20-Minute Restorative Yoga for When Life Feels Overwhelming

Although this 20-minute yoga practice won’t change the chaos of your day or your seemingly endless to-do list, it will slow you down long enough to change how you show up to them. Basically, it’s designed to help you escape from life just long enough so you can feel more calm and like yourself when you return to (gestures at everything).

And if you’re mentally calculating the cost of taking some time for yourself, know that even if you pause long enough to practice just a few of the poses, rather than the entire 20-minute yoga sequence, you’ll still experience that sigh-inducing pause and the feeling of coming back to, well, you.

So however long of a break you can manage, trust that these poses from restorative yoga founder Judith Hanson Lasater will help you restore yourself. —YJ Editors

20-Minute Restorative Yoga Practice to Sloooow Down

Not all of these poses are what are commonly considered restorative yoga, although they definitely feel restorative.

1. Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)

Step on your mat with the intention of beginning a calming ritual. Stand with your feet a foot apart and exhale as you fold forward, holding onto your elbows. Keep your lower back slightly arched and your abdomen firm to stabilize your back in Standing Forward Bend. Stay for 5 to 10 breaths and inhale to come up, keeping your back arched and belly active. Repeat one more time.

2. Cat-Cow

Rest on your hands and knees. Slowly exhale as you drop your head and round your entire spine in Cat Pose. Stay for a moment, inviting the belly organs to lift up against the spine. Then inhale as you release them down, and come into an arch in Cow Pose. When you round your back, make sure that you lift “out” of the shoulder joints; when you arch, make sure that you drop your midback down below the shoulder blades. Repeat 10 times.

3. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose)

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor and parallel to each other, heels near your hips. With an exhalation, slowly curl up from the tailbone into Bridge Pose. Interlock your fingers under your body, and press your arms down as you tuck your shoulders underneath you. Hold for 3 to 5 breaths, release your arms, and roll down through your spine. Take a couple of breaths and repeat, changing the clasp of your hands by interlocking your fingers with the opposite thumb on top. Lower yourself to the mat and pause here or draw your knees toward your chest for a few breaths.

4. Crisscross Supported Backbend

Fold 2 blankets so that they are approximately 7.5 inches wide, 28 inches long, and 5 inches deep (adjust the dimensions if they don’t feel right for your height). Lay the blankets on your mat in the shape of a cross. Sit at the end of one blanket with your feet flat on the floor and lie back so that the other blanket brings your midback into an arch. Your head will hang back slightly; your throat will open. Bring your arms out to the sides and breathe long, easy breaths. Release your belly and close your eyes. Stay for 1 to 3 minutes.

5. Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose)

Sit on the floor and bend your knees, placing the soles of your feet together. Let your knees fall to the side. Drop your chin and breathe slowly in Bound Angle Pose for 2 full minutes.

6. Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining Bound Angle Pose)

Place a block on the floor with one end of a bolster (or firm pillow) on top of it, so that the bolster is at a 30 degree angle to the floor. Sit in front of the low end of the bolster and lie back in Reclining Bound Angle Pose. Place a blanket behind your head and support your outer legs and elbows with more blankets or small pillows. Cover your eyes and rest for up to 10 minutes, paying attention to your breath. To come out, bring your knees together and roll slowly to the side.

7. Salamba Upavistha Konasana (Supported Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend)

After you sit up, turn around, take your legs wide apart, and rest your chest on the bolster (or firm pillow) in a supported version of Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend. Turn your head to one side for 1 minute, then to the other side for 1 minute. Make sure that you keep your legs straight, your knees slightly engaged, and your kneecaps pointing upward. Become aware of your breath without trying to change it, close your eyes, and relax.

8. Reclined Twist

Lie back, bend your knees, and place your feet on the outer edges of your mat. Exhale and drop your knees to the right so that your left knee drops into the arch of your right foot. Let your left pelvis and shoulder follow the twist, letting them lift up naturally. Stretch your left arm on a diagonal above your ear to feel a stretch along your left side. Then bring the knees to center and do the other side.

9. Salamba Balasana (Supported Child’s Pose)

Sit in a supported version of Child’s Pose. Spread your knees and bring the elevated bolster (or firm pillow) between your legs. If necessary, place a folded blanket on top to help support your rounded spine. Hold for 1 or 2 minutes, spending equal time with your head turned to each side.

10. Savasana (Corpse Pose)

Do not cheat yourself by skipping the most powerful destressing pose! Lie on your back in Savasana with a folded blanket supporting your head, neck, and the tops of your shoulders. Place a bolster under your knees and a rolled blanket under your Achilles tendons. Set a timer. Maybe cover your eyes with an eye pillow or a soft cloth and cover up with a blanket. Take a long inhalation and an equally long exhalation through your nose. Do this 20 times.

If you can, stay here for a full 20 minutes. When you are done, roll to one side and slowly sit up.

In Yoga Journal’s Archives series, we share a curated collection of articles originally published in past issues beginning in 1975. These stories offer a glimpse into how yoga was interpreted, written about, and practiced throughout the years. This article first appeared in the December 2007 issue of Yoga Journal. Find more of our Archives here.