I recently bought myself a 9-week intro pass at a studio here in town. It's always nice to practice with others, and there is no greater inspiration for teaching, in my estimation, than being a student and observing how others teach. On Sunday evening this studio offers a class in "restorative yoga", and, definitely in need of some restoration, I attended it. I've always loved restoratives, but during this class I realized that it's a practice I wanted to share with geeks everywhere. Read for for a bit of an explanation, as well as a relaxing pose you can try yourself at home.

Restorative yoga refers to the practice of using props to completely support the body in a relaxation pose, so as to facilitate deep relaxation and release. Generally you spend at least 5-10 minutes in each pose, and a restorative class is generally a very meditative, blissful and soothing experience. You'll usually do a supported forward bend or two, a supported backbend or two, some twists, and an inversion (often just something as simple as lying with the legs up the wall, as in the image to the right). Inversions, for the record, are one of the best things you can do for yourself. As Judith Lasater says in her book, Relax and Renew, 

Because we stand or sit most of the day, blood and lymph fluid accumulate in the lower extremities. By changing the relationship of the legs to gravity, fluids are returned to the upper body and heart function is enhanced.

Of particular value for the computer-bound set, I think, is a supported backbend. This is described and depicted about half-way down on this page. If you are prone to sitting at your computer with your spine rounded forward (who isn't?!), then you probably find yourself accumulating tension in the upper back and shoulders, and getting tighter and more restricted in the area below your front ribs. This pose will help to counter that.

I'm going to skip giving the full directions here, as they are given very clearly at the link above. If you don't have a bolster, a firm sofa cushion will do (but a squishy pillow would not). The one thing that can make it difficult to incorporate restorative yoga into your normal life is that it requires props (bolsters, blankets, blocks, etc). However, with a little geek creativity, I think you could improvise and still get all the benefits!

Give it a whirl and see how it feels. I highly recommend some conscious relaxation in your day, and restorative yoga is a great way to do it.