A nice introduction to restorative yoga. I think it would help to have a little background in yoga, like, this wouldn't be great for uber beginners. There is a list of various restorative poses with extensive instructions on how to get set up for either yourself or what to look for if you are teaching.



Four stars

This book came out December 26

ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

In a stressful world, Judith Hanson Lasater gives the gift of deep relaxation through twenty yoga poses. In her book, Lasater provides very detailed instructions for preparing props to support each pose, entering each pose physically and mentally, and exiting each pose. Black and white photos further clarify the instructions to ensure correct postures, although it would probably be beneficial to practice with a partner to check each pose. Special advice for teachers follows each pose as well. In a final section, Lasater offers pose sequences based either on time constraints or particular concerns. Furthermore, a better teacher would be difficult to find, as, among her many accomplishments, Lasater co-founded Yoga Journal magazine and is President Emeritus of the California Yoga Teachers Association. Few would disagree that we live in stressful times, and Restore and Rebalance provides a wonderful antidote.

This is a wonderful and comprehensive resource for anyone interested in restorative yoga or in need of relaxation techniques. The instructions were thorough and the accompanying photographs helpful. I did find that many of the practices require several props however I will improvise with pillows, blankets and towels.

When most people think of yoga, they probably picture a contortionist pretzeling themselves into one impossible asana after another, or a sweat-drenched yogi blasting through vinyasas and ujjayi-breathing like a dragon. While these aren't *wrong,* they're not everything - the yin to that yang is restorative yoga, or the practice of relaxing into supported poses for long, slow amounts of time. This type of practice is great for all bodies: healing for those with injuries or illness; relaxing for those dealing with busyness or stress; gentle enough for older practitioners; and for those yogis who thrive on challenge, well, they can find it in trying to ignore distractions and remain in stillness for extended periods of time.

This book is a great guide. Each pose is thoroughly explained with pictures, precise prop instructions, a list of benefits from practicing the posture, some things to watch out for, and special instructions for yoga teachers. For some of the more advanced asanas, the book offers variations suitable for beginners or those who need to back off the intensity a bit; for the prop-heavy and complicated postures, there are instructions and pictures outlining the easiest way to move into the pose and onto the props.

My one criticism is that a couple of the poses are VERY prop-heavy - we're talking piles of blankets, multiple bolsters, various sandbags and straps and eye pillows - and this may be a hindrance to both home practitioners, who almost certainly won't have all of these though they can improvise with what's around, and studio practitioners, where props are often limited in number.