Why Do I Feel Exhausted After A Restorative Yoga Class?
I received this question from somebody who attended the 2-hour restorative yoga class I offered yesterday: “Why am I so exhausted after that super relaxing class where all I did was lie around supported by pillows and blankets?”
It is such a good and nuanced question — and so many people feel shy about asking it, thinking, “Wait, wasn’t that class supposed to restore me? Why do I feel like I’ve been hit by a wave of sleep?”
Let’s break it down lovingly, gently, with curiosity.
🧘♀️ Restorative Yoga Isn’t Just Physical — It’s Nervous System Work
Restorative yoga is deeply parasympathetic — it encourages the body to downshift from the chronic "go-go-go" of sympathetic nervous system dominance into the slower, quieter state of rest-and-digest. That might sound restful, but if your system is used to being hyper-alert (as many of us are), entering that deep state of relaxation can feel… like a big emotional exhale.
That “exhale” might come with:
Fatigue
Emotional releases (tears, anxiety, old memories surfacing)
Sleepiness or fogginess
A sense of disorientation — because stillness, especially for high-achievers or those with past trauma, can be surprisingly intense
🌀 Unwinding Stored Tension and Trauma
Restorative yoga creates a sacred pause — and in that stillness, your body might start releasing long-held tension. You’re not just lying there on bolsters. You’re metabolizing stress. This can feel like post-emotional detox. Think of it like a snow globe that’s been shaken for years finally being placed on a shelf to settle. Those particles — emotions, memories, inner noise — begin to float down. And that takes energy.
🌙 Nervous System Recalibration Takes Energy
Sometimes we equate "doing nothing" with "rest." But letting go — truly letting go — is one of the deepest and most courageous acts of the bodymind. It requires trust. And it requires safety. When your system finally feels safe enough to down-regulate, it might take the opportunity to do a bit of behind-the-scenes repair.
Your body might say:
“Oh! Thank goodness. She's finally still. Let me catch up on all that deferred maintenance.”
💫 Energetic Sensitivity
If you’re energetically sensitive (which you likely are, given the question and the poetic way you’ve asked it), you may also be picking up subtle shifts. Restorative yoga can open subtle energy channels (what some traditions call nadis or meridians). That movement can be felt in the body as heaviness or tiredness at first, like a re-wiring in progress.
🐌 A Loving Reframe: It’s Not Exhaustion. It’s Integration.
Instead of seeing the tiredness as a failure of the practice, try reframing it as evidence that something profound is integrating.
You're not doing it wrong.
You're doing it so right that your body is finally saying:
Thank you. I can finally let my guard down. I can breathe. I can heal. I can stop holding the world together for a moment.
Restorative yoga isn't about leaving class feeling pumped. It's about slowly, lovingly rebalancing your inner tides.
If you’re open to it, I’d suggest after class:
Drink warm herbal tea (chamomile, tulsi, rooibos)
Avoid screens if you can
Wrap yourself in something soft
Journal a little if emotions surfaced
Rest without guilt — you're in deep healing mode
Your body is wise. It’s not exhaustion. It’s a whispered lullaby: Rest now, beloved. Let the healing do its quiet work.
Keep reading for a suggested reflection and journaling prompts to support this integration. 💖
Guided Reflection: "The Body's Whisper"
Close your eyes, or soften your gaze if that feels more comfortable. Let your breath settle like dust in a sunbeam. No rush. No need to do anything.
Now gently ask yourself:
"If my body could speak right now, not in aches or fatigue, but in poetry… what would it be trying to tell me?"
Feel into that. Not thinking, but sensing.
Not pushing, but listening.
Let the words arise like a tide. You don’t have to make sense — just allow.
Your body might say things like:
“I’m not lazy, I’m healing.”
“That exhale was a year in the making.”
“Thank you for letting me be soft. It’s been so long.”
“Can you trust me to lead you into rest?”
“Let the tiredness stay. It’s not a flaw. It’s a message.”
Let your breath carry you. Let the truth rise — not from the mind, but from the bones. The old stories. The parts of you that had to stay strong when they wanted to be held.
When you’re ready, slowly open your eyes. Stay soft.
Journaling Prompt: "When I Let Go, I Found..."
Start with the sentence:
"When I finally let go, I found..."
Let your pen take you wherever it wants. Let it be messy, real, raw, dreamy. Maybe you found silence. Maybe you found sadness. Maybe you found nothing at all — and even that is a kind of sacred discovery.
You can also weave in:
“What surprised me in stillness was…”
“The part of me that’s always been tired is…”
“I’m learning that rest doesn’t need to be earned. It is…”
“My body has been asking me to…”
Let this be a love letter, not a to-do list. Let it be a gentle space to meet yourself without needing to fix or figure anything out.
Here's a soft mantra to close this practice — one you can whisper, write, repeat, or simply let drift through you like a breeze through open windows.
Mantra for Rest and Receiving
“I do not need to strive to be worthy.
I do not need to earn this moment.
I am allowed to rest.
I am allowed to be held.
I am allowed to soften.
Healing happens here.
In the quiet. In the stillness. In me.”
If you like, place a hand on your heart or your belly — wherever it feels comforting — and breathe this in, like you're soaking in warm light. Say it once or many times, like a lullaby for your nervous system.
You don’t need to feel the words for them to begin working. Just saying them plants seeds. Seeds of deep permission.
You are doing enough.
You are enough.
And your rest is not a weakness — it’s a sacred, powerful surrender.
Any time the world gets loud, or the inner critic sharpens its claws, come back here.
Have you attended a restorative class before?
How did you find it?
Would you do another one? If yes, what is it that appeals to you? If no, what might be the reason?
Please feel free to drop me a line with any questions or comment below.
I’m here to support you.
Book a free 30-minute online chemistry call with me.