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How Restorative Yoga Can Change Your Life

 


Benefits of Restorative Yoga explained by instructor JoAnne Kazis

JoAnne Kazis Artemis Yoga

In a world full of deadlines, e-mail notifications, and 24 hour news, it’s much harder to have a clear mind. Although yoga is often seen as a great way to get a good exercise into your weekly routine, it can also be a way to get some peace and quiet for once! At Artemis, we offer restorative yoga classes that are designed to “help slow your body down and initiate a restorative, relaxation response”. Rather than placing focus on strengthening and flexibility, this practice incorporates more passive stretching and opening poses. Although these classes are slower paced, they offer so many benefits to work the body and mind! 

One of our restorative yoga instructors, JoAnne Kazis, answered a few questions regarding the benefits of restorative, as well as advice for anyone considering trying it out!

1.) What are the benefits of practicing restorative yoga?

What aren’t the benefits of restorative yoga?  There are SO many!

Whether a person has typical or small amounts of stress in their life or they have suffered from chronic stress, trauma, injury or illness, a restorative practice can help them heal. 

Many of our daily physical and mental activities can cause imbalances in the body.  Restorative yoga can help bring the mind and body into balance. As we practice, the hope is that we become better connected with the physical body and are able to connect to the emotional body using the breath and feeling fully supported and held using props.

Resting is underrated and undervalued by society.  So many of us are sleep deprived because we cannot shut off the “busyness” of our lives. By practicing restorative yoga, we relax the nervous system and create a state of rest in the body. 

Restorative Yoga

There are also psychological benefits.  The practice can enhance mindfulness that leads to better choices, and it also enhances patience that is beneficial.

Holding the poses for longer periods helps bring us into stillness in which we can begin to explore our mind-body connection. Focusing on the breath can relieve stress and be extremely therapeutic. 

Through restorative yoga a balance of energies in the body is also felt.  When the body is in balance, a state of health is achieved. Everyone would benefit by incorporating restorative yoga and other types of self-care into their lives!

2.) What advice do you have for anybody taking their first restorative class?

First, thank yourself for stepping into class! Putting yourself first on your “to do” list – practicing self-care is not indulgent or selfish.  It is an act of self-love. Restorative yoga can be part of that self-care. It is a deeply relaxing style of yoga practice.  It is a receptive practice, not an active practice. It is an opportunity to become a curious observer of your thoughts, your breath and your body.  Our body and our breath are our greatest teachers, however we have to be able to receive the messages that they send us.

Jason Crandell (yoga teacher) has said, “Yoga is the perfect opportunity to be curious about who you are.”  Moving the spine in all different directions and being held in shapes during a restorative yoga practice can help you feel at ease in your body, no matter what type of body that may be! All you have to do is show up on your mat with curiosity.  You may notice that a pose creates feelings for you on a physical or emotional level. Pay attention to those feelings, without judgement, to tap into where they may be coming from. The more you do this, practice with a level of awareness, the more it will help your practice come from a more intuitive place. 

We all have the innate ability to restore, renew and heal and there’s great wisdom inside all of us. The more you practice these poses, you will find what resonates for you and this will help restore some balance in the body where it is most needed. The first step though, is to make time for yourself on your mat on a regular basis.

3.) Which is your favorite position to do in your restorative practice? 

That’s a tough question because my favorite pose changes every time I step on the mat, depending on what I am feeling in that moment.  With that said though, I do love all the heart opening poses, using either a blanket roll or if I want more sensation, using a bolster.  Heart openers not only help counteract all the hunching forward that we do every day, but they also open up the back and chest and help free the breath.  A heart opener for me is an invigorating pose that can change my perspective and basically brings me joy.   Any pose that opens up the heart chakra is a definite favorite of mine!

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Artemis Yoga welcomes your questions or comments regarding this Statement of Privacy. If you believe that Artemis Yoga has not adhered to this Statement, please contact Artemis Yoga at: 
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639 Mt. Auburn Street
Watertown, Massachusetts 02472
 
Email Address:
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Effective as of September 10, 2021

Accommodation Policy

Artemis Yoga is committed to enable individuals with disabilities to participate as fully as possible in classes at our yoga studio. On the first level there is a wheelchair accessible entrance, yoga class studio and bathroom.
All classes on the first floor are wheelchair accessible in our flagship, primary studio. The lower level studio is reached by two stairways. In the event that a class in the lower level is not accessible to a participant, the studio owner or manager on-premise will adjust that class location to the first floor, grade level studio. With reasonable notice, this change will readily be made as an accommodation.


The request can be made in person, via email or telephone and advance notice of the request to the studio is appreciated. Artemis Yoga will make an earnest effort and attempt to provide reasonable accommodation pending timely notice by participants needing such accommodations.

Artemis Yoga will also work with the individual to ensure that participation in class is achievable. This may include providing additional props, chairs or hands-on assistance that the teacher is able to deliver while continuing to teach the class to all participants.

If you have any questions regarding this policy, please reach out directly to the studio owner, Liz Padula.

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“HOW TO” GUIDE FOR ONLINE CLASSES

Artemis Yoga offers “live” online yoga classes through Zoom. To join, find an inviting space to practice and follow the steps below:

Print Instructions

Step 1: Use your MINDBODY account with Artemis Yoga to register for the class. 

  • Meeting ID in the class description.
  • Please register in advance to streamline attendance and to allow us to send you a recording if you miss the class or join late.
  • Please register even if the class is listed as “free community class.”

Step 2: Log into https://zoom.us/join and enter the Class-Specific Meeting ID then click “Join”.  

  • Meeting ID in the class description. 
  • Start the login process 10-15 minutes before class so that you are ready.
  • We recommend downloading the Zoom client on your computer, laptop, tablet, or phone. You can enter the Meeting ID number from there.

Step 3: Once you click on the Meeting ID, register with your name and email in Zoom. Please use your real name so we can match with Mindbody. You will then be entered in the “Waiting Room.” 

  • The Waiting Room is where Artemis Staff checks attendance. If we can’t identify you from your Zoom user name, you will not be let into class. 
  • You will be asked if you registered in Mindbody, if you had trouble doing so, please click “No” and stay in the Waiting Room, we will assist you after class. 
  • We start letting people in from the Waiting Room 15 minutes prior to class. Large classes take a bit for us to check everyone in, please be patient.

Step 4: When let in from the waiting room, click “Join with Computer Audio.” 

  • We mute participants during class but you may unmute yourself at any time to ask questions or to say hello! We like to see you and greet you, though you may choose to turn your camera off. 
  • Use “Chat” to communicate if you do not want to speak out loud. 
  • Zoom prompts for consent to be in a recorded class, please accept so you may continue to be in class. Note that the recording is set to record only the teacher who is in the spotlight. Recordings are sent to registrants who are absent.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US ONLINE FOR CLASS!