For many of us, this scenario is all too real, every single day. As I have taught yoga over the years, one of the most gratifying things students have ever said to me about the practice is that it has helped them to slow down, to focus their minds and to feel present in their bodies. At the end of a day like the one described above, our energy may not support an intense spinning class or even a fast-paced yoga class. What our body-mind may be crying out for is a practice that draws our attention to the breath and to restoring the body rather than asking even more of it.

The following sequence of breathing and asana is designed to calm the nervous system and relax the body. As always, it is recommended that you practice on an empty stomach. This practice requires the use of either one or more blankets or a yoga bolster. If you don’t have a bolster, blankets can serve to accomplish the support required to make these asanas restorative.

Find a quiet space where you can be uninterrupted for 20 to 30 minutes. Begin by sitting on your mat—you may wish to sit on your blanket or bolster—in sukhasana, simple cross-legged pose. Drop the shoulders away from the ears, lift up through the spine so that the body is long from tailbone to crown of the head. Close the eyes gently and begin to feel and hear the breath—both inhale and exhale moving through the nostrils. After a few moments of simply following the breath, place your right hand on your belly and consciously soften it. Allow the right hand to rest on the belly and feel that on the inhale the belly (still soft) pushes the hand outward. On the exhale, feel the belly drop back toward the spine. If it feels like the belly gets rigid, consciously soften it and let it move with both inhale and exhale.

Try not to get anxious about this soft belly breathing, just let it happen. Notice if the shoulders begin to creep up toward the ears and drop them once more. After several minutes of breathing with the right hand on the belly, release the hand and continue letting the belly move with the breath. Take a final moment with the eyes closed to set an intention for your yoga practice. Name your intention silently and seal it with a deep long inhale. As you exhale, release all tension from the body-mind, release all anxieties and all distractions—anything at all that would interfere with your practice.

ASANA 1 – Supported Adho Mukha Svanasana (Supported Downward Facing Dog)

Place either a bolster or a blanket that you’ve folded into thirds on your mat lengthwise. To come into Adho Mukha Svanasana (AMS), begin on your hands and knees (Fig. 1a), open the palms wide and spread the fingers out, tuck the toes underneath and lift the sit bones (buttocks) toward the ceiling (Figs. 1b, 1c). The body will form an angle with energy lifting up from the hands, through the arms and up the back all the way to the tailbone. Energy will move down from the buttocks to the heels. If the backs of your legs are tight, feel free to keep the knees bent. The bolster or blanket(s) (you may find it helpful to place a blanket on top of a bolster to add height) should be lengthwise on your mat in between your hands. Without collapsing the collarbones and shoulders, rest the head on the support of the bolster/blanket. Hold this asana for a minimum of 5 to 8 breaths. If you are comfortable, it can be held for several minutes—the key is to release if the pose becomes work, as the goal is for it to be calming. To come out of the pose, bend the knees until they touch the floor and then press the buttocks back until they rest on top of the heels. Push the bolster/blanket out of the way and let the belly rest on the thighs and the forehead rest on the floor for a few cycles of breath.

ASANA 2 – Supported Supta Baddha Konasana (Supported Cobbler’s Pose)

Place your bolster/blanket lengthwise on your mat and sit right on its edge (Fig. 2a). Slide your buttocks off the edge of the bolster/blanket so that they are on the mat immediately in front of it (Fig. 2b). Place the soles of the feet together (Fig. 2c) and draw the heels somewhat close to the perineum (the line between the anus and genitals), then drop the knees outward toward the floor (Fig. 2d). Then, use the palms against the floor to support you, as you lower your spine onto the blanket/bolster. The entire spine, neck and head should be supported by the blanket/bolster. If the neck is uncomfortable, you can create some height beneath it with another folded blanket or a folded towel. Additionally, if the knees remain elevated far above the hips, build up some support with either yoga bolsters or blankets beneath them. Let your arms rest beside the bolster/blanket with the palms facing the ceiling (Fig. 2d). This supported posture can be held for many breaths and allows you to close your eyes and once again feel and follow the soft belly breathing that you already practiced. To come out of this pose, use the palms and forearms to press yourself up to seated, then draw the knees together before straightening the legs.

ASANA 3 – Supported Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Supported Bridge Pose)

After a few moments sitting quietly in front of your bolster/blanket with the legs stretched out in front of you, place the soles of the feet on the floor—hip distance apart—with the knees bent (Fig. 3a). Next, place the palms and forearms down beside you and lower yourself back onto the bolster/blanket (Fig. 3b). Again, the entire spine, neck and head should be supported by the bolster/blanket. If it feels comfortable to do so, extend the legs so that you come into a slight and supported backbend. Your arms rest on the mat next to the bolster/blanket, palms facing upward (Fig. 3c). Close your eyes and again experience the soft belly breath. This supported backbend can be held for many breaths. To come out of the pose, bend the knees and place the soles of the feet on the floor, press the palms and forearms into the mat and come up into seated.

ASANA 4 – Viparita Karani (Legs Up the Wall Pose)

Place your yoga mat perpendicular to a wall. Sit on the floor next to the wall so that your left hip touches the wall (Fig. 4a). In a single movement, turn your legs toward the wall so that the soles of your feet come into contact with it, as your back drops onto your yoga mat, then extend your legs up the wall (Fig. 4b). Your buttocks should remain in contact with the wall. If this angle is uncomfortable for the back, place your bolster parallel to the wall, sit on it with your left side touching the wall (Fig. 4c) and then turn so that the legs are up the wall and your back is on your yoga mat—the bolster will be immediately beneath the lower back (Fig. 4d).

Once your legs are up the wall, lengthen them so that the soles of the feet are positioned as if standing on the ceiling. Allow the arms to rest beside the body so that there is some space between body and arm, palms facing upward. Close your eyes and experience once again that the belly pushes out on the inhale and drops deeply toward the spine on the exhale. Hold this posture for several minutes. Be sure to bend the knees and bring the heels close to the buttocks if your feet begin to feel very cold or tingly. To come out of this pose, place the soles of the feet on the wall close to the buttocks and roll onto your right side. Rest for a few moments on the right side then push yourself up into seated.

Finish your practice by sitting once again in simple cross-legged posture with the eyes closed, feeling the belly move with the breath. Notice how the body and mind feel after these restorative asanas. Close your practice by inwardly expressing gratitude for your body and breath, and for the gift of relaxation you’ve given yourself through this series of postures.

Ashley Cleveland, MA, DC, is Provost and Associate Professor at Cleveland Chiropractic College–Kansas City and teaches yoga in Kansas City.