Restorative yoga is a practice of letting go. Using props such as bolsters, blankets, blocks, straps and sandbags in poses allows you to release tension and relax in every pose. Also known as active relaxation, restorative yoga balances your nervous system and expands receptivity. Many yoga schools offer teacher training programs specifically for restorative yoga. These programs generally include learning how to use props in poses, sequencing, breathing techniques, adjustments and teaching methodology.
Sequencing
One aspect of teacher training is learning proper sequencing. Physical therapist Judith Laster, Ph.D., author of "Relax & Renew: Restful Yoga for Stressful Times," sequences restorative classes to move the spine in all directions. Her restorative yoga training, offered around the U.S., emphasize back bends, forward bends, twists and inversions. Inverted poses, which may be as simple as resting your legs up the wall or a stack of folded blankets, reverse the flow of fluids and help your heart function better.
Props
Famed yoga instructor B.K.S. Iyengar developed restorative yoga by experimenting with props to help students get into poses without overexertion. In restorative yoga, props provide a supportive, comfortable structure so the student can be in the pose rather than doing it. A restorative teacher training trains your eye what each individual student needs in a pose. One pose can be done in various ways. According to Jillian Pransky, director of restorative yoga teacher training for Yoga Works, the texture, height and density of the props can create a shift in energy for different results.
Meditation
Because restorative yoga is essentially meditation, it's considered an advance practice. Not only are you working with the body, a restorative teacher skillfully guides the student through a meditation by creating a safe, comfortable environment and guiding the breath. Once the student is set up in a pose, he may hold that pose for as long as 15 minutes. A good restorative teacher offers an affirmation or breathing exercise to support the student in loosening tension, creating space and building awareness and receptivity.
Therapeutics
By triggering the parasympathetic nervous system, restorative yoga offers numerous therapeutic benefits. Many people that attend restorative yoga classes are often recovering from an illness, injury or emotional trauma. It helps to study therapeutic yoga for an all-around knowledge of how you can help students.
Methodology
Teaching restorative yoga requires the ability to facilitate relaxation for your students. In order to do this, it's important to center yourself before teaching. During class, observe each student individually and notice when a specific modification can enhance a particular person's pose.
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