Hello beautiful friends,
With Christmas festivities in full swing, rich food, late nights, more alcohol perhaps than usual and so much on the ‘To Do’ list, it’s really important to seek to preserve our inner balance and replenish ourselves regularly. So today I have the perfect antidote for the Christmas drain and anytime you need a pick-me-up…And I know that many others like you could benefit from this too.
Deep peaceful rest. It’s something we all crave and love when we get it. We all know how good we feel when we’re relaxed and our batteries are fully charged.
But how many of us can truly say that we feel both relaxed and energised for most of our day?
Or ask yourself these questions: Do you feel stressed often? Do you have difficulty making decisions? Does time seem to always go by too fast?
If you’ve answered yes to any of the above and you’d like to feel more calm and vibrant at the same time then read on. There’s something here for you…
The spark…
This year I had the great pleasure to attend a five day Yoga Training Intensive with the great yogi Donna Farhi.
Between lectures and dynamic yoga we practiced restorative yoga as well as – what seemed to me at the time – indulged in a 20 minute savasana at the end of both the morning and afternoon sessions. Twice a day! (Savasana is the ‘corpse’ pose in yoga, practiced as your final pose relaxing on your back on the floor.)
So between restorative poses and savasana we spent at least 2 hours a day lying around totally supported with bolsters, blankets and eye pillows… relaxing.
Well! When I returned home the effects were palpable. I was acutely aware that I felt not only deeply relaxed, but also extremely calm and contented.
Body, mind, emotions = all good
I thought I was already fairly calm and happy most of the time but this experience took me to a whole new level of pleasure and joy. I just floated around and life seemed to unfold effortlessly of it’s own accord. Ever felt like that? Like you’re truly in the ‘flow’ and life is effortless… pure joy!
Three busy days back at work later, I was feeling stressed, bumping into walls and dropping things as the tension rose within me both mentally and physically!
The contrast was stark and I was grateful to see it so clearly.
The revelation...
I realised that when we’re stressed and getting wound up (as I was) whilst it feels uncomfortable physically, it also makes everything we do seem harder and take more effort. Life gets edgy. Time contracts and every path we turn down seems to be full of road blocks.
From a relaxed state however life flows with grace. We feel good, we approach tasks in a light-hearted way, choices and decisions come easily, time expands, doors open even before we know we need them and everything unfolds smoothly.
The solution…
My decision came clear and swift. Without a doubt I wanted more of that magic so I’d have to rest more each day…
And so the seed was born. I began to practice 20 minutes of ‘deep rest’ every day.
I lay on my bed, supported with pillows so that every part of me was impeccably comfortable. I practiced consciously relaxing my mind and my body, feeling the rise and fall of my breath and noticing the sensations and energies pulsing, dancing and passing through my whole body.
That was June this year. I made a commitment to myself to do it every day for the whole month to imprint the practice in my mind, body and my life. Now I do it at least 3 times a week and more as needed or whenever I can, because I absolutely love it.
I love the feeling of the tension draining away from my mind and body.
I love the sense of feeling wide open and expansive in both my mind and body as glimpses of total conscious rest envelope me.
I love feeling revived and recharged.
I love just knowing exactly what to do next without any decision being made. It just happens.
And I know that many others like you could benefit from this too.
Stress robs us of our peace of mind, dramatically increases our emotional sensitivity and erodes our physical health.
Whilst we all have a long list of both the exciting and the mundane things to do each day, the truth is that resting regularly helps us to:
think clearly, restores balance to our nervous system, promotes healing, enhances our enjoyment of life and increases our productivity … all at the same time.
You can’t argue with that.
So I really encourage each and every one of you to make the time to rest each and every day, especially when you’re busy.
And if you'd like to experience this for yourself and need some help, contact me or book in for a Physio session where we can take a look at your stress and physical posture and create the best technique and position to benefit your mind, your spine and your body, maximally. I will guide you through the process and you'll receive a take home manual to continue your own practice.
Does more clarity, balance, ease and joy appeal to you? Then don’t delay. Contact me now to book your personalised session. It’s just a smart thing to learn. You can’t go wrong.
Meanwhile, I’d love to hear from you. Do you have a daily rest? If so what’s your practice and how does it really make a difference? Can you move into a deep rest state with ease?
Let me know by leaving a comment below.
In love with Rest,
