Give yourself a luxury that will lengthen and relax your muscles and change your body's response to stress! The antidote to stress is relaxation. Our bodies need deep rest -- collapsing on the couch in front of the tv is not deep rest! Restorative yoga helps the body and mind relax, allowing us to regain equilibrium. There is very little movement; poses are held anywhere from five to 15 minutes, but every part of your body is completely supported by props. Truly anyone can practice, and will benefit from, restorative yoga. This class will also incorporate some pranayama breathing, meditation, and a little yin stretching to keep the fascia pliant and joints mobile. A little more about restorative: We spend most of our lives in the "fight-or-flight" sympathetic nervous system. Our bodies do not make the distinction between the small stresses of daily life (being late for work), a more serious personal crisis, or a life-threatening situation -- in all cases, bodies respond with the release of adrenaline, cortisol, and other hormones. Heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle tension are all increased. The body also shuts down systems that are deemed non-essential, such as digestion, elimination, growth, repair, and reproduction. This is great if we are being chased by a bear, but in most cases our bodies overreact to the chronic stress of our lives.