enough blood flow, it can cause physical tension to spike. Restorative yoga poses help improve circulation while stretching out your muscles and tendons to be more pliable and relaxed.
• Relieves headaches
  
  Often, headaches can signify stress and anxiety building up in the mind. The poses help to release these emotions while promoting deep breathing and relaxation techniques that are perfect for reducing headaches over time.
• Lowers blood pressure
  
  These poses help to promote relaxation and a general state of ease throughout your body. It will help to nourish your arteries and reduce the stress that causes heart disease over time. It's common for blood pressure to run slightly high for those experiencing restorative yoga regularly, but working with your doctor can easily manage these issues.
• Reduces stress
  
  Restorative yoga poses allow you to achieve deep states of relaxation and ease in the mind and body. It makes it easier for you to disconnect from stress as quickly as possible, although there is no one-size-fits-all approach (your experience may vary depending on your particular health needs).
• Treating Restless Legs Syndrome
  
  Restorative poses are a fantastic way to relieve restless legs syndrome. These poses promote deep relaxation and help you to forget about the feeling of having restless legs. It will enable you to fall asleep quickly and make it easier to relax your legs if you needlessly wake during the night having them move.
• Improve mental health
  
  The art of yoga is so influential that it can even be applied to help you with your mental health. These poses will help to improve your ability to process and cope with stressful life events and reduce the overall amount of time you're stressed. If you've been experiencing an elevated level of stress in your life, it's worth trying these poses out just for the added benefit.
• Disconnects you from your mind
  
  Restorative yoga poses help to connect you to a deep place of relaxation and peace of mind. It can help you regain control over your thoughts and emotions, allowing you to better understand the world around you. Essentially, it will enable you to become more familiar with yourself, and things start to go very smoothly when this happens.

11 easy-to-do restorative yoga poses

Restorative yoga poses for beginner yogis are a beautiful way to enjoy the benefits of this practice. You must know what poses to do and where to place them on your body. This article will share some of the best restorative yoga poses for beginners.


Let's look at these 11 restorative yoga poses one by one: 

•  Legs up the wall pose
  
  Performing the legs up the wall pose is a beautiful way to help you relieve aching and tired muscles. Situate near a wall. Roll onto your back and rest your legs on the wall before you. It will give your spine a break from the stress of supporting your body weight and will help ease any tension that has built up in your legs.
  
  
  The restorative yoga pose without props can be beneficial if you're new to the practice, as it requires no additional equipment.
  
  
  Ideally, you want to make sure that these restorative poses without props are performed on a flat surface so that a firm surface under your body is available for the exercise to be performed on. 

Photo sources: Online

• Surfboard pose
  
  This restorative yoga pose with props is a great way to help you relieve pain in your legs and hips. You only have to lay on your back with your knees bent, then bend one knee and place it on the floor behind you. It will gently press downward into your leg, reducing any pain you may be experiencing.
  
  
  Lying down can create a lot of pressure on your leg muscles and tendons, contributing to the feeling of being sore in these areas. The surfboard restorative yoga pose is an excellent way to help alleviate this issue while still allowing you to benefit from the pose itself.

Photo sources: Online

• Pigeon pose
  
  Pigeon pose is one of the restorative yoga poses with bolster, and it will help you to relieve pain in your hips. Lie on your back with the bolster behind you propped up. You can place your arms on the bolster or raise them over your head if they don't reach you.
  
  
  The pigeon restorative yoga pose is an excellent way to simultaneously ease stress and tension in your back, hips, and legs. It will help keep pressure out of these areas in the future, reducing any pain that may be occurring in these areas due to being overly tense.
  

Photo sources: Online

• Seated forward fold pose
  
  The pose is one of the most common restorative yoga poses for beginners because it's so easy to perform. Sit upright with your feet touching firmly on the floor. Then, you can place your hands together in front of you and bring your nose toward your knees. It will stretch out the muscles in your back and hamstrings, making it easier for you to perform other poses.
  
  
  The restorative yoga poses with a strap are a simple way to help you perform this pose and other poses without props. In addition, you can also use these straps with chairs or other furniture to provide additional support as required.

Photo sources: Online

• Plank pose
  
  The plank pose will help relieve deep pain in your hip joints and spine. All you have to do is lie down on the floor with your hands directly under the shoulders, and keep your body straight from the hips down toward the floor (don't bend at the waist).
  
  
  This restorative yoga pose with a strap will allow you to maintain a firm grip on the ground below so that your body doesn't drift backward.

Photo sources: Online

• Half back bend pose
  
  The half-back bend pose will help relieve pain in your spine and legs. Be on the floor with your arms draped over the front of your chest. Your hands will rest on the floor, with fingers pointing toward your feet for effective results.
  
  
  The restorative yoga pose will help to increase flexibility and range of motion in your spine, which is one of the most critical aspects of this practice (the benefits of flexibility can't be understated). You can use this and other restorative poses without props throughout the day to prevent injury and pain related to poor flexibility or mobility in these areas.

Photo sources: Online

• Fish pose
  
  Restorative yoga poses with blocks like the fish pose are a great way to get into a deeper state of relaxation and meditation. Get your feet up, and plant them firmly on the ground. Then, open your arms out wide in front of you and grasp hold of the floor with your hands.

Photo sources: Online

Photo sources: Online

Photo sources: Online

Photo sources: Online

• Goddess pose
  
  The goddess pose is a practical and relaxing restorative yoga pose that you can use to relieve back pain. Lie down on your stomach with your legs stretched out straight in front of you. Then, slowly stroke up as far as you can while gently exhaling until you rest flat on your back.
  
  
  The restorative yoga poses with straps can help support yourself during this exercise and prevent slippage at the knees. In addition, these straps will also help prevent any strain on your spine or back from unwanted movement. 

Photo sources: Online

Conclusion

Yoga poses with props can improve the overall quality of your yoga experience while minimizing the risk of injury. Restorative poses differ because they focus more on relaxation, stress relief, and heightened mental awareness than strength and performance.


Using props can be highly beneficial for anyone with back pain or looking to try out this form of exercise without becoming injured. If you're new to yoga, you should consider starting with a beginner's class until becoming more accustomed to the movements and positions so that you don't get injured during your first few sessions.