Deep Rest What is It, Why It's Vital & The (Not so Simple) Steps To Achieve It

If you have been to the studio recently you may have met our new staff member, Betty. She is efficient, effective and focused. Effortlessly she sweeps & mops the floors....and then she needs to rest. She is in fact a robot cleaner. She tells you if she is confused (aka gets tangled in a cable or pulls the altar down!) and most importantly when she needs to return to the changing station. Genius.

Has anyone ever told you to relax? Easier said than done. Easier for a robot!! In this blog we will look at how to effectively recharge once you have returned to your charging station/sanctuary.

How do you actually Relax...What does deep rest mean?

We need to understand that our nervous system has 2 main operating modes:

1) Sympathetic: Fight or flight....you use this to deal with emergencies & when we are physically active.

2) Parasympathetic: Rest & Digest: Excellent for when we need to go to sleep or eat. This is

Most of us have been pressing the "on" button for far too long. Yoga can greatly assist us to take conscious control over the unconscious.

Take 5 minutes to try the following, please let me know how you get on.

1) Moderate your breathing

Right now, observe your breathing as it is: Is it fast, slow ragged, uneven? Next, deliberately breathe slower for 4 full breaths. Now take 4 fast breaths. Doing this highlights the “autonomic nervous system” (ANS). This system regulates many automatic bodily processes, and it usually operates outside of your awareness. But actually, you can control the ANS – and that remarkable fact puts you in the driver’s seat for the core machinery of emotional well-being in your body.

2) Bring your mind to the present moment

Wheteher you are in pain or in bliss, bringing your mind to actually feeling what is happening will make a shift in your brain wiring so that things happen rather than happen at you. You become at cause rather than at effect.

3) Restorative Yoga...try Legs up the wall Pose

A nourishing pose for the body, Legs-Up-the-Wall helps to drain the lymphatic system, can relieve edema or swelling, and is great for circulation as it temporarily increases blood flow to the head and heart. Sit with one hip near or touching the wall. Lie back and swing the legs up. Shimmy and shift until you feel like your body is in a loose “L.” Note: you don’t have to be right next to the wall, which can potentially be uncomfortable for some. Place your hands on your belly or along your sides. Close your eyes and tune into sensation in the legs and feet. Stay here for 5–8 minutes and ease out gently.

Let me know which tip was your favourite.

Then, the ANS is divided into the sympathetic, parasympathetic, and enteric nervous systems.

To Recap: Deep Rest Is switching to your parasympathetic. It is:

Conscious breathing

Staying completely Present (on task, or in the zone)

It isnt:

Lying in bed tossing & turning

Bingeing on Netflick

Hanging out with friends that dump on you