Leaning Towards Rest
These are challenging times and REST doesn’t simply happen just by draping our heads on a pillow in our beds. The carousel of our mind continues to pore through the stimulation we encountered throughout the day, so it can sift and sort through it. This means that many of us wake up tired every morning from a lack of deep rest.
The key to resting isn’t waiting for the perfect conditions to occur; it’s starting with what you have and creating the conditions a bit at a time. Here are a few ideas that have resonated with many folks over the years. They are not recommendations or suggestions, but reference points for your own curiosity, exploration and self-discovery.
Resting in low light environments can help ease the nervous system into rest. Switching to bedside lamps rather than overhead an hour before bedtime can be helpful. Candlelight can be very conducive for some folks, but make sure it’s safe in your environment
Relaxing the Jaw with some crunchy celery sticks or apples can be supportive for those who clench their jaws at night. Some folks have discovered that tiring out the jaws before bed provides more ease for the jaws to rest.
Gentle self massages or Havening practices can feel soothing for the nervous system and allow us to drop into rest more easily.
If rest happens more easily for you during daylight hours, try creating a Resting Space where you can practice Constructive Rest practices from Restorative Yoga or Alexander Technique.
Choose a guided visualization practice that you listen to daily so that this pathway to rest becomes a well practiced road for you. The more intimate you are with it, the easier it is to drop deeper into rest
Create a collage or vision board about Rest and allow yourself to fill it with restful images. Bringing your eyes to wander over this vision board
If restful sleep has been elusive for a long time, let go of that as a goal. Instead, ask if you can drop into restful moments repeatedly throughout the day and night.
Notice how you feel during and after a restful moment. This can be a powerful guide to cultivating ongoing rest.
