×

Error message

  • The file could not be created.
  • The file could not be created.

5 Types of Rest That Can Renew Your Energies

By
Olga Kabel C-IAYT
Happy young woman sitting outdoors in yoga's Easy Pose resting and enjoying nature.

In Viniyoga, we often say that the remedy we choose should match the type of problem the student experiences. When someone is dealing with a structural issue, yoga asana would be the obvious place to begin our work. When the issue is physiological, breath and energy work are particularly important. And when we are dealing with a mental challenge, meditation and self-study would be most useful, and so on.

Smiling friends walking in the meadows with yoga mats. Concept of being in nature.

The Nature Cure for Stress Relief

Some days, it seems as if nothing is going right. A lot of little things may add up or one major thing bothering you, like paying bills, an argument with your significant other, or worries about a health issue... Read more
Man Practicing Yoga on a Rooftop with the world behind him.

Collective Trauma, Embodiment, and Community: Our Shared Hero's Journey

I invite you to think of collective trauma as a call to enter the transformational process of a hero’s journey. Collective trauma refers to the impact of current or historical events that are experienced by... Read more
Young yoga students relaxing and talking after yoga class.

The Yoga of Co-Regulation: Group Yoga Class Benefits

Do you enjoy socializing with yoga? Could group yoga class benefits include feeling better simply through social connection? Picture the following situation. You enter your favorite yoga studio. It’s serene,... Read more
The benefits of practicing Savasana restorative yoga pose to reduce stress and improve sleep

Stop the Stress Epidemic with Sound Sleep and Restorative Yoga

Sometimes it can feel like stress is all around us. We are trying to meet more demands than ever, and our self-care routine gets pushed by the wayside. That often means bad food choices and poor sleep habits... Read more
A yoga practitioner practicing Child's Pose (Balasana) on a kayak to benefit of self-awareness

What's Wrong With This Picture? How Yoga Can Keep Us from Missing the Moment

A blue kayak floats on a lake of crystalline water. White clouds drift lazily across a blue sky punctuated by the pinks and purples of early sunset. It’s not visible, but there’s a breeze, gentle and cooling... Read more
Restorative Mountain Pose (Tadasana) to reduce stress and trauma

Book Review: Restorative Yoga for Ethnic and Race-Based Stress and Trauma

What role does yoga play in making the world more equitable and socially just? If whitewashed, stick-thin, Gumby-like models on Instagram or magazine covers are your only source of knowledge of yoga, it would... Read more
Interview with Dr. Gail Parker on Restorative yoga for race-based stress

Restorative Yoga for Ethnic and Race-Based Stress and Trauma: An Interview with Gail Parker

Gail Parker (Ph.D., C-IAYT, E-RYT 500) is a psychologist, a certified yoga therapist, and a nationally and internationally renowned thought leader. In this interview, Yoga U contributing writer Lacey Gibson... Read more
Yoga students in class practicing Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II) to reduce anxiety and stress

How Yoga Can Help You Find Equanimity in the Midst of Change

“The discriminating person knows that suffering is inherent in change, in the anxiety over change, and in the subliminal impressions left by this anxiety. The past and present are intertwined, and even... Read more
Older beginner yoga students practicing yoga for stress and the brain in Plank Pose (Phalakasana)

Stress and the Brain: How Yoga and Mindfulness Can Help Keep Your Brain Healthy

In today’s uncertain times, you are probably aware of the negative consequences of stress in your life. Maybe you suffer from stress-induced headaches, worry about getting enough sleep, or experience the... Read more
yoga student enjoys the benefits of yoga for healing trauma

How Yoga Can Help Heal Generational Trauma

On occasion, people offer me alcoholic beverages. Out of awkwardness or embarrassment, I used to quip, “No thanks, I come from a long line of Irish drunks.” But when I started studying trauma, I began to... Read more