my daughter at just a few days old. I love the sleeping pics I take of my kids. They infuse me with a sense of relaxation and peace.
Reaching in opposing directions
As moms, we are constantly pulled in opposite directions; it might seem like everyone wants or needs our attention or help. Then there’s the good ol’ never-ending to-do list that just keeps us pushing forward day after day, even when we’re tired or not feeling 100%. Our schedules might feel crammed full, our minds buzzing with thoughts and worries, our bodies cramped with our habitual postures; or maybe we freeze up when there’s so much to do and end up not doing very much even while we feel we should do it all.
Physically, though, when we pull or push our body in opposing directions, we create space and stillness. We drop the other distractions, give ourselves a few minutes, take some slow, intentional breaths, and open up areas that we’ve been holding perhaps too tightly.
How to get there
Gather a yoga bolster and some firm blankets that you can fold and stack to a comfortable height. If you’re using yoga blankets or something similar, I suggest starting with two stacked, folded blankets. Make sure these are firm, like these yoga blankets so that they keep their shape when folded. These cotton ones should work fine, too!
Sit next to the long edge of the bolster or folded blankets and lay the left side of your torso over the support so that the right side of your torso is facing up. Scissor your legs open so that the right (top) leg moves slightly forward and the left (bottom) leg moves slightly back. This is optional but it does add a nice spinal twist and hip stretch, which you can adjust by varying the distance between the feet.
Then you have two options for the upper body:
Let your head rest on your left arm, which you can bend at the elbow. Alternatively, you can get a yoga block or small cushion/pillow to rest your head on.
Stretch both arms overhead to get more of an opening in the right side of the body. Hands can relax or you can grasp your right wrist with your left hand to deepen the stretch.
For more details, here’s a little video on positioning props and getting into the pose.
Breathing in a twist
Many twists compress the ribcage to some degree and you’ll feel that on the inhalation. That compression can make the exhalations easier and more complete.
If the breath feels strained or causes discomfort while in a twist, I suggest a gentler version of the twist so that the whole body can relax into this pose. Then, as you stay in the twist, use your exhalations to release areas of tension. There should be minimal effort here as you sink into the props and the ground. With every out-breath, relax your shoulders, neck, jaw, and face; relax your hands and fingers, feet and toes. Respond to the call of each exhalation as they invite you to release the weight of your body into the props and the earth.
Stay in the pose for 30 seconds to one minute. It’s not long, and you could stay a bit longer (like a few minutes), but I suggest starting with a short hold first, especially if you’ve never tried this pose before.
Coming out of the pose
For me, coming out of Side-Lying stretch is reminiscent of stretching my body when I wake, then rolling out of bed. All you have to do is slowly roll onto your belly and put the hands down for support so that you can push up. See the video above on coming out of the pose. It’s always a good idea to move slowly and maybe even pause on the hands and knees and do some cat-cow to relax the spine before you transition to the other side.
You can also just press the hand of the top arm (the side of the body facing up) and slowly sit up before setting up to do the other side, but I like adding a little movement in between sides:)
When you don’t have yoga props
Resources
Relax and Renew: Restful Yoga for Stressful Times by Judith Hanson Lasater, Ph.D., P.T.
A helpful article with a video about setting up for the pose and a photo from an interesting angle that shows how you can support the top arm and hand if needed (she doesn’t twist like I do or roll onto her belly to come out of the pose like I do in the video above):
Here’s an article on the benefits of restorative yoga and why it might be considered an advanced practice.
The poetry of the pose
When I practice Side-Lying stretch I think of focusing my sense of expansion. Sometimes I talk about the inhalations as something to help us expand in all directions, but here in this pose, it offers us a chance to expand a specific area (the upward-facing side of the ribcage). It’s almost like this pose is inviting us to name where we want to focus our efforts on self-growth: in what area do you want to expand? And as you expand that, what else gets less focus so that you can be more effective in your chosen area? This is a great challenge for mamas, since they tend to try to focus on so many things at once (and really, having kids can split our focus).
If you add a little spinal twist like I do, you get a sense of stretching in opposite directions in a way that brings stillness. It’s an embodiment of this question: how can you hold the past and future equally in your vision so that you can stay balanced in the present?
If you try the pose (and I hope you do!), let me know in the comments if you have another way of expressing the poetry of this pose. Or just let me know how it went or if you have any questions. Don’t overthink it, though. Let this be a time of rest and letting go.
A disclaimer
As always, if you’re new to yoga, I recommend asking your health care provider if it is suitable for you. If you have injuries or musculoskeletal issues (especially low back pain), it might be better to skip this pose. Side-lying Stretch is also contraindicated if you are more than three months pregnant, are menstruating, or if you have a hiatal hernia. Of course, even if none of those conditions apply to you, move with care and listen to your body’s cues. There’s such a thing as finding your edge, but never push through pain! Restorative yoga is also not meant to be about finding your edge — it’s more about finding release:)
Last week I shared a post about Cleansing Breath which is also a great way to practice releasing tension and stress. Next week I’ll share a yoga sequence that centers around our Yoga Pose Focus, which was Virabhadrasana 1 this time around.
As I gear up to fine-tune my offerings to paid subscribers, I hope you’ll take a moment to answer this question on my thread so I know what you want more of on Urban Yoga Mama. At the moment, all posts are free but I do always invite readers to share their love by becoming a paid subscriber. I would so appreciate it as it would help me to find more time to make this newsletter better (childcare is expensive!).
Of course, I value all readers, free or paid, and if subscribing is outside of your budget, please feel free to contact me and I’ll work something out for you. Yoga is for everyone!
my son in his first week of life. Newborns naturally embody the bhavana of restorative yoga!