Yoga guide
Restorative yoga is rest in poses so well supported by bolsters, blankets and blocks that no muscle has to work. A session uses a handful of poses held for several minutes each (10 to 15 minutes in the largest trial), often with your eyes covered, and ends with a long rest. It isn't a stretch class or a workout: it's practice at relaxing.
In small trials people found it easy to stick with, and it helped with work stress and mood in some groups. But in the largest trial, which ran for a year, a stretching class did as well or better for stress, and the claims that it resets your nervous system haven't been tested.
This guide covers how a class works, the props, how it differs from yin yoga and yoga nidra, what the trials found and who should adapt it, with a 45-minute sequence and every pose shown in 3D.
Props hold you up so that no muscle has to work. The largest trial describes long rests in supported poses, using props to remove all muscular effort, and the method's own school describes gentle, opening poses rather than stretches.
Trials used 5 to 10 poses a session, and the largest held most poses for 10 to 15 minutes. In another trial, nurses practised the poses at home for 5 to 15 minutes at a time.
Four weeks of short home sessions lowered stress scores in 20 night-shift nurses. But in the largest trial, which ran for a year, a stretching class lowered stress, and the stress hormone cortisol, more than restorative yoga did.
In 180 adults with the metabolic syndrome, a year of restorative yoga lowered fasting blood sugar slightly more than stretching did, with no difference in anything else measured.
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Lying still uses about 1 MET (metabolic equivalent: the energy you use at rest), so restorative yoga doesn't count toward your 150 minutes of activity a week. In a weight-loss trial, the diet did the work, whichever yoga style people did.
With glaucoma, change the poses that put your head below your heart, and in later pregnancy avoid lying flat on your back for more than a few minutes. The safety section says how.
The largest trial defines restorative yoga as "prolonged periods of rest in supported poses using props to remove all muscular effort". The method's own school calls it a practice focused on deep relaxation in silence, "using props to support the body in gentle, opening poses rather than stretches".
The British Wheel of Yoga (BWY) describes yin and restorative yoga as static, floor-based practices where you might spend several minutes in a posture, supported by props. A yin yoga school describes restorative yoga as a very gentle practice for people who are injured, stressed or ill, which "does not try to stress the tissues deeply".
A trial paper traces restorative yoga to B.K.S. Iyengar, who experimented with props so that his students could practise without strain, and says the teacher Judith Hanson Lasater later expanded it. Her own site says she has taught yoga since 1971, and her school's teacher training covers ten core restorative poses. The largest trial took Iyengar and Iyengar-influenced poses from her book.
In the largest trial, 90-minute classes used five main resting poses with variations (forward and backward bends, twists, and inverted and reclining positions), mostly in silence, with the eyes covered by a towel or an eye pillow. A military trial used 5 to 10 poses in an hour, with slow transitions and guided breathing. A sleep trial in cancer survivors finished its gentle hatha classes with supported reclining bound angle, supported child's pose, a lying twist, supported bridge, legs up the wall and a final rest.
A yin yoga school describes restorative classes as small, perhaps four to twelve people, so the teacher can help set up each pose, and quieter than other styles.
In the nurses' trial, people breathed slowly and gently through the nose with the mouth closed. You don't need breath holds or special techniques (our suggestion).
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No one has measured restorative yoga's energy cost, but its poses are lying or sitting still. The Compendium of Physical Activities rates lying quietly at 1.0 MET and meditating at 1.0, and the World Health Organization (WHO) counts anything up to 1.5 METs while sitting or lying as sedentary. In a measured vinyasa class, heart rate was lowest in the opening sequence and the closing restorative one. In energy terms, restorative yoga is rest, which is its purpose.
Lasater's site lists, for home practice, a mat, a round and a rectangular bolster, 5 blankets, 2 foam blocks, a strap, a yoga chair, a foam roller, a sandbag and an eye bag. Her teacher training asks for 2 bolsters, an eye cover, 2 blocks and 6 firm blankets. You don't need all of it to start.
The BWY notes that plenty of household items can double as yoga props. Our suggestions:
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Add support until nothing aches or stretches: under your knees, under your head and under anything that hangs in the air. Cover yourself, because you cool down when you're still, and set a timer so you can stop watching the clock (our suggestions).
Props hold you so your muscles can switch off, and there's no stretch at all. Poses are held for several minutes, often with the eyes covered.
Yin holds a stretch at your "first stopping point" for 1 to 10 minutes, in the yin school's teaching. The same school says yin challenges the student and deeply stresses the tissues, while restorative yoga doesn't. Our yin yoga guide covers it.
Yoga nidra is done in one position, usually lying on your back. A review describes a structured seven-step process: preparation, a resolve, moving your attention around the body, breath awareness, relaxing feelings and emotions, visualisation and a close. Our yoga nidra guide covers it.
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A restorative session can end with a guided yoga nidra in the final rest, and yin and restorative poses mix well in a slow evening session (our suggestions). Our types of yoga guide compares restorative and yin yoga with the other styles.
A search of a large research database found 12 records with restorative yoga in the title and 17 more that mention it in the summary. Every study of restorative yoga alone is small, from 14 to 180 people, and only one compared it with an equally attentive class over a year.
In 20 night-shift nurses in Japan, 4 weeks of restorative poses at home, for about 5 to 15 minutes at least 3 times a week, lowered work-stress scores from 65.7 to 56.1, against 64.1 with their usual ways of relaxing. No one dropped out.
But in the year-long trial in adults with the metabolic syndrome, the stretching class lowered perceived stress (by 2.0 points more at a year) and cortisol (at 6 months) more than restorative yoga did. The authors credit the group support of the more interactive stretching classes. A study of 25 medical students, who felt more relaxed after weekly classes, had no comparison group.
The metabolic syndrome is a cluster of raised blood pressure, blood sugar, blood fats and waist size. In 180 underactive adults with it, 48 weeks of restorative yoga lowered fasting blood sugar by 0.35 millimoles per litre, against 0.03 with stretching. Nothing else differed: not long-term blood sugar, blood fats, insulin, blood pressure or belly fat. The authors call restorative yoga marginally better than stretching for fasting glucose. An earlier pilot in 26 adults found a trend toward lower blood pressure that wasn't significant.
In small studies of women with breast or ovarian cancer (33 to 51 people), restorative classes improved depression, mental health or positive mood, against a waiting list or with no comparison group. Results for tiredness and sleep were inconsistent.
In 35 sedentary breast and ovarian cancer survivors, restorative yoga three times a week was compared with vigorous, vinyasa-based yoga. More people kept going with restorative yoga (85% against 73% attended enough classes), fewer reported mild to moderate pain (10% against 40%), and thinking skills were better at 24 weeks. Most people who were asked declined to take part (175 of 226), so the volunteers may not represent everyone.
US cancer guidelines from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the Society for Integrative Oncology say yoga may also be recommended for tiredness after cancer treatment, and recommend yoga for anxiety during treatment and for low mood during and after it. They mean yoga in general, not restorative yoga in particular. Our exercise and cancer guide has more.
In 410 cancer survivors with poor sleep, 4 weeks of twice-weekly 75-minute classes mixing gentle hatha and restorative poses improved sleep quality more than usual care, and sleeping-pill use fell by 21% a week, against a 5% rise. There was no comparison class to match the attention, and the two styles can't be separated. We found no trial of restorative yoga alone for sleep.
In the year-long trial, people attended more restorative classes than stretching classes (67% against 52%) and did more home practice in the first 6 months (85% against 67%), and in cancer survivors more people kept going with restorative than with vigorous yoga. That matters most for people who are exhausted, unwell, older or new to exercise (our reading).
In 50 adults with obesity on a 6-month diet and behaviour programme, those who added restorative hatha yoga lost about as much weight as those who added vinyasa (3.4 against 3.8 kg). The diet did the work, and nearly half found the hour-long sessions a barrier.
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In 14 women after the menopause, 8 weekly 90-minute classes cut hot flushes by about 31% a week, with no comparison group and no harms reported. Our exercise and menopause guide covers the options with better evidence.
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The method's school says restorative yoga activates the calming (parasympathetic) branch of the nervous system and may lower blood pressure and improve fertility, immunity and digestion. No restorative trial we found has tested these. In the nurses, blood pressure and pulse fell a little over a session but not significantly, and in the year-long trial cortisol fell more with stretching.
Trials used classes of 60 to 90 minutes, once to three times a week, for 4 to 48 weeks. The largest asked for home practice of at least 30 minutes three times a week; the nurses practised at home for about 5 to 15 minutes at least three times a week.
Two to four poses for 5 to 10 minutes each, 20 to 30 minutes in all, 2 or 3 times a week or on most evenings, or a weekly class of 45 to 60 minutes. Finish with about 10 minutes in corpse pose. These hold times are our suggestion, shorter than the largest trial's 10 to 15 minutes. Set a timer, so you can stop watching the clock and don't sleep for an hour.
The NHS recommends 150 minutes of moderate activity a week and strength work on 2 days. Restorative yoga counts toward neither, so pair it with walking and strength exercises.
The set-up follows the supported bound angle of the nurses' trial (Miyoshi 2019) and the bolster, belt and blankets of the cancer sleep trial (Mustian 2013). The 5 to 10 minutes is our suggestion: longer than the move page's starting point of 2 to 5 minutes, and shorter than the 10 to 15 of the largest trial (Kanaya 2014).
See the movement on the 3D figure: Reclining bound angle pose (Supta Baddha Konasana)
Set each pose up with props until nothing stretches or aches, then stay for 3 to 10 minutes (our suggestion); supported bridge has its own page but no 3D demo yet, and crocodile breathing is a face-down rest if you'd rather not lie on your back.
3D demoReclining bound angle pose (Supta Baddha Konasana)Beginner · Firm cushion
3D demoChild's Pose (Balasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoSupine spinal twist (Supta Matsyendrasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoLegs up the wall (Viparita Karani)Beginner · A wall
Supported bridge pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)Beginner · Firm cushion
3D demoCorpse pose (Savasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoCrocodile breathing (prone diaphragmatic breathing)Beginner · No equipmentBreathe slowly and gently through your nose, as in the nurses' trial, for 3 to 5 minutes as you arrive (our suggestion), and with glaucoma skip any practice with a breath hold, such as 4-7-8 breathing.
Start with the 45-minute restorative sequence. The bedtime routine is a shorter restorative-style wind-down with briefer holds, and the chair yoga workout suits you if getting down to the floor is hard.
A 45-minute restorative yoga sequence: five fully supported poses held for 4 to 10 minutes each, with slow breathing and a long final rest.
45 minBeginner6 movesFirm cushion, A wallA slow, 10-minute floor routine to unwind before sleep: child's pose, twists, happy baby and slow breathing.
10 minBeginner7 movesFirm cushion, A wallA 35-minute yin-style session: seated and lying poses held for 2 to 4 minutes with slow breathing, finishing with legs up the wall and a long rest.
35 minBeginner9 movesA wallA 6-minute breathing routine: slow breathing, crocodile breathing, alternate nostril breathing, box breathing and 4-7-8 breathing.
6 minBeginner5 movesNo equipmentA 12-minute reset for stressful days: 4 minutes of brisk movement, 3 minutes to loosen your neck, shoulders and back, then 5 minutes of slow breathing.
12 minBeginner10 movesA bench or box, A wallA gentle 20-minute yoga practice, sitting and standing with your eyes open, where every pose is optional and you can stop at any point.
20 minBeginner11 movesA bench or boxA free 20-minute chair yoga class for older adults: slow breathing, gentle seated stretches and twists, standing poses holding the chair, and a calm finish.
20 minBeginner18 movesA bench or box, Something with weightSupported bridge and legs up the wall put your head below your heart. The American Academy of Ophthalmology counts bridge pose as an inversion and advises getting your doctor's OK before any pose that places your head below your heart. In a lab study, legs up the wall raised eye pressure within a minute, from about 17 to 21 millimetres of mercury, and it settled within 2 minutes of sitting up.
Ask your eye doctor before legs up the wall. If you do it, keep your hips on the floor and rest your head on a folded blanket, or stay in reclining bound angle instead, and skip supported bridge (our suggestions, in line with our glaucoma guide).
In later pregnancy, the NHS advises avoiding any activity that involves lying flat on your back for more than a few minutes, and the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) advises avoiding poses that involve long periods of being still or lying on your back. From the end of the first trimester, recline on a bolster with your chest well above your hips, or rest on your side with pillows between your knees and under your bump. If you feel dizzy, sick or unwell lying down, roll onto your side. Our pregnancy yoga guide has the details.
The NHS advises people with low blood pressure to move slowly from lying to sitting to standing. After long lying holds, roll to your side, pause, sit for a few breaths, then stand, especially if you take medicines that lower blood pressure.
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The UK consensus on exercise for osteoporosis advises modifying or avoiding sustained, repeated or end-range forward bending. In child's pose, put the bolster lengthwise under your chest so your back stays long, skip supported seated forward folds, and choose reclining and side-lying poses.
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In a case report, a woman who fell asleep for 4 hours in a seated forward bend after taking a strong painkiller and a sedating antidepressant damaged nerves in both legs. Don't do long holds when you're drowsy from alcohol or sedating medicines, set a timer, and come out at once for tingling or numbness.
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The NHS advises people with joint hypermobility not to overextend their joints just because they can. The poses are meant to be supported, not stretched: support your thighs in reclining bound angle so your hips don't hang at the end of their range.
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Covered eyes and long stillness don't suit everyone. If they bring on panic or flashbacks, keep your eyes open, lie where you can see the door, or sit up and look around the room; our yoga nidra guide and trauma-sensitive yoga session have more.
For chest pain that feels tight or like squeezing, or that spreads to your arms, neck or jaw, or chest pain with feeling sick or a racing, slow or fluttering heartbeat. In the US, call 911.
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The NHS advises getting advice from a health professional before following an exercise video if you have a health problem, an injury or any symptoms, have had a recent health event such as a heart attack or operation, or are pregnant or have recently given birth. NCCIH advises people who are pregnant, older or have a health condition to talk to both their doctor and their yoga teacher about their needs.
Come out of a pose for sharp or increasing pain, tingling, numbness or dizziness, or if it hurts as you come out: the yin school's rule is that pain may mean you went too deep or stayed too long. Add more support and try again, or leave the pose out.
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If tiredness, poor sleep or stress isn't improving after a few weeks of looking after yourself, or comes with weight loss, low mood or anything new. Our exercise for stress and exercise for sleep guides have more on when to get help.
The method's school says it activates the calming (parasympathetic) nervous system. No restorative trial we found measured that, blood pressure and pulse didn't change significantly over a session in nurses, and cortisol fell more with stretching in the year-long trial. It's relaxing, which is worth having, but "reset" is marketing.
These are among the benefits the method's school lists. No restorative trial has tested them.
Yin holds a stretch at your first stopping point; restorative yoga supports you so there's no stretch. The yin school itself says they are different practices.
Its energy use is close to lying still, and in a weight-loss trial the yoga style made no difference: the diet did the work.
Small trials found benefits for mood in cancer, work stress in nurses and fasting blood sugar, and people kept it up better than stretching or vigorous yoga. Modest, but not nothing.
It's gentle, but head-down poses matter with glaucoma, lying flat matters in later pregnancy, and falling asleep in a forward fold after sedating medicines has damaged nerves.
A style where props such as bolsters, blankets and blocks support you completely, so you can rest in each pose for several minutes with no stretching or effort. Classes use a handful of poses, often with your eyes covered, and finish with a long rest.
Usually several minutes. The largest trial held most poses for 10 to 15 minutes, and nurses in another trial practised at home for 5 to 15 minutes at a time. Our sequence holds each pose for 4 to 10 minutes, which is our suggestion.
Yin holds a gentle stretch for 1 to 10 minutes; restorative yoga props you so there's no stretch at all. Both are slow and floor-based, and our types of yoga guide compares them.
No. Restorative yoga is a series of supported poses, and yoga nidra is a guided relaxation in seven steps, done lying in one position. A restorative session can end with a yoga nidra in the final rest.
A bolster or two firm pillows, three to five folded blankets, a couple of cushions or blocks, a strap and an eye cover. Household items work well; add support until nothing aches or stretches.
Possibly, but the evidence is mixed. Night-shift nurses had lower stress scores after 4 weeks of short home sessions, but in a larger, year-long trial a stretching class lowered stress and cortisol more.
In 410 cancer survivors, a programme combining gentle hatha and restorative poses improved sleep quality and cut sleeping-pill use. No trial has tested restorative yoga alone for sleep, and if insomnia lasts, see a GP.
No. It uses about as much energy as lying still, so it doesn't count toward your 150 minutes of activity or your strength days. In a weight-loss trial, the diet did the work, whichever yoga style people did.
Yes: it needs no flexibility or fitness, and in trials people kept it up better than stretching or vigorous yoga. It's a good way to start if you're tired, unwell or new to exercise, alongside some walking.
Usually yes, with changes. In later pregnancy avoid lying flat on your back for more than a few minutes, so recline on a bolster or rest on your side, and tell your midwife and your teacher that you're pregnant.
With glaucoma, ask your eye doctor first, and skip or change poses that put your head below your heart, such as supported bridge and legs up the wall with your hips raised. With osteoporosis, keep forward folds short and supported, and choose reclining poses.
Trials used classes once to three times a week, or short home sessions at least 3 times a week. Our starting point is 20 to 30 minutes, 2 or 3 times a week or on most evenings.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. If you are pregnant, have a health condition such as glaucoma, high blood pressure or osteoporosis, or have had recent surgery, check with a doctor, midwife or physiotherapist before starting, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
