Do you save relaxation time for when you go on vacation? If so…read on.
This past week I was introduced to a new group of women who had a great assortment of backgrounds, professions and interests. A couple of them asked me what I did and I replied, “I work as a yoga therapist within a medical practice.” The next question was, “what do you treat most often?”. I hesitated for a moment to sum up the many challenges that come into the studio and I said, “What I see the most is women who don’t make time to look after their own needs”. Both women had a momentary pause and then began shaking their heads, agreeing in unison.
My restorative yoga teacher, Judith Hanson Lasater recently said, “There’s a difference between sleep and rest. And you need both every day”. Have you ever caught yourself saying, “I’ll get rest when I__________…go to bed; go on vacation; finish the housework; write my novel; balance the check book etc….”
Is during sleep the ONLY time you rest? What if your sleep is interrupted or shorter than usual? What if this happens on a regular basis? If this is the cse, you are missing out on two key ingredients to balanced living—sleep and rest. It’s during our down time that the body literally catches up with itself. It’s able to process all that it’s been exposed to throughout the day…cellular metabolism and breakdown, digestion, thinking, feeling, reacting and reading are just a few. If we neglect putting the brakes on to allow the time and space to regenerate we run a greater risk of breaking down…you can run from it, but you can’t hide.
So this week I would suggest increasing your awareness of how you spend your time resting. When I was in kindergarten, I had a snappy napping mat, blue on one side, red on the other and edged in white piping. We had time-outs given to us during our half day at school, not because we misbehaved, but in order to recharge our batteries. Lights low. Quiet. No talking. No doing. Simply hanging out on your red and blue mat.
As adults we can do the same thing. Go into a quiet place. Lower the lights. No talking. No doing. Simply hanging out. If I could manage it as an extremely active five year old, I’m thinking you could as a grown up.
Get out your nap mat. Or better yet, take a restorative yoga class.
