The class your nervous system has been asking for

Restorative is the soft landing. Where most classes ask you to build heat, this one asks you to do almost nothing, and to do it well. You arrive, you are propped into shape with bolsters and blankets, and then you stay there long enough for your body to remember what rest feels like.

Each pose is held for several quiet minutes. There is no flow to chase and no sequence to learn. Five or six shapes across seventy-five minutes, every one of them fully supported, so the muscles can switch off and the nervous system can finally catch up with the rest of you.

This is the class your nervous system has been asking for. The work, such as it is, is in the letting go.

Who it is for

Everyone, and especially anyone who has had a long week. Restorative is one of our two front doors for beginners, alongside the Beginners Series, so you do not need any prior practice to feel at home. It is also a favourite of seasoned practitioners who already know that the hardest pose in the room is the one where you stop trying.

If you are recovering from a busy stretch, sleeping badly, or simply curious about a slower kind of yoga, this is the room for you. Options are offered throughout, so you can always make a pose softer rather than harder.

What to expect

Low light, warm props, and a pace that asks nothing of you. You will be guided into each supported pose and shown how to stack the bolsters and blankets so the shape holds itself. Once you are settled, you stay, breathe, and let gravity do the rest. Many people drift close to sleep, and that is entirely the point.

What to bring

Yourself, water, and clothes you can move in and then comfortably lie still in. Mats and all the props you need are free to borrow at the studio, so there is nothing to buy and nothing to carry. A pair of warm socks is never a bad idea, as the body cools when it is this still.

Your level

All levels welcome, beginners very much included. There is nothing to keep up with and nothing to get wrong. If you can lie down and breathe, you can practise Restorative.

Who teaches it, and where

Restorative is taught by Willow Hayes at Solas Santa Cruz, in the Main Room. Willow holds the room quietly and knows exactly how many blankets a shape wants, which is more of a craft than it sounds.

When it runs

Restorative runs in the evenings at Santa Cruz, the right end of the day for a class built around winding down. To see the next available session and reserve your mat, head to the schedule to book. Walk-ins are welcome when the room is not full, but booking takes twenty seconds and guarantees your place.

Level · All levels · Studios · Santa Cruz · Duration · 75 minutes