Restorative Yoga in Kansas City area
Restorative Yoga is the ideal style of yoga for reducing your stress load, known in stress research as your “allostatic load.”
What is your allostatic load?
Reaching your Allostatic Load Maximum is the proverbial “last straw.”
You know this moment. It’s when you’re functioning decently (and mostly kindly) and then… you spill the entire Costco-sized container of cinnamon two minutes before you have to leave for work, you remember that three out of four roads of your daily commute are currently closed, you realize you’ve forgotten a deadline and your kid/spouse/dog/roommate is whining.
This. Is. The. Final. Straw.
Dr. Hans Seyle’s “General Stress Adaptation Theory” suggests that your body’s resiliency and adaptability decline over time as it comes into contact with attention-grabbing input.
Throughout the day, your body naturally progresses from homeostasis (your ideal physiological and emotional baseline where everything is groovy and you feel like you are functioning well) to the exhaustion phase (your reserves are depleted, you’re ready to snap and your body may be susceptible to disease).
1️⃣ Phase 1: Alarm
2️⃣ Phase 2: Resistance
3️⃣ Phase 3: Exhaustion Phase / Allostatic Load Maxed out
Reaching your “Allostatic Load Max” is not ideal, but it is a part of being alive and engaging in this world.
Restorative Yoga is the ideal style of yoga for reducing your stress load because it regulates your nervous system through deep breathing, targeted systematic relaxation techniques, gentle postures and supportive props.
Restorative Yoga:
Private Sessions available with Lisa Ash Yoga
Yoga Therapeutics Techniques to Reduce Your Stress Load:
✨ Diaphragmatic Breathing: Fill your belly with each inhale through your nose. Empty your belly with each exhale. This stretches nerve receptors in the thoracic cavity and naturally lengthens your exhale, which coaxes the nervous system to downregulate.
✨ Neck Stretches: The cranial nerves here at the brainstem are important regulators of your “rest, digest and repair” nervous system response (parasympathetic system.) We tend to carry excess strain in our jaw, neck and shoulders. Don’t overthink it: just spend a red light stretching your neck instead of scrolling.
✨Heavy Weight: Deep pressure like weighted blankets and sandbags used in Restorative Yoga Poses send positive messages to your parasympathetic nerve receptors (like Pacinian corpuscles and Ruffini endings) that, “it’s ok to relax.”
✨ Restorative Yoga: Private Sessions available with Lisa Ash Yoga. Book Here
Benefits of Restorative Yoga
Improved relaxation with Restorative Yoga in Kansas City: Deep breathing calms the nervous system to promote relaxation, and research supports a restorative yoga practice as an effective way to relax. A 2014 study suggests that restorative yoga is more applicable at inducing relaxation than regular passive stretching.
Improved Sleep with Restorative Yoga in Kansas City: The more relaxed you are, the better your chances are of getting a good night's rest. A 2020 meta-analysis looked at 19 different studies on how different types of yoga—including restorative yoga—can impact sleep quality. Researchers determined that yoga is an effective intervention for managing sleep problems by increasing melatonin and reducing hyperarousal.
Better Mental Health with Restorative Yoga in Kansas City: Yoga practices are known to have a positive impact on your mental well-being. It increases blood flow to areas of your body and increases serotonin.
Reduced Pain with Restorative Yoga in Kansas City: : Studies show that different styles of yoga including restorative yoga are helpful interventions for the management of musculoskeletal pain.
Improved Joint Health with Restorative Yoga in Kansas City: : Restorative yoga practices are gentle on the joints, and consistent practice can strengthen the connective tissues that surround the bones and joints.
