When recovering from a cold or flu, some might experience a lingering headache even if they’re no longer feverish and bed-ridden. If so, a person might consider doing some simple stretches to help relax their tense muscles and align their physical and mental states while focusing on breathing. Restorative yoga can provide a truly relaxed and restful healing through a gentle practice of simple poses.

A while back in the evening, after having suffered from bad cold symptoms a few days prior, I still felt congested. I had a lot of tension in my muscles, as well as pains in my back and shoulders. A slow, quiet and meditative yoga practice was just what I needed to feel better. So I brewed some hot tea, lit scented candles and set up my yoga mat for a restorative session.

Little did I know that the rest of my family had sat down to watch Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Semifinals. The New York Rangers and the Washington Capitals were tied 3-3 in the series, and this could be the deciding game. This meant that it was not going to be easy to do meditating, relaxing and restorative yoga in a small apartment while the hockey announcers yelled, “Something, something puck in the air. That was a very good pass! So-and-so shot again, very aggressive!”

I considered giving up and just sitting on the couch to watch the game. But no, I wanted to practice yoga. I knew that it would make me feel better and speed up the healing process. To compromise, I decided to do my stretches with the TV on, while my family intensely rooted for the Rangers to advance.

The complete article can be found in Issue #277 of the Tokyo Journal. Click here to order from Amazon.