What Is Restorative Yoga? Postures, Props and How to Teach It
Restorative Yoga supports the body completely so that the nervous system can move from alert to rest. Drawn from Carla Gonçalves’s teaching, this guide explains where the practice comes from, what research does and does not show, the eleven supported postures and what it takes to teach them well.Quick answer: Restorative Yoga is a modern style of deep rest. Instead of strengthening or stretching, it supports the whole body on bolsters, blankets and blocks and holds each posture for longer, so the nervous system can shift from stress towards the relaxation response. It grew from B.K.S. Iyengar’s supported postures and was named and shaped by Judith Hanson Lasater.
What Restorative Yoga is and where it comes from
Restorative Yoga is the practice of deep rest. Where most styles give priority to strengthening or stretching, it supports the whole body on blankets, bolsters and blocks and lets it stay there long enough for the nervous system to change state. Carla’s teaching keeps one principle at the centre: slow is fast, and less is more.
Its roots are modern. It grew out of the prop-supported postures that B.K.S. Iyengar systematised from Light on Yoga (1966) and his institute in Pune (1975). Judith Hanson Lasater, a physical therapist and student of Iyengar since 1974, gave it its name and shape, above all with Relax and Renew (1995). For her, relaxation is not inertia but “a dynamic state” (Lasater, 1995). Matthew Sanford later carried supported practice into adaptive yoga for people with disabilities (Sanford, 2006).
Restorative Yoga. Full support and passive relaxation. The focus is the nervous system, and props exist for complete comfort.
Yin Yoga. Active stretching of the connective tissue and joints. Props are used to deepen the stretch.
Vinyasa Yoga. Fluid, continuous movement for strength and endurance. Restorative work complements it after intense practice.
Yin and Restorative share long holds, props and the absence of standing postures, but they aim at different things. Our article Restorative Yoga vs Yin Yoga compares them in detail.
How Restorative Yoga works on the nervous system
In the 1970s the cardiologist Herbert Benson measured falls in oxygen consumption, breathing rate, heart rate and blood pressure in meditators: a “wakeful hypometabolic” state he called the relaxation response, the opposite of the stress response (Benson, Beary & Carol, 1974). It rests on the balance between two branches of the autonomic nervous system. The sympathetic prepares us for fight or flight; the parasympathetic supports rest and digestion.
The body does not distinguish a real danger from a missed train or a deadline, so the sympathetic system is switched on far too often, and this exhausts body and mind (McEwen, 1998). Restorative Yoga offers active rest: the body is held, muscular tension lets go and the breath slows by itself.
The evidence deserves a careful reading. In trials, yoga practices with slow breathing and relaxation favour the balance of the nervous system and modestly lower blood pressure and heart rate (Pascoe et al., 2017). The calm and improved mood reported in trials of restorative yoga are well documented (Danhauer et al., 2009). Yet trials of restorative yoga itself are few and small, and most research concerns yoga in general.
What has been measured. Changes in breathing, heart rate and blood pressure during relaxation, and more alpha and theta activity on EEG during meditation and deep relaxation (Lomas et al., 2015).
Useful teaching maps. Polyvagal theory (Porges, 1995, 2011) is widely used in yoga teaching, but its physiological premises are disputed (Grossman & Taylor, 2007; Grossman, 2023). The course uses it as a map, not as established fact.
Metaphors and hypotheses. The triune brain is an image, not anatomy (Cesario et al., 2020). The idea of “discharging” stress is a suggestive clinical hypothesis, not a demonstrated fact (Kuhfuß et al., 2021).
Deep relaxation is not sleep and does not replace it (Krause et al., 2017). The course gathers these ideas into its own teaching model, the Calm Cascade, described in four stages: Calm, Align, Let go and Mend. For a related practice of guided rest, see our guide to Yoga Nidra.
Legs up the wall, one of the eleven postures taught in the course.
The eleven supported Restorative Yoga postures
Restorative postures include gentle twists, seated forward bends, supported backbends and inversions. The course teaches eleven, each in its supported form. Below is what each one is for. How to build it, adapt it and when to avoid it belongs in the training, because those details depend on the person in front of you.
Sālamba Śavāsana, supported relaxation pose. The supported corpse pose, for deep rest in which body and mind regenerate.
Supta Baddha Koṇāsana, reclined bound angle pose. Opens the hips and chest and helps calm the nervous system.
Viparīta Karaṇī, legs up the wall pose. Eases tired, heavy legs by helping blood return to the heart.
Bālāsana, child’s pose. Gently lengthens the spine and offers a familiar, inward place to rest.
Pārśva Bālāsana, side child’s pose. Stretches the side of the body, the ribs and the hips.
Sālamba Sukhāsana Uttānāsana, supported forward bend. Lengthens the back without forcing and helps slow a busy mind.
Setu Bandha Sarvāṅgāsana, supported bridge. Opens the chest and lengthens the spine; also useful before sleep.
Matsyāsana, supported fish pose. Expands the rib cage for a fuller breath and eases upper body tension.
Supta Parivartanāsana, reclined twist. A gentle twist that mobilises the spine and invites deep relaxation.
Supta Matsyendrāsana, supported supine twist. A soft lying rotation that relieves stiffness in the lower back.
Sālamba Prasāraṇāsana, resting plank. A face-down resting position to prepare for or close a practice.
Every posture is taught one by one on video in the Restorative Yoga Teacher Training, with its props, benefits and precautions.
Supported reclined bound angle, with a strap, blocks and a bolster.
General safety principles
Restorative Yoga is a wellbeing practice within reach of almost everyone, but it does not replace medical advice or treatment. Its golden rule is simple: the practice is gentle and pain-free. A restorative posture is never something to endure.
Medical advice first. Some health conditions, pregnancy among them, call for specific adaptations. When in doubt, consult a doctor before starting.
Consent and choice. Ask before touching anyone, let each person choose whether to close the eyes, and use language that invites rather than commands (Justice et al., 2018).
Relaxation is not always relaxing. In some people relaxation can increase anxiety (Heide & Borkovec, 1983). Everyone should feel free to leave a posture at any moment.
Signs to come out. Pain, tingling, numbness, dizziness, shortness of breath, nausea or rising anxiety: come out slowly, with help if needed.
Scope of practice. The yoga teacher does not diagnose or treat. The teacher asks, adapts and refers to the doctor or physiotherapist.
What you learn in the course
Knowing the names of eleven postures is not the same as guiding a room into deep rest. The Restorative Yoga course covers the practical method that an article cannot.
Each posture with props and adaptations. Carla builds every posture on video and shows how it changes for knees, spine, pregnancy, blood pressure or the eyes.
Precautions you can apply. Detailed sheets for each posture, plus guidance for conditions such as osteoporosis, reflux, glaucoma and trauma, always within a yoga teacher’s scope.
Sequencing. How to structure a class from grounding to closing, choose a theme and make transitions that preserve the rest.
Voice and atmosphere. How to receive students as guests, choose words, use silence and respond with compassion when emotions arise.
Bringing it into other classes. Ways to use one or two restorative postures in any yoga class, including as an alternative to śavāsana.
Assessment. Unit tests, a 30-minute class of your own assessed by Carla, and a final exam.
The Restorative Yoga Teacher Training in brief
The training is online and self-paced: 30 hours, in English, with Carla’s own voice translated with AI and reviewed by the BeYoga team. It includes five complete practices, the eleven postures taught one by one on video, an interactive manual and a PDF workbook.
To certify, you complete the unit tests, submit a 30-minute class of your own for Carla’s assessment and pass the final exam with 80% or more. The course gives 30 hours of Yoga Alliance continuing education from a YACEP. It costs 525 euros and includes 4 months of access.
To learn more about the school behind the training, read about BeYoga School. For other slow practices, see the Yin Yoga Teacher Training or all our online courses in English.
What Is Restorative Yoga? Postures, Props and How to Teach It: frequently asked
What is Restorative Yoga?
Restorative Yoga is a modern yoga practice focused on deep rest and physical and mental recovery. Rather than building strength or flexibility, it supports the whole body with props such as bolsters, blankets and blocks, and postures are held for longer. It grew from B.K.S. Iyengar’s supported postures and was given its name and form by Judith Hanson Lasater, above all in Relax and Renew (1995).
What is the difference between Restorative Yoga and Yin Yoga?
Both are slow practices with long holds, props and no standing postures. Yin Yoga sets out to stretch the connective tissue and uses props to deepen the stretch. Restorative Yoga places the body in full support so that it can rest deeply, and uses props for complete comfort. Its focus is the nervous system rather than the tissues.
Is Restorative Yoga suitable for beginners?
Yes. Because the props adapt each posture to the body, Restorative Yoga is within reach of almost everyone, whatever their yoga experience or stage of life. Some health conditions, including pregnancy, call for specific adaptations, and when in doubt a doctor should be consulted before starting. The practice should always be gentle and pain-free, and it does not replace medical advice or treatment.
What does research say about Restorative Yoga and stress?
The best studied mechanism is the relaxation response. In trials, yoga practices with slow breathing and relaxation favour the balance of the nervous system and modestly lower blood pressure and heart rate (Pascoe et al., 2017). Trials of restorative yoga itself are few and small, so the course uses careful language and separates what has been measured from what belongs to tradition.
Is it a problem to fall asleep during Restorative Yoga?
Falling asleep in class is neither dangerous nor a failure. Deep relaxation and sleep are different states, though: deep relaxation keeps awareness, while sleep does the work of physical repair. No waking practice replaces deep sleep and REM sleep (Krause et al., 2017), so someone who arrives sleep deprived should leave class with time to wake up fully and not drive while drowsy.
What does a Restorative Yoga teacher training involve?
BeYoga’s training is online, self-paced and 30 hours long. It covers the relaxation response and the nervous system, the eleven postures with their props and precautions, and the methodology of teaching, from sequencing to the voice and atmosphere of a class. You complete unit tests, submit a 30-minute class assessed by Carla and pass a final exam with 80% or more.
Restorative Yoga Teacher Training
Online, 30 hours of Yoga Alliance continuing education, eleven supported postures and a class of your own assessed by Carla.
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