Welcome to our 2nd installment of Family Friday, a four week long series of blog posts focusing on how to easily incorporate yoga and mindfulness into your family yoga practice.
This week’s post highlights Restorative Yoga, which truly is one of my favorite practices.
We work very hard in our lives, and while we may sleep, we rarely take time to relax. Restorative yoga poses help us learn to rest deeply and completely. — Judith Hanson Lasater
In today’s hectic world of juggling work, home, family responsibilities and more, we ALL need time to relax and feel supported. Just five minutes to unwind away from our mobile devices and list of things to do, will make a difference!
This is exactly what Restorative Yoga is all about – relaxing into poses using props for ease and comfort. While yoga studios supply an assortment of props to use (bolsters, blocks, and blankets), this experience can easily be accomplished at home with firm pillows, sofa cushions, blankets and more.
And it’s not just for adults, kids benefit from this form of active relaxation as well!
How to practice restorative family yoga:
Set the Stage (similar to the environment for belly breathing discussed in the First Family Friday)
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Dim the lights or use an eye pillow
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Put on relaxing music – nature sounds, classical or acoustic music are all perfect. I’ve been enjoying Yoga Music for Kids Masters, especially their Soft Music for Kids album.
https://soundcloud.com/yogamusicforkidsmasters
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Listen and see if you like anything. And if you have any other favorites you’d like to tell me about — please add them to the comments below. I am ALWAYS looking for new tunes.
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If you have essential oils and a diffuser, go ahead and diffuse your favorite (lavender is mine for relaxation). Or you could spray some flower-scented water. I have made my own, but have also purchased Heritage Store Rose Petals Rose Water spray at Whole Foods and Fairway. You could even get similar items on Amazon or elsewhere on the web.
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