Restorative Yoga: The Practice of Doing Less

Modern ideas about exercise tend to revolve around effort. We count repetitions, kilometres, calories, heart rate and minutes spent in particular training zones. Even activities originally associated with contemplation can acquire targets: greater flexibility, a more difficult posture, a longer hold or a more impressive sequence. Restorative yoga travels deliberately in the opposite direction.

A restorative practice typically uses blankets, bolsters, blocks, straps, chairs and walls to support the body in a small number of positions that can be held comfortably for considerably longer than they would be in a conventional yoga class. The objective is not to stretch as deeply as possible or develop strength through maintaining a demanding posture. Support is used precisely so that muscular effort can be reduced.

The result can look remarkably uneventful from the outside. Someone may spend ten minutes lying over a bolster with blankets beneath the head and knees. Another posture might consist of lying on the floor with the lower legs resting on a chair. A session lasting an hour may contain only a handful of positions. That apparent lack of activity is rather the point.

Where restorative yoga came from

Restorative yoga is a modern form of yoga rather than an unchanged practice handed down intact from ancient India. Its development is closely associated with the twentieth-century yoga teacher B.K.S. Iyengar, whose approach to asana made extensive use of supports such as blocks, belts, blankets, ropes and chairs. Props allowed positions to be adapted to individual bodies and enabled practitioners to remain in particular asanas with greater stability and less effort. One of Iyengar’s students, the American yoga teacher Judith Hanson Lasater, subsequently became particularly influential in developing and popularising what is now commonly described as restorative yoga.

This history is worth acknowledging because modern wellness culture has a tendency to make contemporary practices sound ancient simply because they draw upon older traditions. Restorative yoga certainly belongs within the much larger history of yoga, but the highly supported practice familiar from contemporary studios is a comparatively recent development. That does not make it less valuable. It simply makes its history more accurate.

What actually makes a posture restorative?

A restorative posture is not simply an ordinary yoga posture performed slowly. The distinction lies largely in support and effort. Imagine a seated forward fold. In a conventional practice, maintaining the position might require muscular engagement while the practitioner actively works with flexibility. In a restorative version, bolsters, blankets and blocks might be arranged beneath the torso and head so that the body does not have to hold itself against gravity. Once properly supported, there should be remarkably little to accomplish.

That makes positioning unusually important. A bolster that is slightly too low, a neck held awkwardly or a leg that begins to strain after several minutes can turn an apparently restful posture into a surprisingly uncomfortable one. Props are therefore not decorative accessories; they are what make extended, low-effort positioning possible. This also explains why restorative yoga and stretching should not automatically be treated as synonyms. Stretching deliberately places tissues under some degree of lengthening. A restorative posture may involve gentle opening or movement, but increasing range of motion is not necessarily its primary purpose. That distinction has proved useful scientifically, because researchers have actually compared restorative yoga with conventional stretching rather than assuming the two interventions are equivalent.

A practice organised around rest

A typical restorative session begins by making the environment comfortable and reducing unnecessary stimulation. The practitioner then moves through relatively few positions, with considerably more time spent settling into each one than would be usual in a flowing yoga class. A supported reclining posture might allow the front of the body to open gently without requiring the back muscles to hold the position. A supported child’s pose can allow the torso to rest completely rather than hover above the floor. Legs may be elevated on a chair or supported against a wall, while blankets can be used beneath the head, knees or ankles to remove points of tension. Breathing remains natural and unforced unless a particular breathing practice is being taught alongside the postures.

There is an important difference here between resting and performing rest correctly. If we approach restorative yoga with another set of targets, trying to breathe perfectly, empty the mind or achieve some ideal state of relaxation, we have rather missed its character. Thoughts will still occur. Someone may feel restless. The body may take time to settle. Restorative yoga provides the conditions for rest; it cannot command the nervous system to relax on demand.

What happens when we slow down?

This is where restorative yoga is frequently surrounded by claims that run considerably ahead of the evidence. It is common to read that restorative yoga switches on the parasympathetic nervous system, reduces cortisol, resets the nervous system or even heals adrenal fatigue. Human physiology is considerably more complicated. The autonomic nervous system regulates processes including heart rate, blood pressure, digestion and respiratory activity through interacting sympathetic and parasympathetic pathways. Stress also involves the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the release of hormones including cortisol.

Yoga more generally has been studied in relation to these systems. A systematic review of 25 randomised controlled studies found preliminary evidence that yoga may influence measures associated with sympathetic nervous system and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal regulation, while also noting substantial uncertainty around the mechanisms involved. A later meta-analysis of 42 studies found changes in several physiological measures associated with stress regulation, although the interventions and populations were highly heterogeneous. Those findings make the relationship between yoga and physiological stress interesting. They do not establish the popular idea that lying on a bolster simply flips the nervous system from a universal fight-or-flight mode into a neatly defined rest-and-digest mode. Biology rarely behaves like a light switch.

What does the evidence say specifically about restorative yoga?

This distinction matters because research on yoga as a whole is much larger than research specifically on restorative yoga. One of the first controlled studies of restorative yoga was published in 2008. Researchers recruited 26 underactive, overweight adults with metabolic syndrome and randomly assigned them to restorative yoga or a wait-list control. Participants in the yoga group attended fifteen 90-minute sessions over ten weeks. The principal purpose was to establish whether such an intervention was practical and acceptable rather than to prove a therapeutic effect. Twenty-four of the 26 participants completed the trial, adherence was good and participants rated the practice highly. Energy levels increased significantly in the yoga group, while several other outcomes showed trends that warranted further investigation but were not statistically conclusive.

That small pilot eventually led to a much more substantial experiment. The Practicing Restorative Yoga versus Stretching for the Metabolic Syndrome, or PRYSMS, trial randomised 180 underactive adults with metabolic syndrome to either restorative yoga or an active stretching programme. Rather than comparing yoga with people doing nothing, the researchers constructed a stretching programme that incorporated movement, range of motion and healthy alignment, providing a much more demanding comparison. After twelve months, fasting glucose had fallen more in the restorative-yoga group than in the stretching group. However, the researchers found no significant between-group differences in the other metabolic outcomes measured, leading them to conclude that restorative yoga was only marginally better than stretching for improving metabolic risk factors. That is not the dramatic result wellness marketing might prefer. It is nevertheless useful evidence.

The cortisol story becomes even more interesting

The same PRYSMS trial also examined cortisol and psychological measures, providing an excellent example of why we should be cautious about repeating plausible-sounding explanations as established facts. If restorative yoga simply produced a uniquely powerful reduction in physiological stress, we might expect the restorative group to show clearly superior cortisol outcomes. It did not.

Researchers found that the stretching group, rather than the restorative-yoga group, showed greater reductions in waking and bedtime cortisol at six months. Reductions in chronic stress severity and perceived stress also favoured stretching on some measures. This does not demonstrate that restorative yoga increases stress or that stretching is universally superior. It tells us something more useful: the physiology of stress is complicated, and attractive mechanistic stories about restorative yoga should not be mistaken for clinical evidence. It is perfectly reasonable to finish a restorative practice feeling calmer without needing to claim that your cortisol has been reset.

Yoga and stress more broadly

The wider yoga literature provides somewhat stronger support for the idea that yoga can help some people manage stress, although again the evidence requires qualification. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis examining yoga specifically in adults experiencing stress included 13 randomised controlled trials involving 1,026 participants. The authors found evidence of short-term reductions in perceived stress compared with passive controls, but rated the quality of that evidence as low. Comparisons with active interventions were less straightforward.

Research examining individual yoga components, including meditation and breathing practices, also suggests that even single sessions can sometimes reduce psychological or physiological measures of acute stress. A 2024 systematic review found outcomes favouring the intervention in 21 of 28 eligible studies, while again identifying limitations in study populations and methodology. Taken together, the evidence makes a modest proposition reasonable: yoga can be a useful stress-management practice for some people. It does not justify presenting restorative yoga as a medical treatment capable of correcting every consequence attributed to modern stress.

Restorative yoga is not Yin yoga

The two are frequently confused because both can involve quiet classes and positions maintained for several minutes. Their intentions are different. Yin yoga commonly uses prolonged positions to apply relatively sustained mechanical loading to tissues around joints and is frequently associated with a deliberate sensation of stretch. Restorative yoga generally attempts to remove unnecessary loading by supporting the body so that muscular effort can diminish. A restorative position should therefore not become progressively more uncomfortable simply because it is being held for longer. If there is significant pulling, compression, tingling, numbness or pain, something needs to change. More sensation is not evidence of a better restorative practice.

Nor is it simply taking a nap

Sleep and restorative yoga are also different. During restorative yoga the practitioner is generally awake and aware of bodily sensation, breathing and the surrounding environment. The practice therefore occupies an interesting space between physical activity, deliberate relaxation and contemplative attention. Falling asleep occasionally is hardly a catastrophe, particularly if someone is tired, but sleep is not normally the objective. There may even be something valuable about learning to rest while remaining awake. Many of us are familiar with two states: doing something or sleeping. Deliberately spending twenty minutes doing neither can initially feel surprisingly unfamiliar. That may be one of restorative yoga’s most useful lessons.

Accessibility is one of its strengths

The low physical intensity of restorative yoga means that it can sometimes be adapted for people who find vigorous yoga difficult. In the 2008 metabolic-syndrome pilot, 87 per cent of participants reported that the postures were easy to perform, despite the study deliberately recruiting underactive, overweight adults. Props allow considerable modification. Someone who cannot comfortably sit on the floor may use a chair. Knees can be supported rather than forced towards the ground. The torso can be elevated. Positions can be changed to accommodate limited flexibility.

Low intensity does not mean universally appropriate, however. Pregnancy, glaucoma, significant cardiovascular conditions, recent surgery, joint instability, osteoporosis and particular spinal or musculoskeletal problems can affect which positions are sensible. Anyone with a medical condition affecting movement or positioning may need individual advice rather than following a generic sequence. The aim is comfort and support, not endurance.

Why practice it if the science is not spectacular?

This may be the most interesting question of all. Wellness culture has developed an unfortunate habit of believing that everything enjoyable must be justified by a dramatic biological mechanism. A quiet hour becomes worthwhile only if we can say that it lowers cortisol, stimulates the vagus nerve, detoxifies the body or transforms our hormones. Rest does not require that kind of justification. If restorative yoga provides a structured way to stop working, put down a phone, become aware of the body and spend half an hour quietly breathing, that experience can have value even before we attach a biomarker to it.

The existing research gives us reasonable grounds to investigate yoga as a stress-management practice, and restorative yoga has proved feasible and acceptable in controlled studies. There are also interesting findings relating to metabolic and physiological outcomes. But restorative yoga has been studied far less extensively than yoga generally, and some of the strongest direct research has produced mixed rather than spectacular results. That uncertainty is not something we need to hide. It is part of understanding the practice properly.

Beginning restorative yoga

A first restorative practice does not require an elaborate collection of specialist equipment. Firm pillows can substitute for bolsters, folded towels or blankets provide height and cushioning, and a stable chair or wall can provide support. What matters more is learning how support changes a posture. A beginner might explore only three or four positions during a session, spending several minutes becoming comfortable in each one before remaining there. The first question should not be how far can I go, but can I remove any unnecessary effort? A qualified teacher can be particularly useful at the beginning because surprisingly small adjustments to blankets, bolsters and the position of the head or pelvis can transform how a posture feels. And there is no prize for staying longer. Restorative yoga is perhaps one of the few forms of physical practice in which becoming better at it can mean becoming better at not trying quite so hard.

Making room for rest

That is ultimately why restorative yoga belongs in Living Well. It is not a miracle treatment, and we do not need to turn it into one. Its value lies partly in something considerably more ordinary: deliberately making room for rest within lives that are often structured around activity. The scientific questions remain interesting. Researchers are continuing to investigate yoga, stress physiology, mental wellbeing and metabolic health, and future studies may tell us much more about which components matter and for whom. For now, restorative yoga offers something simpler. A supported body. A quieter room. Time without a performance target. A practice in which nothing needs to be achieved before the hour can be considered worthwhile. Sometimes doing less really can be the point.

References and further reading

1. Cohen, B. E., Chang, A. A., Grady, D. & Kanaya, A. M. (2008). Restorative yoga in adults with metabolic syndrome: a randomized, controlled pilot trial. Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders, 6(3), 223-229. doi:10.1089/met.2008.0016
2. Kanaya, A. M. et al. (2014). Restorative yoga and metabolic risk factors: the PRYSMS randomized trial. Journal of Diabetes and its Complications, 28(3), 406-412. doi:10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2013.12.001
3. Corey, S. M. et al. (2014). Effect of restorative yoga vs. stretching on diurnal cortisol dynamics and psychosocial outcomes in individuals with the metabolic syndrome: the PRYSMS randomized controlled trial. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 49, 260-271. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.07.012
4. Pascoe, M. C. & Bauer, I. E. (2015). A systematic review of randomised control trials on the effects of yoga on stress measures and mood. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 68, 270-282. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2015.07.013
5. Pascoe, M. C., Thompson, D. R. & Ski, C. F. (2017). Yoga, mindfulness-based stress reduction and stress-related physiological measures: a meta-analysis. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 86, 152-168. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.08.008
6. Schleinzer, A. et al. (2024). Effects of yoga on stress in stressed adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 15, 1437902. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1437902
7. Mandlik, G. V. et al. (2024). Effect of a single session of yoga and meditation on stress reactivity: a systematic review. Stress and Health, 40(2), e3324. doi:10.1002/smi.3324