You have the option to rest on top of your right shoulder or to deepen the twist by releasing your right arm over the opposite side of your bolster. Slowly lower the front of your trunk onto your bolster.Gently release both knees toward the right and turn your torso toward the right as well.From a sitting position, bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor, roughly hips-distance apart.Keep your bolster as it is and move your strap to the side (but keep the loop in it).Stretch your legs forward in front of you and softly bend one knee at a time. Lean forward slightly to release the strap from around you.Gently press into your forearms to slowly lift yourself back up to a seat. After 10 minutes, move your arms so that they’re next to your sides, if they’re not already there.Return to your breath and continuously repeat the word “one” silently to yourself after each full breath cycle. Completely surrender muscular control and allow your body to be fully supported by your props.You may want to place a folded blanket under your head and neck, especially if you find that your head is tilting back. They can relax down by your sides, open out into a T-shape, or reach up over your head. Lie back lengthwise over your bolster and place your arms in any position of comfort.Tighten your strap until it’s taut and holds you in this shape.Take the same loop of your strap and swing it around your feet.You may wish to place blocks or blankets or pillows underneath your knees for added support. Draw the soles of your feet to touch and open your knees out wide toward the sides of your mat.Place the loop over your head and let it land around your pelvis. Make a wide loop in your strap and hold the loop with the “tail” of your strap facing toward you for easy adjustments.Place your bolster lengthwise behind you so that it is parallel to the long edge of your mat.Once you’ve created a space of relaxation within, slowly flutter open your eyes.Maintain this simple pattern and the mantra “one” throughout theīound Baddha Konasana (Captured Butterfly Pose) (10 minutes).Stay, focusing on your breath like this for five minutes.Continuously repeat “one” to yourself after every full breath. With each complete breath cycle, silently repeat to yourself “one.” Take a full breath in and a full breath out. Deepen its rhythm and find a slow, steady pace. Close your eyes and start to focus on your breath.Simply find a place where you can soften your body and bring your awareness to your mind. You can sit cross-legged on the floor, on a blanket or bolster, or in a chair.Begin in any comfortable seated position with one of the short edges of your mat against a wall.Grab your yoga mat, a strap (or belt), and a bolster (or firm pillow or couch cushion) and get ready to let your body surrender and melt into relaxation. A 75-Minute Restorative Yoga Sequence to Initiate the Relaxation Response: The following sequence is intended to do just that: calm and relax the body and mind to initiate the relaxation response and stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system. Related: Judith Hanson Lasater’s Free Download on The Power of Restorative Yoga: Creating Presence & Fostering Gratitude Relaxing the body can stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, creating even more profound relaxation effects. Because the parasympathetic nervous system is used to create relaxation in the body, the reverse is also true. As the name implies, the relaxation response triggers the release of the soothing, calming, and relaxing hormone acetylcholine to slow the heart rate and the breath to restore, relax, and rejuvenate. The relaxation response activates the parasympathetic nervous system, our “rest-and-digest” functions of the body-the exact opposite of the “fight-or-flight” sympathetic nervous system. Here is a restorative yoga sequence to stimulate this response. It’s a simple practice of self-care that stimulates the relaxation response within the brain and the body.
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