My love,
In a world that hums with the sharp rhythm of urgency — of doing, striving, fixing — it is no wonder the nervous system begins to fray.
We rush through lists. We scroll through noise. We lie down at night and still, the mind races.
Anxiety has many forms. Sometimes it’s loud. Sometimes it’s a quiet buzz under the skin. But always, it leaves us feeling like we’ve lost our centre.
Restorative yoga is not a cure. It is a cradle. A place to land when the world feels too much. A space where you don’t have to hold it all together.
It says: Put it down now. Let me hold you for a while.
The Body Knows How to Soften — If We Let It
Restorative yoga does not ask for strength. It does not demand flexibility. It asks for presence.
Each shape is designed to support you completely, so that the body can do what it already knows how to do — release.
Where anxiety pulls us into tension, restorative yoga brings us back to safety.
Back to soft breath.
Back to gravity.
Back to trust.
When you’re held — not just metaphorically, but physically, by blankets and bolsters and the earth itself — the body begins to believe what the mind forgets: I am not in danger. I am allowed to rest.
The Nervous System Listens to Stillness
When anxiety is present, the sympathetic nervous system (fight-or-flight) is often leading the way. Heart racing, breath shallow, mind scattered.
But the antidote isn’t more effort. It’s surrender.
Restorative yoga activates the parasympathetic nervous system—the rest-and-digest mode —through long-held, supported shapes and intentional breath.
This is how we rewire safety into our bodies. Not through thinking our way out of anxiety, but through feeling our way back into ease.
🜂 The heart slows.
🜁 The breath lengthens.
🜃 The shoulders soften.
🜄 The mind follows.
This is how stillness becomes medicine.
Creating a Space That Soothes
Anxiety thrives in environments of overstimulation.
So create the opposite.
Make your practice space feel like a cocoon.
🜁 Dim the lights.
🜃 Light a candle or some soft incense.
🜂 Gather your props: bolsters, blankets, eye pillows, anything that feels like support.
Let this space whisper: You are safe to stop now.
Approach your mat not like a workout, but like a place to settle. And let your breath be your guide.
Four Poses to Begin
Below are four simple but powerful poses to begin with. Let yourself linger in each one for 5–10 minutes or longer. The goal isn’t to feel something dramatic—it’s to feel safe enough to stay.
1. Reclined Butterfly (Supta Baddha Konasana)
A heart-opener and hip softener, this pose invites vulnerability and trust.
- Lie back on a bolster that supports the spine.
- Bring the soles of your feet together and let your knees fall wide.
- Support your knees with blocks or cushions.
- Let your arms rest beside you, palms facing up.
Let the breath rise through the belly and the chest.
With each exhale, whisper: It’s okay to let go.
2. Legs-Up-the-Wall (Viparita Karani)
One of the most grounding poses for an anxious body.
- Sit sideways against a wall, then gently swing your legs up as you lie back.
- Place a folded blanket under your hips if desired.
- Let the arms rest at your sides or over the heart.
This pose calms the circulatory system, quiets the mind, and invites gentle release.
3. Supported Child’s Pose (Balasana)
A full-body exhale. A shape that says: I don’t have to hold it all today.
- Kneel with knees wide, toes together.
- Place a bolster or stack of pillows between the legs.
- Lay your torso and head over the bolster.
- Arms can rest forward or alongside your body.
Let yourself feel cradled.
Let the earth do the holding.
4. Forward Fold Over Support (Paschimottanasana)
A surrender to gravity. A quiet turning inward.
- Sit with legs extended forward.
- Place a bolster or pillows along your thighs.
- Gently fold forward and rest your torso on the support.
- Let the back round. Let the breath deepen.
With each breath, allow thoughts to soften their grip.
When the World Feels Loud, Practice Softness
This practice is not about erasing anxiety. It’s about making space around it. It’s about responding to the restlessness with softness instead of control.
You are allowed to rest even when your mind is busy.
You are allowed to feel held even when your heart is aching.
You are allowed to be both anxious and worthy of tenderness.
And over time, you may find that in these moments of stillness, something begins to shift. The nervous system remembers ease. The breath finds its rhythm. The soul feels soothed.
You do not have to fix the storm.
You only need to return to your centre — again and again — until it feels like home.
Let the stillness be your anchor. Let the breath be your guide. Let rest be the way you come back to yourself.
With gentleness and grace,
Lily
If this practice speaks to you, I offer guided sessions on YouTube — soft practices, meditations, and seasonal stillness for the nervous system. Come rest with me, if you like.
YouTube: Serenity in Motion Channel
Serenity In Motion 
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