I’ve been practicing aspects of restorative yoga since the beginning of my rehabilitation. To be clear, however, at the height of the protracted withdrawal issues and for a couple of years I could not hold poses for very long without extreme discomfort and so it was a highly modified practice for a long time. In classic restorative yoga poses are held for up to ten minutes…even more sometimes. This was not doable for me for a long time.
Listening to the body is always important with yoga. If you’re recovering from psych drug iatrogenesis it becomes highly critical. Yoga helps heal the autonomic nervous system if it’s done in tandem with the bodies needs. Psych drug withdrawal syndrome is essentially an autonomic nervous system injury. Listening closely to the body allows one to let yoga heal your mind/body/spirit.
I found this restorative practice session on youtube the other day. It’s very lovely and I can now hold these postures for several minutes at a time when appropriate. Modification to our particular needs of the day, the moment, is always part of yoga.
Melissa lulls you into a state of deep relaxation, while gently opening the body and listening to the mesmerizing sounds of the ocean. Press play and get ready for this beautiful oceanside restorative yoga class to win you over.
More YOGA on Beyond Meds
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