Restoratives and Pranayama Week: Embrace the Quiet Side of Practice
You know firsthand how yoga shapes our lives. During Restoratives and Pranayama Week, we’re inviting you to explore the quieter side of your practice, where the potential for deep rest and self-awareness grows. This week is an invitation to explore the inner work that lies beneath the surface.
Restorative Asana: A Moment to Slow Down
In today’s fast-paced world, we often find ourselves constantly “on,” juggling work and responsibilities with little time to truly unwind. Technology, meant to simplify life, often has the opposite effect—pushing us to stay connected, responsive, and busy.
Genuine rest goes beyond collapsing onto the couch or catching up on screens. True relaxation comes when the mind is still, allowing the body to release deeply. Restorative poses, with the help of props, offer the body a chance to open and release in ways that typical rest can’t achieve. For instance, spending time in a supported backbend can open the chest, enhance circulation, and recharge our breath, while an extended Viparita Karani at the end of a long day can refresh the body and shift the mind into calm.
Pranayama: Cultivating Breath Awareness
Pranayama is about more than breathing—it’s a way to connect body and mind. As experienced practitioners, you might explore the pause between inhales and exhales or the impact of breath on the nervous system. As B.K.S. Iyengar shared, “Pranayama has a purifying effect on the mind, and when the mind is clean, the spirit within shines with clarity.” Each breath opens a path to presence and inner calm, inviting you to engage with your breath in new, refined ways.
Finding Stillness Together
This week is a space to slow down and notice the hidden layers that reveal themselves through practice. Restorative and pranayama practices remind us that stillness has its own power, inviting us to see familiar practices from fresh perspectives.
Join us in this special week to explore the quietness that comes inside a posture when breath and mind are connected.