The Top 3 Restorative Yoga Poses Students Love Most

Discover the crowd-favourite Restorative Yoga shapes that bring calm, comfort, and connection to every practice.

From the time that I attended my first restorative class in 2015 to now there has been a clear top 3 poses that are the favourites for students and teachers alike. This top 3 have been the crowd pleasers that regular students request. Or if they are fairly regular, they will often set themselves up in these postures when they feel ready.

This is my favourite thing as a teacher of restorative yoga. Witnessing students who identify what they need in their body or mind and choosing to prioritise that. I often will just assist them with any setup adjustments that might be obvious but other than that all three of these shapes are fairly safe for self-setup which I think is what adds to the appeal of them.

Supta Baddha Konasana

The supported version of this posture is pretty common in asana classes these days. From yin, restorative and Iyengar classes there are many ways you might have come across this being set up. The version that’s often the most loved is the full prop setup with a hold time of 15-18 minutes. Students who have never done restorative and those with body injuries, heavily pregnant or who are challenged by their limited flexibility have enjoyed this shape time and time again.

To set up comfortably you will need:

3 blocks, 2 bolsters, 2 blankets.

The benefits of supta baddha konasana comes from the supported points under the knees, full spine and the heels. With the shape of the bolster there is a gentle chest opening that allows for inhales to be easy and full. In this shape people feel comfortable to practice gentle pranayama techniques. Where some students will benefit from using it as the angle of the torso is perfect to keep the students awake but relaxed. So, if you are prone to a savasana snooze this Supta Baddha Konasana shape can help prevent that.

Balasana

I would attribute the popularity of this posture in restorative to the popularity it has gained in the dynamic asana classes. There are countless meme’s and references in the cultural vernacular about dropping into child’s pose when you feel like you can’t anymore.

To set up comfortably you will need:

1 Block, 2 Bolsters, 1 Blanket.

This shape has some soothing qualities in the way the body is positioned. The stomach and chest are supported and protected by the bolster. Some people will find hugging the bolster comforting. I suspect that the tucked knees and curled spine shape is also something we instinctually find nourishing as it was the first physical shape we made in the womb.

Prone Savasana

During the past 4 years in particular there is a call for stress reduction and tools to treat overwhelm. In restorative yoga Prone Savasana is it. This can be done with minimal props but I find that people will have a more cathartic experience when they use bolsters and blankets. The point is to be heavy, into the earth and rest into the support underneath us. For some reason we still hold on a bit, but with a blanket or bolster we allow the heaviness to sink us down into the props.

To set up comfortably you will need:

2 bolsters, 1 blanket

For all three of these shapes you might find additional blankets to wrap or cover yourself can be helpful, some people also enjoy weight on the body and eye pillows and sandbags can be comforting with the safe positioning of them for these longer rest periods.

It's also important to note that when I teach a more regular style asana class with dynamic movements, I have had students choose these restorative shapes throughout the dynamic asana class. One of these students had an ankle and shoulder injury that was needing surgery but when they walked in and saw me taking a cover class. They immediately squealed and asked me to set them up in Prone Savasana, which they stayed in for the whole class. The feedback from them was that they came to try and do some asana but when they realised, I was teaching they knew it would be ok to just rest for the hour!

For the style of restorative I choose to teach there is an emphasis on body autonomy and discernment. I keep it simple and allow space for the students to be curious about what the shapes are actually supporting them with. The same shape done on a different day offers a new opportunity to have a different experience. This is the main reason I keep it simple and allow space between speaking and shapes.

If it’s for your personal practice you can try the above postures in that order every day for a week and see for yourself the difference between session. Our presence, our awareness and the experiences leading up to the moments of our practice are the determining factors of each postures effect on us.

Join Daphne, an experienced Restorative Yoga Teacher Trainer, for an upcoming Online 50 Hour Restorative Yoga Teacher Training.