5 restorative yoga exercises to relax your mind

Restorative yoga intends to promote mental, physical and emotional relaxation. It is suitable for all levels of practitioners and practiced at a slow pace while focusing on deep breathing and stillness.

Whether you are stressed about your work, have family issues, or are just tense about your future, certain restorative yoga exercises can potentially help relax your mind. Yoga poses for relaxation can ease your mind and body and help make you less tense and happy overall.

Benefits of Restorative Yoga Exercises

The advantages of restorative asanas go well beyond calming your mind and allowing your body to rest. Along with positively impacting your mental and physical health, they offer the following benefits:

Lowers blood pressure
Improves digestive health
Increases energy
Prevents muscle soreness and pain
Regulates breathing
Reduces chronic pain
Improves sleep quality
Enhances physical and emotional well-being

5 Restorative Yoga Exercises to Calm and Relax Your Mind

Here’s a look at some of the best calming poses that’ll help you release anxiety, stress, and tension from your mind and body.

1. Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana)

This pose works to relax the body from head to toe. It is excellent for overcoming all types of mental and physical stress.

How should you do it?

Sit straight on a mat with your legs extended in the front and slowly press your sit bones into the floor. Keep your lower belly up and in. Inhale and lengthen your spine.
Slowly fold forward by hinging from your hips and make sure to keep the length in front of your body by moving only from your stomach, through your chest, rib cage and then your head toward your legs.
Allow your arms to slide down on the floor or just wrap your fingers around your big toes.
Bend your elbows and keep them lifted away from the floor with your shoulders away from your ears.
Stretch your spine as much as you can and try to hold the pose for a few minutes.

2. Fish Pose (Matsyasana)

The fish pose is another amazing restorative asana that helps calm your mind, lengthen your spine, and ease tension in your shoulders and neck. It is a great pose to practice if you spend a lot of time sitting. To make this exercise more comfortable, you may use folded blankets or a bolster under your head and shoulders.

How should you do it?

Start the pose in a seated position and keep two folded blankets at your back. Lie down and rest your shoulders on the blanket closest to you. Place your head on the second blanket and keep your legs extended or folded in front of you.
Position your arms on your sides or simply extend them above your head with your palms facing up.
Take deep breaths and close your eyes while allowing your body to release tension.
Stay in this posture for a few minutes and focus on releasing tension and deep breathing.

3. Child’s pose (Balasana)

The child’s pose is another very effective restorative yoga pose that helps relieve fatigue and stress and also stretches the glutes, hips, shoulders, and hamstrings.

How should you do it?

Start by kneeling on the mat with your knees hip-width apart, butts on your heels and big toes touching. For extra support, you may place a folded blanket or a cushion between your calves and thighs.
Now lean forward with your stomach between your thighs and bring your head down toward the mat. Move your arms in front of you with your palms on the floor. If this is challenging, just keep your arms alongside your body with your palms facing toward the ceiling.
Stay in this position for a few minutes and take deep breaths.

4. Corpse Pose (Savasana)

For quick relaxation and calming of your mind, consider practicing the corpse pose. It helps you to let go of all the stress and eases tension from the whole body.

How should you do it?

Lie on your back on a mat and separate your legs. Keep your arms on your sides, slightly away from your torso with your palms facing up. Allow your fingers to curl in.
Once you are in this position, close your eyes, relax your body, and breathe naturally.
Stay in this position for a few minutes and relax your mind.

5. Legs Up the Wall (Viparita Karani)

This restorative pose relieves tired feet and legs and stretches the back of your neck and hamstrings while also easing mild back pain.

How should you do it?

Place a yoga mat against the wall and lie on it with your legs facing the wall. Allow your head to rest on the mat and position your arms alongside your body or rest them on your stomach.
Move your legs up against the wall and get your butts as close to the wall as you can. For support, you may place folded blankets on the mat about 6 inches from the wall.
As you exhale, allow your body to relax and release tension from your hips, neck, and back.
Stay in this posture for a few minutes and take deep breaths.

Takeaway

Restorative yoga poses are gentle and considered safe. However, if you have any ongoing treatment for a heart condition, talk to your doctor before practicing these poses. If you are a yoga beginner, it is best to seek guidance from a certified trainer to make the most out of the aforementioned asanas. Once you are ready to step up the complexity, you can try some advanced yoga asanas, too.