What to wear or bring
Wear comfortable layers and socks if you tend to get cool. Studios often provide bolsters, blankets, blocks, and other props, but check before your first visit.
Before your first session
Before your first restorative session
What a first session usually looks like, without any assumptions about what you already know.
What happens on arrival
You will usually gather props and settle into a small number of supported positions. The setup can take longer than the movement because the goal is to find a position you do not have to keep holding up.
Experience needed
None. You do not need flexibility or strength to begin.
If you cannot do a movement
Add or remove support, change the angle, choose another shape, or come out of the position. Comfort matters more than matching the room.
Private or group
Both. Group sessions can be very quiet and spacious. Private sessions allow more time to adjust props and positions around your body.
Good to tell them
Mention any position that is uncomfortable, difficulty lying flat, pregnancy, temperature needs, or anything that makes a supported shape hard to settle into.
What surprises people
There may be very little movement. The work is often in arranging enough support that you can stop doing the work of holding the position.