Restorative yoga was developed by BKS Iyengar, one of the biggest yoga masters of 20th century. His style of yoga is called Iyengar yoga. He led his students to use props for better alignment in yoga asanas, which led into developing restorative yoga. Restorative yoga was then popularized by one of Iyengar's students - Judith Hanson Lasater.
Restorative yoga uses positions similar to your regular yoga positions but these are practised slower and with the use of props such as blankets, bolsters, cushions, etc. The body needs to feel supported as the main goal of restorative yoga is deep physical and mental relaxation. This style of yoga balances our hectic lifestyle, releases stress and anxiety, helps with illness, injury or emotional trauma recovery. Restorative yoga activates parasympathetic nervous system which cannot be controlled by our will. This system controls functions such as heartbeat, digestion, breathing. During restorative yoga our will controlled nervous system gets a break, muscles and nerves can relax deeply. 
​With regular practise of restorative yoga we build up our resilience and become less affected by stress related illnesses. 
Orange Massage and Yoga is running Restorative yoga workshop on Sunday 27th August 2017, 9 - 11am. I'm looking forward to seeing you there!

Long time ago in China, there lived a man who carried water. He used two clay pots attached to a stick which he carried around his neck. There was a little crack in one of the clay pots. The other pot was perfect. At the end of the man's long way from the stream to his house, the perfect pot was always full of water but the cracked one was only half full. 

It was like this for two years. Every day, the man brought home only one and half pots of water. The perfect pot was proud of its ability to carry water without losing any of it. On the other hand, the cracked pot was ashamed of itself for not being able to carry water without losing some. After two years of suffering, the cracked pot said to the man: "I'm very sorry that I cannot serve you better. Maybe it is time you replaced me."

But the man answered: "Didn't you notice that beautiful flowers grow only on your side of the path? That's because I knew about your crack and deliberately planted flower seeds on your side of the path. You water them every day on our way home from the stream. I've had a beautiful flowers to pick and decorate my house with for two years now. If you were not the way you are, my house would be much less beautiful and joyful." 

We all are clay pots with little cracks. These little cracks make us unique and special. We only need to accept others as they are, with their cracks and see the positive within them. And of course the same applies to ourselves.

​Accept yourself as you are with all your cracks. You are unique!