This week, I guided a restorative yoga session, and once again I was reminded of something so simple yet so easy to forget: the body and the brain need slowness to heal.
In our daily lives, we move fast—often too fast for our nervous system to keep up. Restorative yoga invites us to do the opposite. It asks us to pause, to soften, to trust gravity, and to allow the body to unwind at its own pace. It’s a practice of doing less so that the body can do more in the background—repairing, digesting, releasing, and rebalancing.
Why Slowing Down Matters to the Brain
Our brain is constantly scanning the world for tension, pressure, and potential stress. When we slow down and settle into long-held, supported poses, something meaningful happens—and scientists are beginning to understand how.
- The brain finally gets the message that it is safe.
Safety is the foundation for relaxation. Research shows that yoga helps regulate the stress-response system, shifting us from “on alert” (sympathetic nervous system) to the calming “rest and digest” mode (parasympathetic system). - Stress hormones decrease.
An 8-week yoga study found significant reductions in cortisol and improvements in working memory and executive function compared to a stretching control group. - Better brain structure and cognitive resilience.
Brain imaging studies indicate that consistent yoga practice leads to larger hippocampal volume and a thicker cortex—areas connected with memory, learning, emotional regulation, and aging well. - Improved neuroplasticity.
Mind-body practices like restorative yoga support the brain’s ability to form new connections, promoting resilience and mental clarity.
In other words, the slowness of restorative yoga is not passive; it actively supports the brain in healing, reorganizing, and rebalancing.
"The Sky That Holds Us Through the Dark". On mornings like this, the clouds glow to remind us that even in our lowest-energy days, renewal is already on its way. This is why we pause. This is why we restore.
The Restorative Poses We Practiced—and Why They Support the Brain
In our session, we moved through a gentle sequence of supported restorative poses. Each posture was held for several minutes, allowing the brain and body to shift into stillness, safety, and release. Slow, supported holds activate the parasympathetic nervous system — the place where digestion, repair, and deep restoration happen.
Here are the poses we explored and what they offer:
Supported Butterfly Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana)
A spacious, supported hip opener.
It relaxes the belly and groin, reducing tension in the amygdala (the brain’s stress center) and supporting emotional regulation.
Wide-Legged Seated Forward Fold with Support (Upavistha Konasana)
A slow, supported forward bend that lengthens the spine and quiets the mind.
Forward folds are known to reduce sympathetic activity—the “fight-or-flight” response—and increase self-awareness.
Supported Child’s Pose (Balasana)
A grounding, deeply comforting posture.
The supported belly and head soothe the vagus nerve, lower heart rate, and reduce blood pressure.
Supported Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana)
With the sacrum resting on a block, this gentle inversion calms the nervous system and supports healthy circulation to the brain.
Legs-Up Variation (Viparita Karani)
Simply lifting the legs toward the ceiling with support beneath the lower back calms the circulatory system, relieves fatigue, and lowers cortisol levels.
Supported Fish Pose (Matsyasana)
A soft heart opener supported by blocks or a bolster.
It frees the diaphragm, expands the breath, and improves vagal tone—supporting the brain’s calm pathways.
Letting the Body Stretch and Release
Restorative poses create gentle, supported openings that the body can explore in its own time. Because these shapes are held longer, tissues, muscles, fascia, and joints get time to soften and rehydrate. The body begins to trust the process, allowing deep tension and even emotions stored in the body to surface and release naturally.
Restorative yoga helps your body feel safe enough to let go, shifting your nervous system from survival mode into a calmer, healthier state where stress is easier to handle, and emotions feel steadier.
A Chance to Restart — Body, Mind, Brain
Every time we enter a restorative pose, we give ourselves a moment to reboot.
To begin again.
To check back in with our inner world.
Thanks to slow movement, breath, and stillness, restorative yoga offers more than relaxation. It promotes neurobiological shifts: calmer stress response, improved cognitive function, a more balanced nervous system, and greater emotional resilience.
Restorative yoga is not a luxury—it is nourishment.
A reset button for the entire system.
A loving reminder that slowing down is not stopping; it is preparing us to move forward with clarity, strength, and grounding.
A Gentle Invitation for Those Who Feel “Too Busy”
I often hear people say they are too busy, too overwhelmed, juggling too many projects, or carrying the weight of single parenthood or financial stress. These are real experiences, and I hold them with deep respect. At the same time, I’ve learned that this automatic “I can’t” response usually comes from a nervous system in survival mode, not from who we truly are. Reacting from this place doesn’t reduce the workload; it only tightens our internal space and can unintentionally push others away. Restorative yoga teaches us another way: even a moment of slowing down can create spaciousness inside, soften our edges, and reconnect us to support. We don’t need to fix everything; sometimes, we only need to pause long enough to remember we are not alone.
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