Restorative and pranayama classes have the same function as sleeping and dreaming: they help practitioners assimilate information absorbed during their more dynamic practice. They help us take the information that we have acquired from the outside, through our bodies, and bring it inwards and integrate it.
Restorative classes are not about “taking it easy.” In fact, a lot can go on beneath the surface. If we slow down and do “nothing,” we might begin to notice the quieter signals that the body and mind are sending us. And, as Guruji said, “When we have a restriction or problem, it makes us pay attention.” Restorative classes like this one give us a chance to slow down enough to notice the subtler points to which our attention is drawn. Be still and observe: what is my attention telling me? why has it gone there? what lessons can I learn from this?
Begin in Supta Baddha Konasana. Let yourself settle into your body, turn your attention inward. Then, come up and extend into cross legs forward over a bolster. Sit up for the invocation.
Come up, fold forward into Uttanasana, then step back into Adho Mukha Svanasana and shift into Virasana Forward. Then, come back up into Adho Mukha Svanasana but this time try it with your feet on blocks. What does this bring. Go into Virasana Forward to release, then back into Adho Mukha Svanasana, this time with your fingers up against the wall and your head resting on an upturned block. Back into Virasana Forward to release.
Stand up now for Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana 1, 2, and 2 with the arms stretched out to the sides to open up through the collarbones.
Lie down in Savasana now to reflect a bit before moving on with the practice. Remember, when practicing yoga, it’s important to understand what the philosophy behind the various techniques is, what the techniques promise to show and teach us, and what they show and teach us in reality.
Now extend your leg up into Supta Padangusthasana 1, take it out to the side in the second variation, and then bend your knee and place your foot in the opposite hip crease.
Come over to the wall, go into Viparita Karani with the arms stretched out over the head. Feel the shoulder joints and pay attention to any tightness or restrictions. What is your attention automatically drawn to? Remember: “When we have a restriction or a problem, it makes us pay attention.”
Still in Viparita Karani, bend your knees out to the sides and bring your legs into a Baddha Konasana position. Then, spread your legs wide: Supta Konasana legs against the wall. Then comes the most challenging pose: Padmasana (Lotus Pose) in Viparita Karani. Take a few breaths here, working through the tightness but not jamming, then come up and sit up in Baddha Konasana.
Go up into Sirsasana against the wall.
Set yourself up for Setu Bandha Sarvangasana over a bolster. After a few minutes here, cross your legs and spend a few more minutes like this. To finish, come up and stretch out over the bolster in Virasana Forward. Reflect on the practice and remember, “You will only know something is important if you’ve practised and observed it yourself.” What have you observed in this class? What will you take away?
Finish the class in Savasana over a folder blanket (to achieve greater opening in the chest) followed by a seated breathing meditation.
Video stills from this sequence
