Restorative Yoga for CHRONIC PAIN - A Mini Immersion

RESTORATIVE YOGA for CHRONIC PAIN is a one-day only mini-immersion created to rest your body while engaging & retraining the mind. 

Restorative yoga plus systematic relaxation have been shown to turn off the stress response and direct the body's energy to repair, growth, immune function, digestion, improved sleep, & other self-nurturing processes.

This session addresses the emotional strains that come with chronic pain, and invites breath awareness + visualization so the mind becomes an ally during pain.

Your mini-immersion will begin with a few moments one-on-one with your teacher to breathe, center, and connect. You contemplate what in your life you are ready to leave behind, and what you want to cultivate. Known as a “Gating Ceremony,” this personal moment helps release mental & energetic burdens, as you become more focused and better resourced to foster your best self. It's also a moment to touch base about physical areas you'd like to work more or grant tenderness, make postural adjustments, or other ways to get the most out of our time together.

Then we come together as a group & shift our energy inward, as Virginia guides a visualization to open our sacred circle. This helps you attune to how you are feeling and connect to innate wisdom. This simple creation of sacred space makes the entire practice more potent and benefits more lasting. (Plus, you can use this technique throughout your life in everyday settings too!)  

You'll enjoy the vibration of mantra yoga practice, which soothes even as it inspires every layer of our being. 

Now, we are prepared to go inward, stretch, & breathe. Rejuvenation & renewal are the hallmarks of restorative yoga.  It counteracts the tension that hectic schedules, arduous workouts, sedentary jobs, and modern life in general tend to create.  Because it is deep yet slower placed, it is also one of the BEST methods to explore & transform pain into personal growth.

Are you new to RESTORATIVE YOGA?  Then be sure to read my article about it, so you know what a delicious treat is in store for you.  Find that here. 

 

This restorative session uses lots of luscious bolsters, blankets, and other soothing props so that the body gradually releases into this comforting support as supine and prone positions are held for long periods of time.  Restorative Yoga is the perfect practice for hectic times, helping to overcome fatigue and overwhelm, while creating spaciousness in body and mind.    

 

Prolonged or recurrent pain combined with busy and stressful lives lead to depletion. We all need to replenish our energy reserves, as well as clear the information, sensory, and physical overload.  This session will help you release tightness as you open the body, cool down, and rest. It will also train the mind to lessen resistance to pain, which then opens the doorway to lasting healing on many levels.

Restorative Yoga is different than a "regular" hatha yoga session, because you will have all the time you need to really relax into supine postures, work with the breath to unwind more fully, and let go of tension and stress that tends to grip around sites of pain. As you rest the body you will more deeply engage the mind, to focus it on healing thoughts, sensations, and emotions. 

Side nesting postures will provide your body a sense of security and nurturing. These asymmetrical postures will also sensitize you to how side stretches and weights can help alleviate reactivity, helping you better rest and relax.

This softening of gripping and increase in healing is facilitated by diaphragmatic breathing as well as breath training techniques.  You'll experience easy exercises to keep the diaphragm muscle, the major muscle of respiration, strong yet supple.  This mini-immersion will teach you two breath training methods particular to the Himalayan tradition, including how to use sandbag weights to strengthen and extend your breath, even as you lie down. 

You'll also learn why placing gentle weights on the body can lessen anxiety, soothe discomfort, and foster healing from pain.

Supported forward bends will help relax the back & hips, unraveling the stress & tightness that often accumulates along the spine when the body is in pain. Generous use of soft bolsters and support, alongside deepening breathing, deepen the sensation of comfort.

You'll feel how supported backbends counteract the contraction of pain and, instead, provides heart-opening postures to reinforce your desire to embrace life and overcome challenges - including chronic pain. As you gentle drape the body over support, then breathe with intension, you will create an overall sense of more space and relief.    

And, of course, this mini-immersion will conclude with a guided systematic relaxation  practice. Never underestimate the deep benefits & lasting results of precise relaxation techniques . This mini-immersion will lead you through Shithila Karani , or 75-breaths practice. This breath-sweeping process provides one of the most extensive, pervasive healing possibilities of all the relaxation practices. 

We'll round out your sequence with a unique visualization to help you dis-identify with pain. You will learn how to redirect the mind to befriend and, with practice, eventually master pain. 

Then you'll explore a time-tested, ancient approach to breath-centered meditation along energy channels of the body. You'll experience firsthand why and how we tend the body then guide the mind towards immersion into prana, the essential animating life force within and available to you for your highest well-being. You'll learn how taking breath awareness into precise parts in and around the body lead to specific energetic results that are long-lasting even though they are simple to do. You can also direct this innate healing capacity to sites of long-lasting pain, to help unravel its knots and create more possibility for internal peace.

Mini-Immersions differ from typical asana (stretching) classes because you have time to learn the WHYS of yoga. This helps get the racing mind on board, so you are more likely to REMEMBER & build on what you learn experientially during our time together. 

     - How physical pain changes patterns in the brain, and how to reverse those neural habits;

     - Why reflection upon yogic philosophy, particularly "samskaras" can help us better manage pain;

     - How we can harness the body's capacity for memory to access & accelerate its natural healing processes.

    - How yoga brings a deep & stable acceptance of suffering, as well as relentless optimism that transforms our dislike of suffering into a path of deep acceptance & even spiritual growth.

Though yoga is popularly associated with fitness, at its core yoga is a spiritual practice: It soothes, nourishes, and redirects the mind to harness your energies for happier connection to your thoughts, emotions, & sensations - including transforming your relationship to pain, illness, and stress. 

No experience is necessary. It is required that you can lie down on the floor & also get up without assistance. 

You must BRING YOUR YOGA MAT. 

All other props (CHAIRS, bolsters, blankets, blocks, hand weights, eye pillows, straps, etc) are provided; if you have preferred personal props, feel free to bring those.    

Connect with me if you have any questions!  I would love to hear from you.  

Let's lessen pain, transform suffering, & build a loving experience & better world, together.

In service,

Virginia Hill, AHA Yoga Teacher

Interested in other immersions & series, or want to know more about me, my teachings, and the studio?  Then email Virginia at [email protected] and you will be the FIRST to know about new opportunities and enrollment openings. 

You are also welcome to send me any questions, including existential dilemmas - those are a specialty of yogic philosophy, and I can help!  If you need support for specific life challenges or big ambitions, I also offer Embodied Wisdom, a private yoga meditation & coaching intensive.

Looking forward to hearing about your goals, how I can support you, and sharing these wisdom teachings. Let's bring MORE JOY into your life, and help you savor every moment.