219Yin and Restorative Yoga:
What’s the Difference?A lot of times when I lead yoga teacher trainings, a common question is asked:
What is the difference between yin yoga and restorative yoga? It’s a great ques-
tion because there are many similarities.
Restorative yoga was originated by prolific teacher B.K.S. Iyengar in Pune,
India. Iyengar introduced props into the yoga practice as a way to eliminate
strain and injury. His method became well known for its attention to alignment.
Through the use of props, Iyengar and his teachers were able to modify pos-
tures and help students recover from illness and injury. Teacher Judith Hanson
Lasater popularized this style of yoga in the United States. The following are
the benefits of restorative yoga:
- Decreases the stress hormone cortisol
- Improves sleep, digestion, and immunity
- Releases tense muscles and aching joints
- Teaches conscious control of relaxation
- Increases concentration and focus
- Balances the nervous system
- Activates the relaxation response
- Can act as an introduction to meditation and mindfulness
The aim in restorative yoga is to switch on the relaxation response so that
the body’s natural ability to rejuvenate and restore itself kicks in. Although this
is partially true in yin yoga, the main difference is that in restorative yoga, you
never look for an edge or a stretch. As you may remember, looking for the
edge is the first step in a yin posture. In restorative yoga, relaxed positions are
completely supported by a variety of props to greatly minimize discomfort in
the body. In restorative yoga, there is no stretch. In addition to the props sug-
gested earlier in this chapter, restorative yoga often uses sandbags and yoga
chairs. In yin yoga, we often hold poses three to five minutes. In restorative
yoga, it is common to hold poses for 7 to 10 minutes.
Although the two styles have minor differences, they are much more similar
than dissimilar. The intention in both is to slow down, go within, and switch on
the parasympathetic nervous system. Of course, any time we use props in our
yin yoga practice, we are blending the best of both worlds, combining yin and
restorative yoga. Using props will help you to find greater anatomical integrity
and therefore avoid bad pain.