Move & restore

This sequence is also available on YouTube.

DOING & NON-DOING
When I completed my recent studies on the nervous system and restorative yoga with Yoga Medicine I was curious to experiment more with the benefits of restorative yoga to the nervous system. I started including restorative poses at the end of my practice as a way to add more of this deeply heeling therapeutic practice into my day and continue to relearn how to relax. I started to notice that by adding some restorative at the end of my practice I was teaching my nervous system to be more malleable, swapping more smoothly from activity to relaxation, and appreciating the value of both. I noticed a few incidents where I was able to pause before I reacted to situations with the kids, and deal with it in a logical way rather than a knee jerk reaction. I felt less depleted at the end of a day when I felt I had given something back to my energy stores at the end of my yoga practice. On the days where I practiced a purely restorative session in the evening I noticed I would settle to sleep the minute my head hit the pillow, and better still, not experience the 4am disturbances to my nights sleep that I had slipped into.

I am currently teaching this style of class online on a Friday morning. You can practice live with me or practice in your own time with the class recording. Experience the benefits for yourself!

Here are some of the many benefits of restorative yoga: regulates the nervous system, balances emotions, balances hormones, eases stress & anxiety, boosts immune function, improves healing capacity, eases muscle tension, eases back and neck pain, reduces chronic pain, eases fatigue, improves sleep, improves overall wellbeing.

BUILDING A RESILIANT NERVOUS SYSTEM
While we can’t consciously control the nervous system we can create favourable conditions to influence our bodies response to external and internal sensory stimulus. Stress, or the sympathetic nervous response, is where we create, get our day's activities done and exercise. Resting or the parasympathetic nervous system is where the body clears out the ‘doing’ hormones, restores homeostasis balance to the body and creates an optimum environment for all the functions of the body. Both work in tandem and are a natural part of being human. This blended method of moving and restoring honours both the yin and yang within our day and helps build a resilient nervous system. To lean more about how the nervous system works and what happens when it tips into too much ‘doing’ have a read of my Finding calm article.

EXPLORING MOVE & RESTORE IN YOUR PRACTICE
This sequence starts with a movement practice with simple purposeful flows to build mobility and strength. There are three mini flows in the movement practice. Move slowly through the poses within each flow and then repeat each one with the breath guides above the poses. The sequence then transitions from doing to non-doing with a restorative practice to target the nervous system. In restorative yoga we consciously relax the body to bring it into a deep state of rest and create a healing environment. The goal of the restorative stage of this sequence is to replenish, absorb the benefits of moving and give back to your body's energy stores. The poses are held for longer periods (you will see the suggested hold times in the sequence) with the support of your blankets to help you to feel effortless comfort. Although props are king in restorative yoga there is plenty you can achieve with just a few blankets to support you and keep you warm. You will need three blankets for this practice. See below for alignment cues on your main restorative pose.

ALIGNMENT CUES
Have a read of the tips below and either print out the sequence or save it onto your device.

The peak pose of the movement sequence is Salabhasana/Locust, a fantastic full back body strengthener:

• Lie on your front, arms by your sides, palms facing your body, forehead resting on the ground.

• Inhale, press into your pubic bone, lift your head, upper torso, arms and legs, lift with the whole back. Reach your chest forward and up

• Extend your arms towards your feet, lift your legs up and press through the balls of your feet, roll your inner thighs up.

• Broaden through the collarbones, firm your shoulder blades onto your back, back of the neck long, gaze slightly forward.

RESTORATIVE POSE ALIGNMENT CUES
Below are the restorative techniques used in this sequence. The props you’ll need are:
1 x bolster - or 2 towels, wrapped around a horizontally rolled pillow and tied to secure.
2 x yoga blankets - or any wool, thick cotton or fleece blanket with density.

No.1 - Constructive rest
Start lying on your back, your knees bent, feet mat distant apart and knees knocked in together. Place your hands on your belly and feel the breath move through you. Take four rounds of 4/6 breath, inhaling for the count of 4 and exhaling for the count of 6. Keep the breath as gentle as possible, notice if you are holding any tension in your shoulders and upper chest. Pause after and notice any change this simple breath observation has made to your body and mind.

No.2 - Supine twist with raised hips
Fold a blanket in four, smooth it out and accordion fold it in three along the short side and place it in the centre of your mat. Place your second blanket folded at the top of your mat and a third blanket folded beside your mat. Sit your left hip and left thigh along your accordion fold blanket, place a the third folded blanket between your thighs, lie on your side. With arms in cactus position, open your right arm to your right and come into the twist. Place the second blanket under your right shoulder to ensure it is supported.

No.3 - Savasana
End your practice with at least 10 minutes of Savasana or Resting Pose. Lie supine on your back, legs stretched out, arms slightly away from your body, palms facing up. Legs slightly apart, feet fall out to the sides, soften your shoulder, back of the neck long. You can add an optional bolster under the knees or a blanket roll under the neck. Gently close your eyes, let the body become heavy and melt into the support of the ground. Soften the muscles across your forehead, releasing all tension, gaze inwards. Let all the muscles and bones of your body release.

To save the images for personal use click and hold down the image until the ‘save image’ option appears; on Mac hold down ‘control’ and click the image to get the option box; on PC right click on the image to get the option box. Scroll down in the ‘option box’ and click ‘save image’.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

What nourishes you?

This sequence is also available on YouTube.

YOUR NOURISHMENT LIST
Self care and nourishment go hand in hand. Taking time to look after ourselves nourishes us physically and mentally. Nourishment can be found in lots of different ways. My nourishment list includes yoga, meditation, fresh air, long walks, short walks, mountain walks, sea swims, reading for knowledge, reading for pleasure, being creative, connecting with others and best of all a good night's sleep after a restorative yoga session! Sitting down and writing your nourishment list is time well spent. Sometimes when you’re in a bit of a spin or feeling low it is hard to believe that there is a way out of it. Just take out your list and pick one of your guaranteed nourishment ‘pick me ups’.

WHAT YOGA POSES NOURISH YOU?
You can do the same with your yoga practice by building a list of poses that feel just right for you and nourish every part of your body and mind. They don’t need to be big statement poses. They are the poses that feel like you have arrived to a familiar place. Favourite poses are very personal and highlight how amazingly different we all are physically and mentally. Some days my nourishing pose might be Bakasana/Crow to help boost my energy and other days I will come back to Tadasana/Mountain throughout my practice to help me focus and notice how my practice is sitting me that day.

Most of us have poses that are our favourite, and similarly poses that challenge us. Some days meeting yourself on your mat with one of your challenging poses can help you overcome everyday challenges in life and give you the lift you need. Alternatively it can teach you to sit with discomfort and that not everything in life is to be conquered.

One of the benefits of a personal practice is that you are addressing your needs and tailoring your practice to meet them. Investing a little bit of time to work out which poses nourish you, and how they help you, will make your time on your mat more productive. Keep your list beside you as you practice and add some of your favourite poses into your practice regardless of what sequence you are following. Below are some of the poses that nourish me and how they help me. Some of the poses tick more than one box, but to give a variety examples I have picked all different poses for each list.

EXPLORING WHAT NOURISHES YOU IN YOUR PRACTICE
This sequence is a collection of some of my nourishing poses which I regularly add to my practice. You can add your nourishing poses into the mini flows in the sequence or add them as stand alone poses. If your pose is a standing pose add it into the standing section, if your pose is a seated pose add it into the end of the sequence etc. As you are running through the sequence notice how the poses are sitting with you. See what effect the poses I have picked have on you.

ALIGNMENT CUES
The peak pose of this sequence is Ardha Chandrasana/Half Moon, one of my favourite poses that helps me feel strong, focused and energised.

Have a read of the tips below and either print out the sequence or save it onto your device:

• From Trikonasana with your right leg forward, bend your front knee. Place your right hand a foot forward to the little toe side of your right foot, on a brick, or the ground, left hand on your hip.

• Step your left foot forward a little, press down through the three points of your right foot.

• Inhale, float your left leg up to hip height or slightly above, toes facing forward. Flex your foot parallel to the ground, press out through the heel, firm your lifted leg.

• Hips and shoulders stacked, reach your left arm up high, palm facing left, gaze down or to your left fingertips.

To save the images for personal use click and hold down the image until the ‘save image’ option appears; on Mac hold down ‘control’ and click the image to get the option box; on PC right click on the image to get the option box. Scroll down in the ‘option box’ and click ‘save image’.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Calming flow

This sequence is also available on YouTube.

THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
The nervous system is our body's method of reacting to ever changing situations inside and outside the body. It sends ‘sensory’ messages to the brain, which responds by sending ‘motor’ messages to the glands and muscles of the body to cause a chain of reactions to the situation.

When we are stressed the sympathetic nervous system, or the ‘fight or flight’ response, is firing. The nervous system sends signals to the brain and the brain decides the best action to take. In this stressed state it signals the body to increase heart rate and blood pressure, open our airways, inhibit digestion and reproductive organs, stimulate adrenaline production, open our sweat glands and tense the muscles ready for action. All with the purpose of dealing with the perceived stressful situation. When the stress has eases the body clears out the stress hormones and resets the organs and systems. But when we are constantly being triggered by stress the body gets stuck in this cycle and the systems get flooded by stress hormones it can’t flush out quick enough. In an ongoing state of chronic stress the organs of the body are not working optimally – reducing the functionality of the immune system, causing inflammation and eventually leading to health issues.

When the parasympathetic nervous system, or ‘rest and restore’ response, is triggered the nervous system sends signals to the body to reduce heart rate and blood pressure, relax our airways, stimulate digestion and reproductive organs, inhibit adrenaline production and relax the muscles. This creates optimal conditions for the functionality of the organs of the body, strengthens the immune system and relieves symptoms of stress, anxiety and tension.

These two reactions are autonomic nervous system responses which means they are involuntary and not something we can switch on and off. But we can create favourable conditions to influence which response we are in, depending on what we are looking for. They work hand in hand and when strong and malleable have the ability to shift smoothly from gear to gear throughout the day. To simplify it – our sympathetic nervous system gets us out of bed and helps us get our work done, and our parasympathetic nervous system help us rest and restore at the end of the day and gets us ready for a good night sleep. The body strives for balance and will always look to come back to homeostasis. Yoga is one of the best methods for helping your body find this delicate balance between the two nervous systems.

WHY IS YOGA CALMING?
What is it about yoga that makes it so calming? A question I frequently asked and was never completely satisfied with the answer ‘because it balances the nervous system’.

There are many nerves responsible for the parasympathetic response, most of them come from the cranial nerves with just three coming from spinal nerves. The main cranial nerve associated with 75% of the parasympathetic nerve fibres, and for regulating the parasympathetic response, is the vagus nerve. It travels to and from the brainstem straight to the throat, heart, diaphragm, stomach, kidneys, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, sphincter and reproductive organs. It initiates the parasympathetic responses to slow heart rate and reduce blood pressure, relax our airways, stimulate digestion and reproductive organs, inhibit adrenaline production, stimulate endorphin productions and relax the muscles.

BREATH, MOVEMENT AND CONSCIOUSNESS
There are three pathways to tapping into the vagus nerves – the way we breathe, how we move and how present on our mat we are during our practice. The vagus nerve runs through the centre of the diaphragm. When we breathe, in particular an extended exhale, the diaphragm stimulates the vagus nerve and causes a chemical reaction which activates the nerve fibres and sends messages to the brain. The brain processes this information from the vagus nerve and initiates the parasympathetic response in all the parts of the body which this ‘wandering nerve’ travels to. The breath is one of the fastest ways to stimulate the vagus nerve which is why it is so important in yoga.

Receptors called mechanoreceptors are found in the hips, knee, shoulders and spinal joints. We activate them by gently moving and stretching the connective tissue of these joints. They respond by sending signals to the brian to inhibit the sympathetic response. When the sympathetic nervous system is inhibited the parasympathetic nervous system kicks in.

Being present on our mat as we move also has a big impact in the effectiveness of our practice in terms of calming and soothing. When we consciously take the time to switch off and include some self care into your day it helps start a positive mindset. Sometimes stress can be managed by just consciously breaking the loop. This combined with the breath and movement allows the vagus nerve to communicate with the amygdala (emotional response) and reduces its inclination towards the sympathetic ‘fight or flight’ response and rewires it towards a parasympathetic response. Think of the vagus nerve as the steady minded peacekeeper at decision times.

EXPLORING FINDING CALM IN YOUR PRACTICE
This sequence starts with some gentle repetitive flows to link movement with breath, ease out any held tension and initiate the calming process. This will gently help the mind and body to accept the idea of clearing out stress, anxiety or tension and transform to a calmer state of being.

Start your practice with a few rounds of viloma breath to help you link with your breath and naturally lengthen the exhale. You can do this lying on your back or in a comfortable cross legged seated position. Viloma breath breaks the exhale into three. When you are ready take one full breath for nothing, then inhale completely, exhale, pause, exhale, pause, and exhale the full breath.

After your standing flows you will come down for some seated poses to bring you down to a grounded practice and continue to cultivate a calming practice.

ALIGNMENT CUES
The mini flow will help you connect breath with movement. You will see a ‘+’ for the inhale and a ‘-’ for the exhale to help you establish a nice smooth breath. If you are finding it hard to shift to a lower gear continue to repeat the mini flow until you notice you are starting to flow with ease and a sense of submission to the practice.

The peak pose of this sequence is Upavistha Konasana/Wide Leg Seated Forward Fold which is a calming seated forward fold.

Have a read of the tips below and either print out the sequence or save it onto your device:

• From Dandasana, open your legs out wide, press out through the heels, thighs pressing into the ground, toes pointing up.

• Place your hands either side of your hips, stack your pelvis.

• Inhale, lengthen up through your spine, exhale, fold forward from the hip joint, stretch your arms out between your legs and lengthen through the front, sides and back body, draw your navel towards your spine. Sit bones reach back.

• Lead with your sternum, inhale, lengthen the spine, exhale, release further forward, walk your hands forward a little as you fold forward, or hold onto your big toes, gaze down.

To save the images for personal use click and hold down the image until the ‘save image’ option appears; on Mac hold down ‘control’ and click the image to get the option box; on PC right click on the image to get the option box. Scroll down in the ‘option box’ and click ‘save image’.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru