Yoga students frequently think that Yin Yoga and Restorative Yoga are the same thing. While both have qualities of restoration for the body/psyche, they are actually vastly different practices with distinct intention and goals.
In this workshop, Yin Yoga teacher, Machelle Lee, and Restorative Yoga instructor, Tara Lemerise, invite you to come and experience in your own body the differences and unique gifts that these two practices have to offer.
Yin Yoga utilizes poses practiced on the floor and held gently for 3-5 minutes each in order to modestly, within limits, stimulate ligaments and fascia through traction and compression of joint tissue to encourage tissue regeneration. Yin Yoga’s intention is to “exercise” structural tissue within the soft skeleton of fascia and at joint intersections.
Restorative Yoga is more “yin" than Yin Yoga - meaning it is even more subtle and still. Restorative Yoga’s focus is to reduce and eliminate stress on the structural body. Guided through a series of thoughtful, prop-supported poses, participants will rest in 10-20 minute increments in order to induce a deep relaxation response in the nervous system and foster ease in body and mind.
In the first segment of this workshop, Machelle will guide participants through a Yin Yoga practice designed for the support of the joints, ligaments, and fascia of the low back, spine, shoulders, hips, sacrum and knees. Machelle will read meditative texts throughout the practice to guide and prepare one to sink deeper into the recalibrating through stillness of Restorative Yoga.
After a break, students will return to their mats with a collection of necessary blankets, bolsters, and blocks. Tara will guide how to skillfully arrange the props for relaxation as you move through a series of propped poses to quiet the nervous system and promote rest. Instead of asking the body and mind to do more, this practice consists of doing less to receive more. Restorative Yoga soothes the nervous system, quiets the mind, and releases deeply held tension within the body in a completely passive way.
The combination Yin and Restorative Yoga will move progressively into a profoundly relaxing afternoon. and provide a meaningful opportunity for you to reset after the holidays as you transition into the new year with renewed vitality.
Cost: $65 In-Studio
OR $30 for access to a recording link that is good for 2 weeks. Note: this practice will not be broadcasted virtually at class time, but will be recorded and sent out to those who register for the online/recording option.
Tara Lemerise is known for offering clear and helpful instruction to students at all levels in a relevant and relatable way. Tara believes there is nothing to "fix" with yoga. Instead, there are only more opportunities to understand and be more fully present to our separate and together experiences of being embodied. From handstands to savasana and everything in between, she teaches the time-honored philosophy and practice of yoga in an accessible and joyful way.
Registered with Yoga Alliance at E-RYT-200/RYT-500, Tara has been teaching yoga philosophy, movement, and meditation since 2005. She teaches a thriving and welcoming online yoga community with students from all over the US. You will also find her leading in-person Restorative Yoga weekend retreats and workshops, teacher training, and continuing education programs for yoga teachers. Learn more at taralemeriseyoga.com.
Founder of Roots & River Yoga, Machelle Lee (E-RYT 500) has 29 years of experience as a yoga teacher, massage therapist, and childbirth educator. She holds a Masters Degree in Mythology and Depth Psychology and has completed a 300-hour advanced yoga teacher training in yoga psychology.
Committed to serving students in a way that best fits their unique abilities and anatomic structure, Machelle combines anatomy, storytelling, archetypes, poetry, neuroscience, psychology, and Five Element Meridian Theory across a variety of yoga styles in a way that is aimed at facilitating a creative and grounded approach to meaningful self-development.
If you would like to experience this practice but live far away/cannot make it into the studio, or if you are attending the in-studio practice but would like to have a copy of the workshop to enjoy later - we are offering the option to receive a recording of the practice. This class will not be broadcasted online LIVE but rather registrants will receive a recoding of this workshop by 9pm on Saturday, June 11th to enjoy at home. The link to the recording will be available for 2 weeks. This recording option is $30. To enjoy this practice from home, please plan to use 2-3 yoga blocks, 1 yoga bolster or two bed pillows, 2-6 blankets (ie, Mexican blankets, beach towels, throw blankets).