Restorative Yoga
In Mount Waverly
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25+ Years Teaching Experience
Repose Yoga Studios, Mount Waverly
Restorative Yoga at Repose
At Repose Yoga Studio in Mount Waverley, Restorative Yoga offers more than supported postures. Bolsters, belts and blocks reduce the physical effort needed to hold each position, while slow breathing techniques, calming meditation and sound healing help the body and nervous system settle.
No flexibility or previous yoga experience is required, and classes are limited to eight students so there is time for individual attention.
What Is Restorative Yoga?
Restorative Yoga is a quiet, supported practice that allows the body to rest without strain. Rather than moving through many postures, you settle into a small number of positions held for longer, using bolsters, belts and blocks to support your body comfortably.
The aim is not to achieve a deeper stretch or work harder. It is to reduce unnecessary muscular effort, slow the pace of the practice and allow time for breathing and stillness.
The posture needs to fit the person.
What Happens in a Restorative Yoga Class?
Every class varies, but the pace is intentionally unhurried.
There is time to arrange the props carefully, settle into each position and come out slowly. The exact postures and practices change from week to week, but every class brings together physical support, slower breathing and periods of quiet attention.
Supported Yoga Postures
Bolsters, blankets and blocks support different parts of the body in reclining, seated or gently elevated positions. The props reduce the amount of muscular effort needed to remain in each posture. Their purpose is not to create a particular appearance or reproduce an ideal shape. They help establish a position that makes sense for your body. More support is not automatically better. Each arrangement is adjusted according to the posture, your proportions and what feels comfortable.
Slow Breathing and Stillness
Slow breathing techniques are introduced as the physical practice becomes quieter. At other times, you may simply be asked to notice the natural breath without trying to control it. Stillness is also part of the class. For some people, becoming still feels immediately comfortable. For others, it takes time. Both responses are normal. There is no requirement to manufacture a particular feeling or force yourself to relax.
Meditation, Mudras and Sound Healing
The class concludes with slow breathing techniques, a calming meditation and sound healing using crystal singing bowls. Traditional mudras or a chakra-based meditation may also be included depending on the focus of the class. These practices are not decorative additions. They reflect a broader understanding of traditional yoga in which physical postures are only one part of the practice.
Who Is Restorative Yoga For?
- want a quieter yoga practice
- find it difficult to slow down
- are new to yoga and prefer a gentle introduction
- practise more active forms of yoga and want a contrasting class
- spend much of your week physically or mentally busy
- enjoy breathing practices and meditation
- want to explore yoga beyond physical postures
- want to learn how to practise with less effort
You do not have to be exhausted, stressed or physically limited to attend.
Restorative Yoga is not automatically suitable for every injury or medical condition simply because it is gentle. Some positions may need to be changed, and remaining still in a particular position may be uncomfortable or inappropriate for some people.
Tell me about significant pain, injuries, pregnancy or relevant health conditions before class. Seek appropriate healthcare advice for severe, unexplained or worsening symptoms.
Class Details
- When: Wednesday at 6:30 pm
- Duration: One hour
- Where: Repose Yoga Studio, Mount Waverley
- Class size: Maximum eight students
- Props: Bolsters, belts, blocks and other equipment are provided
- What to wear: Comfortable clothing and an additional warm layer in cooler weather
- Experience: No previous yoga experience or flexibility required
Because there is less movement than in a Hatha Yoga class, you may feel cooler while remaining still for longer periods.
Restorative Yoga is included among the beginner-friendly classes available through the 10-Day Intro Offer: 10 consecutive days for $28 for eligible new students.
Restorative Yoga Is Not About Stretching Further
A restorative posture should not become an endurance test disguised as relaxation.
You may experience a gentle sense of opening in some positions, but there is no pressure to increase your range of movement simply because you are staying in the posture for longer.
If something feels compressed, strained, numb or increasingly uncomfortable, the position needs to change.
This might mean adjusting the angle, adding or removing support, or choosing another posture. Individual guidance still matters in a class that looks very still from the outside.
Why Rest Can Be Part of a Yoga Practice
Rest is often treated as something that must be earned after doing enough. Yoga offers another perspective.
Periods of deliberate stillness, breathing and reduced physical effort can be practices in themselves.
Research suggests that yoga may help reduce perceived stress for some people. However, studies investigate many different styles, programs and populations. A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis found low-quality evidence for short-term effects on perceived stress. Those findings cannot automatically be attributed to one particular Restorative Yoga class.
I do not promise that Restorative Yoga will reset your nervous system, activate a specific autonomic response or lower cortisol. Research into yoga and physiological stress mechanisms remains preliminary, and individual responses vary.
What I can say is simpler. The class deliberately creates conditions for physical support, reduced effort, slower breathing and quiet attention.
About Your Teacher
Restorative Yoga is taught by Puneeta Chauhan, a senior traditional yoga teacher with more than 25 years of teaching experience.
Classes are limited to eight students, allowing time to help each person find a position that is genuinely comfortable rather than simply copying the shape of a posture.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Flexibility and previous yoga experience are not required. The postures are supported with bolsters, blankets and blocks, and the arrangement can be adjusted where necessary. There is also time to understand each position without having to follow a fast sequence.
Tell me before class so I can consider whether a position needs to be changed or avoided. Gentle yoga is not automatically appropriate for every injury or medical condition. Please seek healthcare advice for severe, unexplained or worsening pain and follow any restrictions given by your treating practitioner.
No. Both practices may involve stillness and longer holds, but their intentions and use of support differ. Restorative Yoga generally uses substantial support to reduce muscular effort. Yin Yoga often uses less support and may deliberately involve stronger sensations in longer passive holds.
Restorative Yoga involves fewer postures, slower transitions and considerably less physical effort than more active classes. Props support the body so positions can be held comfortably. The class also includes slow breathing, meditation and sound healing rather than focusing primarily on movement, strength or flexibility.
Yoga research suggests possible benefits for perceived stress, but the evidence covers many different interventions and does not guarantee how an individual will respond. Restorative Yoga provides a structured opportunity for physical support, slower breathing, stillness and quiet attention. It should not be presented as a treatment for a stress-related medical condition.
Some people become drowsy or briefly fall asleep, particularly when they are tired. That is not a problem. The purpose is not to force yourself to remain perfectly alert or to make yourself sleep. You will be guided when it is time to change position or conclude the practice.
Wear comfortable clothing that does not restrict your movement or breathing. Socks and an additional layer can be useful, especially during cooler weather, because you may feel colder when remaining still for longer periods.
No. Repose provides the bolsters, blankets, blocks and other equipment required for the class. You may bring your own eye pillow or preferred covering if you wish, but it is not necessary.
Restorative Yoga is held on Wednesday at 6:30 pm. Bookings are essential because classes are limited to eight students. View current availability and reserve your place through the Repose Yoga class timetable.
References
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Yoga: Effectiveness and Safety. An evidence overview covering yoga, wellbeing, stress and safety.
- Schleinzer A, Moosburner A, Anheyer D, Burgahn L, Cramer H. Effects of yoga on stress in stressed adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychiatry. 2024;15:1437902.
- Pascoe MC, Bauer IE. A systematic review of randomised controlled trials on the effects of yoga on stress measures and mood. Journal of Psychiatric Research. 2015;68:270–282.
Try Restorative Yoga in Mount Waverley
Join the Wednesday 6:30 pm class or try 10 days of beginner-friendly classes for $28.