During August Yvonne and Tawny will be leading a month of mindful and restorative classes, view our full live class schedule and sig up through the link here: yogamatters.com/community-yoga-classes-2023
We caught up with Yvonne and Tawny to discover more about their love for restorative yoga…
Yvonne O’Garro
Yvonnne is a restorative and hatha yoga teacher and registered teacher for the Yoga in Healthcare Alliance.
You can learn more about Yvonne through her Instagram page @yvonnehenriettayoga and her website yvonnehenriettayoga.com
“I discovered Restorative Yoga in 2007 and felt an immediate connection; reconnection to myself, to my breath. I, like others, have found the opportunity to rest whilst being supported by props truly nourishing which is such a bonus for the parasympathetic (relaxation) nervous system in “an always on society”.
I realised pretty early on in my yoga teaching training that Restorative Yoga was going to be my specialism because I liked being able to offer a practice that I have gained so much from over the years. I have been teaching Restorative since 2018.
Both during an post pandemic I’ve noticed an increase in more students connecting with Restorative and finding real relaxation from the practice.
Typically Restorative classes are taught in the evening but the practice can happen at any time of the day that suits your schedule. 1 posture for 10 or 20 mins, as recommended by Judith Lasater, can help keep the nervous system balanced and more able to handle periods of stress or discomfort.
I have 2 lunchtime Restorative classes that are both steadily increasing in attendance and it warmed my heart to hear a regular student say that they didn’t know how they would feel about a lunchtime Restorative, but said they felt “rejuvenated” post practice.”
Tawny Cortes
Tawny Cortes is a yoga teacher and trainer, meditation and soundbath practitioner and mindfulness teacher. You can learn more about Tawny through her Instagram page @tawny.cortes and her website tawnycortes.com.
“I’ve been teaching yoga for nearly a decade and teaching restorative yoga for 5 years. I was first introduced to the restorative yoga practice by my teacher Anna Ashby. As someone who deals with anxiety and tends to worry and overthink, restorative yoga has taught me how to slow down, to downshift my nervous system out of ‘fight or flight’ mode and to come into an experience of deep rest. Restorative yoga is the invitation to relax from the business of thinking and doing and to come into an experience of being. It is a gradual letting go of physical and mental tension that allows us to come back into balance and feel replenished.
So much of why I became a yoga teacher, and subsequently a mindfulness practitioner and wellbeing coach, comes from my desire to share with others what I have found to be nourishing practices that have supported my wellbeing and have helped me during difficult times. Restorative yoga is one of those practices. In many ways restorative yoga is an ‘advanced’ practice, meaning it requires us to look inward, to sense into our physical, mental, emotional and energetic state. This process of turning inward, of developing awareness, requires patience, non-judgement, acceptance, and self-compassion. It can take time to cultivate these qualities so don’t worry if you don’t relax completely in your first restorative class. That’s ok. Give it time. I promise you it will be worth the wait.”
