Restorative classes in Maui
Fully supported rest with bolsters and blankets.
Restorative yoga is rest with structure. You spend each pose fully supported by bolsters, blankets and blocks, and stay there for five to twenty minutes doing as little as possible.
No classes scheduled in the next two weeks.
What Restorative does for you
You get permission to do nothing, with the props doing all the holding. Your body sinks into soft supports in shapes that open your chest, rest your legs or let your back lengthen, and your breathing tends to slow on its own. Many people leave feeling rested in a way a nap or an evening on the sofa does not quite match. It is especially welcome after a hard week, a long flight or a run of short nights.
It suits you if
- you feel exhausted rather than restless
- you are easing back into movement after illness or a long break
- you find it hard to switch off in the evening
- you want the opposite of a sweaty class
Read the full guide to RestorativeWhat a class is like, your first time, history and the words you will hear
What a class is like
Classes usually last 60 to 90 minutes and include only four to six poses. The facilitator spends a lot of time helping you set up: stacking blankets, placing bolsters, adding an eye pillow or a sandbag. Then the studio goes quiet, with dim light and soft music or silence, while you rest in each shape for a long stretch. There is no effort, no sweat and very little talking. Some people fall asleep, which is fine.
Your first time
- Wear soft, warm clothes and socks; your body cools when you stay still for long periods.
- Arrive early, since setup takes time and latecomers break the quiet.
- Tell the facilitator if anything feels uncomfortable; small prop changes make a big difference.
Good to know
- If you are pregnant, recovering from surgery or managing a medical condition, check with your doctor or midwife first, and tell the facilitator so positions such as lying flat on your back can be adapted.
- Doing nothing can feel strange or restless at first; that usually eases after a few classes.
Where it comes from
Restorative yoga grew out of the work of B.K.S. Iyengar in Pune, India. Over decades, Iyengar used blankets, blocks, belts, benches and bolsters so that students of every age and condition, including people who were tired or unwell, could stay in poses with good alignment and without strain. Supported versions of backbends, inversions and forward folds became part of his method.
Judith Hanson Lasater, an American who studied with Iyengar and has taught yoga since 1971, shaped these supported poses into a practice of its own. Her book Relax and Renew (1995) brought restorative yoga to a wide audience, and Restore and Rebalance followed in 2017.
Restorative classes spread through Western studios in the 1990s and 2000s, often as a counterweight to faster, more athletic styles. Today the label covers any class built on fully supported, long-held rest, sometimes combined with yoga nidra or live sound. In Berlin it tends to sit in Sunday evening and late weekday slots, and classes are often smaller, since everyone needs a full set of props.
Words you will hear
- Bolster
- A firm, long cushion that supports you in a pose.
- Eye pillow
- A small weighted bag laid over your eyes to block out light.
- Sandbag
- A weighted bag placed on your legs or hands to help you settle.
- Supta baddha konasana
- Reclined bound angle: lying back with the soles of your feet together and knees supported.
- Viparita karani
- Legs up the wall, a classic restorative pose; the name means inverted action.
- Savasana
- Lying-on-your-back rest; the name means corpse pose.