By Faye Martins
Teaching Restorative Yoga classes is unique and challenges your mind. As a yoga instructor, you need to be comfortable teaching many classes. Not all students come to yoga with the same goals in mind. While some might be intent on engaging their muscles or increasing their flexibility, others hope to reduce pain and increase their overall well-being. Students who fall into this last category are perfect candidates for restorative yoga. To meet their needs, you should know how to plan and lead a restorative yoga class successfully.
What Is Restorative Yoga?
Restorative yoga is a type of yoga practice that calls for the consistent holding of a few relaxing poses. Rather than switching quickly from one strenuous pose to the next, practitioners will often hold a single pose for 5-20 minutes. This means you’ll only use a handful of poses during a typical session. Props are often utilized to assist practitioners in their longer, gentler poses.
Specific Techniques
Restorative yoga is often targeted to address a single issue. Certain poses are used to alleviate headaches, while others reduce fatigue’s physical and emotional effects. A good teacher adjusts their plans to the specific needs of their students.
Benefits of Restorative Yoga
Restorative yoga has several physical and mental advantages for the practitioner. The deep breathing practiced during the long poses is ideal for relaxation, a benefit that brings about several wonderful secondary effects. Practitioners often report healthier sleep patterns, a more pleasant mood, and a general improvement in overall well-being. Restorative yoga is also gentler on the body than other types of yoga, making it ideal for people hoping to reduce physical pain.
Keys to Teaching Restorative Yoga
Preparing and executing a restorative yoga class requires a particular mindset. Although your lesson plan is short, your class runs at a slow pace, and there are many therapeutic details. Here’s what you need to consider when teaching restorative yoga classes.
Understanding Student Goals
With any yoga class, it’s important to understand what your students hope to get from experience. Most restorative yoga students come to class seeking relief from pain or a deeply meditative atmosphere. Have these goals in mind as you prepare for your classes. You can speak with your students during the early sessions to get a more precise idea of their objectives. From there, you should prepare your classes by what they’ve told you.
Always Prioritize Safety
Safety comes first for any yoga teacher. You need to make sure nothing in your class could ever put your students in harm’s way. Some people might attend the class to overcome physical or emotional difficulties, which means they’re particularly vulnerable. Be on the lookout for neck injuries, and avoid assigning inverted poses for students who are menstruating or suffering from a heart condition. You should also advise your students to get permission from a doctor before practicing yoga, especially if they are recovering from an injury. Nobody should ever do yoga against the advice of their physician.
Be Prepared for Emotional Release
During a restorative yoga class, students are bound to undergo significant muscular and stress release. This is inevitable due to the relaxing nature of the practice. Sometimes, this could bring about a subsequent emotional release for your students. Don’t let sudden tears or outbursts catch you by surprise. A professional teacher should meet these emotions with tranquility and compassion.
Encourage At-Home Practice
Weekly or bi-weekly class is rarely enough for students to reap all the benefits of restorative yoga. You should make a point of encouraging your students to continue practicing daily. Teach them easy poses they can try without assistance, and make yourself available for any questions regarding at-home practice.
Designing the Perfect Class
As with any yoga course, designing the perfect restorative sequence is essential to success. With your student’s goals in mind, you should be able to craft engaging and therapeutic classes. Below are some basic tips to consider.
Use Plenty of Props
Restorative yoga is known for its frequent use of props. Since restorative yoga is meant to be more relaxing and less intensive, it’s important that students never feel too much of a strain. Props are useful for guiding students into the most favorable body positions. As a teacher, you must ensure props are placed correctly before the students begin a particular pose. The probs will set boundaries for the students, who will trust you to ensure those boundaries are where they’re supposed to be. Blocks, blankets, and bolsters are typical props you should have on hand. Everyday objects like chairs, tables, and even towels can also be useful.
Keep Things Slower Paced
By definition, restorative yoga is slower-paced than most yoga styles. Practitioners are meant to enjoy the full mental and physical benefits of holding a sustained pose. Keep this slower pacing in mind as you prepare your classes. Never try to jam too many poses into a single session. In restorative yoga, quality is always much more important than quantity.
Plan for Slower Transitions
In some types of yoga, practitioners quickly switch from one pose to another. These vigorous transitions have no place in a restorative yoga session. After holding a single pause for over five minutes, your students will need some time before taking on another pose. They’ve likely entered a deeply meditative state, and their muscles have relaxed completely.
Completely Relaxed Atmosphere
Ensure you always give them a minute to regain a neutral, centered feeling before directing them to adopt a new pose. Also, always account for these lengthier transitions when planning your class. In general, exercises in a restorative yoga class will take longer than you’ve planned. When they do, don’t worry that you do not fit everything in. A slow-moving session is exactly what you should be aiming for.
Start the Class with Purposeful Relaxation
The first few minutes of every class should be based on relaxation. The subsequent poses will only prove restorative if the students are properly free of tension. For an hour-long class, try to dedicate the first 10-15 minutes to eliminating stress and setting the mood. This might seem excessive, but there can be no overestimating the importance of relaxation.
Leave Time for an Extended Savasana
While guided relaxation, which occurs during savasana, is important with any type of yoga, it’s especially vital during restorative sessions. Inspiring students to “let go” is a crucial component of restorative practice, and savasana is where this spiritual and emotional release is most likely to occur. Never make the mistake of cutting savasana short to squeeze in some additional poses. These final moments of relaxation are always worth the time.
Typical Restorative Yoga Poses
Several simple poses could represent the core of teaching restorative yoga classes. Here are a few you should consider.
Child’s Pose (Balasana)
There’s a reason this pose is considered the most important resting posture in yoga. It stretches the hips, alleviates back pain, and encourages students to listen to their inner voices. Use rolled blankets to support the torso, and tell your students to turn their heads to the other side halfway through the pose.
Reclined Twist (Supta Matsyendrasana)
With the right support, this pose can be wonderfully relaxing for practitioners. Make sure you have your students place rolled blankets between their knees to support their bodies. Additional supports behind the neck can make it even easier to relax.
Supported Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)
This pose is as useful as relaxing with a yoga block under the back. It can help students overcome back pain and strengthen the abdominal muscles. Make sure everyone takes care when coming out of the pose, as it requires a little getting used to.
Supported Legs-Up-The-Wall Pose (Viparita Karani)
This is a fun, relaxing pose that your beginner students will enjoy. It’s known for increasing blood flow in the body and resting the feet. Make sure your students have a yoga mat beneath them before they begin. They should also use rolled blankets to help support their backs, ensuring the position is comfortable for the duration of the pose.
Make a Difference – Teach Restorative Yoga
Successfully teaching restorative yoga classes is all about understanding the nature of the practice, planning excellent classes, and doing everything you can to assist your students during the sessions. Having absorbed the information outlined above, you should have no problem inspiring your students. You will play a big part in helping countless students improve their physical and emotional well-being by serving as an excellent teacher.
© Copyright – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division
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Is Online Restorative Yoga Teacher Training Right For You?
By Sangeetha Saran
Restorative yoga is a practice that can be beneficial for students of all levels, from beginners to advanced practitioners. Restorative yoga teacher training can give you the skills and knowledge to effectively teach these classes. To teach restorative yoga classes, it is important to have a thorough understanding of the practice and its benefits. Restorative yoga teacher training can provide you with a path with this understanding and the skills you need to teach classes effectively.
Preparation for Teaching Restorative Yoga Classes
Many online training programs prepare yoga teachers to teach restorative yoga classes. To find the right program for you, it is important to research the different options and ensure that the program you choose is reputable and offers a comprehensive curriculum. A good online training program will give you the tools you need to teach a successful restorative yoga class.
Resources for Life
A good program should include all the information that covers everything from class planning and preparation to teaching techniques and modifications. Additionally, the program should offer video resources so that you can see how a class is taught. Once you have completed an online training program, you will be well-prepared to teach restorative yoga classes and help your students experience all the benefits. At Aura Wellness Center, you have lifetime access to these resources.
Online Training is Popular with Families
It’s no secret that modern families struggle to find time to spend together. With work, school, and extracurricular activities, it can be hard to wrangle everyone together for even a few minutes, let alone an entire day or weekend. So when you tell your family that you’re going on a yoga retreat or attending an intensive program, they might not be thrilled.
The Benefit of a Flexible Schedule
When training to become a yoga teacher, having a flexible schedule can be a huge benefit. With online yoga teacher training, you can complete your coursework and assignments on your own time without having to worry about attending class at a certain time or location. This means you can complete your training around other commitments, such as work or family obligations.
Getting Support
If you have questions or need help with anything, you can always contact your instructors and classmates online for support. Additionally, studying and training at your own pace can be very beneficial. You can take as much or as little time as you need to complete each lesson and absorb the material. This is in contrast to traditional in-person training courses, where everything moves at a set pace, and you may feel like you’re trying to keep up rather than learning at your speed.
Experience is a Teacher
Experience is also a teacher as you absorb the information fully. Just as you learn from your students, you also learn from your own experiences. Every time you teach a class, you learn something new about yourself, your students, and your yoga practice. Over time, you will develop your teaching style and way of working with students. You will also develop relationships with your students and get to know them personally. As you get to know your students better, you can tailor your classes to meet their individual needs. Teaching yoga is a lifelong journey. There is always something new to learn. By openness to learning from your experiences, you will become a better teacher, and your classes will become more effective.
Intensive Training at Home
Teaching restorative yoga classes can be an incredibly rewarding experience. You get to help people relax and de-stress, and you also get to share your knowledge and love of yoga with others. However, before you can start teaching classes, you must have the proper training. While there are many different ways to get trained in restorative yoga, one of the best (and most convenient) ways is to do it online. There are a number of online courses that offer comprehensive training on everything from the basics of restorative yoga to more advanced concepts.
Advantages of Daily Focus
There are many advantages of getting your daily yoga fix from an online yoga teacher training course. Here are some of the top reasons: firstly, you can learn at your own pace and in the comfort of your home. Secondly, you can rewind and review sections as often as needed until you feel confident in your understanding. Thirdly, you can take the course at a time that suits you without having to work around a physical studio’s schedule. Fourthly, the cost of online courses is often lower than those offered in person. Lastly, you have a larger selection of courses at Aura Wellness Center.
Training to Suit Lifestyles
There are many different types of yoga, but restorative yoga is one of the most popular and beneficial. This type of yoga is perfect for those who want to wind down and relax after a long day. One of the best things about restorative yoga is that it can be done at home with little equipment. All you need is a comfortable place to lie down and some props to support your body. If you’re interested in becoming a restorative yoga teacher, many online teacher training programs are available.
So Much Flexibility
These programs will teach you everything you need to know about leading a class, including choosing the right poses and props and creating a relaxing atmosphere. Most online teacher training programs offer flexible scheduling to complete the coursework at your own pace. And, since you’ll be learning online, you can do the training from anywhere in the world. So, if you’re looking for a way to relax and rejuvenate your mind and body, consider taking a restorative yoga class. If you’re interested in becoming a teacher, we have many options available in yoga teacher training courses.
Training vs. Family Time
The biggest challenge you will face when you become a yoga teacher is finding the time to balance your work with your family life. A few options are available, but the most popular ones are online yoga teacher training and teaching restorative yoga classes. Online Yoga teacher training can be a great way to start in the yoga world.
Deepen Your Practice or Teach?
Some interns just want to learn more. Online training can also be a great way to deepen your practice and learn more about yoga. Teaching restorative yoga classes is an option, but it’s a great way to get started in the yoga world and can be a great way to balance your work and family life. You will only need to commit a few hours each week to teaching, and you will still have plenty of time for your family.
© Copyright – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division
Yoga teacher training can be a very rewarding and life changing experience. Thanks for sharing this type of valuable article about Teaching Restorative Yoga classes.
A yoga teacher training that completely immerses you in the process of practice, that training and theory can be a better option for you. Teaching Restorative Yoga classes is good for teachers and students.