The Best Know When to Rest
Are you exhausted, no matter how much you try to catch up on sleep? When we are deeply worn, our human reaction is often to lean into “doing” rather than relax into “being.” Everyday responses to fatigue are to run more, exercise harder, push on through. Now and again, we might slow down by binge watching a show on Netflix or spend a few hours on social media while slumping on the couch. Yet we’re still tired. Science now shows what yogis have intuitively understood for centuries: engaging in intentional practices of rest, both passive and gently active, are not only healthy but necessary for our well-being.
Sleep and rest are not the same, and we need both. Sleep is basically a period of sensory detachment from everything around us, a time when bodies and brains rest and restore. An easy way to identify some of the physical benefits of sleep is to look at what happens when sleep is constantly disrupted. A few examples: cortisol levels elevate, thyroid hormones are thrown into disarray, insulin levels rise, immune response is lowered, inflammation invades. Our risk of heart disease and stroke is higher, and we are more irritable, hungry, forgetful, susceptible to infectious diseases. Our bodies and minds pay a heavy price when our sleep is deficient. Yoga for sleep is a wonderful idea. Yoga can help you sleep, however you may be missing the art of rest.
Resting is a purposeful practice that has definite results for our physical, mental and emotional health. Relaxing the muscles and quieting the mind can bring about a sense of calm when life feels stressful, our bodies are experiencing pain, or we are overwhelmed or exhausted. Relaxation practices can lower stress-related symptoms such as shallow breath, anxiety, and muscle tension. Minds become clear, our senses are active, pain is often eased. Rest can even result in…better sleep!
Yoga offers several ways to actively or passively rest. Moderate somatic movements, conscious breath awareness practices, restorative poses using lots of props to support the body, and Nidra meditation to quiet the mind are all accessible and healthy ways to bring the entire body and mind back to a place of balance. In some of these practices, especially a Nidra meditation geared toward sleep, you might doze off and feel more energized upon awakening.
Rest well ~ Jill McBurney
If you find yourself feeling exhausted from life’s challenges, consider some of the deep restful practices that yoga offers. These yoga practices for sleep and rest may be just what you need. Many of these are virtual offerings meaning there is nowhere to go, pajamas on, cameras off… Give yourself the gift of time and rest.
Classes that give you more be-ing, less do-ing:
Class Series: Yoga for Deep Rest & Reset with Jill McBurney
4 Sundays- 6/13, 6/27, 7/11, 7/25
In person 2-4pm
Register here by finding June 13 on the calendar.
Weekly Classes:
Sundays, 4:30-5:30pm Yin Yoga (virtual & in person)
Sundays, 8-9pm Yoga Nidra: Sleep of the Yogi (virtual)
Wednesdays, 9-9:30pm Yoga Nidra: Sleep of the Yogi (virtual)
Fridays, 5:45-7pm Yin Yoga (virtual)
Fridays, 7:15-8:15pm Restorative Yoga (virtual)
Fridays, 8:20-9pm Yoga Nidra: Sleep of the Yogi (virtual)
