Yoga in Boston and Cambridge

Restorative Yoga

Boston and Cambridge’s
Best restorative yoga classes and workshops

Restorative Yoga in Boston and Cambridge, MA with Bethania Bacigalupe

Try Restorative Yoga at:

  • a Restorative Yoga Workshop !
    Ongoing monthly restorative yoga workshops
    See schedule for upcoming workshop dates in Cambridge & Boston:
    • Sunday October 9, 2011
    • Sunday November 6, 2011
    • Sunday December 4, 2011
    • Special New Years Day Restorative Yoga Class January 1, 2012
    • Sunday January 15, 2012
    • Sunday February 5, 2012
    • Sunday March 4, 2012
    • Sunday April 8, 2012
    • Sunday May 6, 2012
    • further 2012 dates TBA (generally 1st Sunday monthly)
  • a private/small group session — individualized practices designed for you with patient assistance. Perfect for those who have therapeutic needs or wish to be pampered. More information about private yoga or Contact me.
  • at home — using the free resources available for practicing, teaching, and learning in the Restorative Yoga category of blog posts as a guide.

What is Restorative Yoga?

Think active relaxation

Sounds like an oxymoron, no?

Restorative yoga is pure relaxation for the body and the mind. Through the use of props such as blankets, blocks, and bolsters, the body is completely supported to promote the relaxation response. The relaxation response is the a set of medically documented physiological changes that counter the body’s “Fight-or-Flight” mode. It is a deep state of physiological relaxation. Restorative yoga deepens the relaxation response and promotes mental calm. This has a myriad of benefits.

What are the benefits of the relaxation response and Restorative Yoga?

Research has shown that the relaxation response is highly effective at relieving symptoms of stress, anxiety, and insomnia; reducing inflammation; positively effecting hypertension, mild-to-moderate forms of depression, and various forms of pain; promoting healthy digestion, fertility, and immunity; and facilitating relaxation and restful sleep

Restorative yoga encourages a physiological state of deep relaxation, promotes mental calm, and reduces stress.

It’s like a reboot for your mind and body .

What if you could feel like you’d just woken up from the best sleep of your life?

Restorative yoga is amazing.

Imagine taking 1 hour to give yourself permission to let go. How many of us can say we had even a few moments of pure relaxation today?

Restorative yoga is powerful.

In our culture of overachievers, over-subscribers, and over-doers, nothing could be more important than reducing stress and relaxing.

Restorative yoga is different from the more active forms of yoga you may know. An active practice is described as a yang practice; restorative is described as a yin practice. Restorative is passive. Poses are held longer. It is about release. In restorative you use props to support your body in various poses. The physical support of the props allows your body to remain passive and release tension.

Your body has an autonomic nervous system (ANS) which has two modes: 1) Fight-or-Flight–to run away from the lion chasing you, and 2) Rest-and-Digest–to relax once the lion has left. We are designed to cycle between these two modes for optimum health and vitality. In olden times, once the lion was gone, we could relax and eat our food. In our modern times, the world encourages us to always be in “Fight-or-Flight” mode, always running, always going, always stressed. We live in a state of constant crisis, big and small. This continuous stress wrecks havoc on our bodies.

Restorative yoga allows us to counter that stress by inducing the Rest-and-Digest mode. Rest-and-Digest is essential for immunity, digestion, healing, and reproduction.

Restorative yoga helps us reestablish balance between “Fight-or-Flight” and “Rest-and-Digest”. Restorative yoga is a powerful tool to living a better life.

Restorative yoga is healing.

Restorative yoga is perfect for anyone in need of support or healing. It is perfect for persons recovering from illness, surgery, or injury. But it is also perfect for the most Type-A amongst us who are always running.

In other words, restorative is perfect for anyone.

By stepping out of the chronic cycle of “Fight or Flight” due to our fast paced society we allow the “Rest-and-Digest” system to kick in. You then support the body’s natural ability to heal.

Give your body the best chance it has to function optimally.

Restorative yoga is bliss.

How do you feel when you wake up in the morning? Sometimes we wake up feeling refreshed. Sometimes, even after getting lots of hours of sleep, we wake up feeling like crap. Obviously it’s not just the number of hours of sleep you get but the quality of that sleep.

What if you could “wake up” from a session feeling like you’d just gotten the best of sleep in your life?

Welcome to restorative yoga.

Do you want to experience true relaxation? Come to a class, a workshop, or request privates/semi-privates.