It’s a hot summer, there’s no doubt about it! In yoga class and in my writings I’ve been offering yogic guidance for cooling down. My best suggestions have been 1) eat cooling foods, 2) practice shitali pranayama, or cooling breath, and 3) do yoga twists around the mid-section of the body. This is an excellent three-part strategy to cool down.

In my studies this week, however, I learned that while these strategies are somewhat helpful, they also tend to heat the body. And this makes sense when you think about—for each of these activities, you have to use effort to do them, kind of like trying to cool your face by using your hand as a fan. This extra effort we expend may actually negate any effects we think we’re gaining from them.

WHAT?! Any other ideas for cooling these hot, hot days?

Let’s try resting to cool down. In yoga class we call this “shavasana,” the pose of the corpse. Or we can do any of the wonderful restorative yoga postures where we use lots of props to support the body in a restful pose. Resting postures work more effectively than these other practices because rest activates the parasympathetic response of the nervous system.

When the parasympathetic system is activated, blood moves away from the surface of the skin toward the internal organs. As a result, the organs are nicely supported and happily begin to gurgle, activating what is also called the “rest and digest” response. At the same time, the hands and feet get chilly, which makes the body cool down pretty quickly.

So on these hot days, do continue to eat cooling foods, practice shitali and twists to release heat from the midsection of the body. But also make time each day for 20 minutes or more of still, dark, quiet rest. Resting really does make you cool—in more ways than one.

I am surrounded by nappers.

Four of the nappers are fur babies, all cats, who sleep more than they are awake. The other napper is my partner in life, my spouse, who has taken afternoon naps for as long as I have known him. He loves his afternoon nap! He gets up early, writes for several hours, exercises, has tea and homemade bread, then takes a nap. He rises rejuvenated, refreshed and ready for the second half of his day.

I am not a napper. It’s not that I don’t like them, it’s just that I have always been a fitful sleeper and I find that if I take a nap during the day I sleep even more poorly at night. (As an aside, I have learned so much about sleep from Dr. Michael Breus, aka “the sleep doctor”, and discovered that my intuition not to nap is a good one.)

Because I don’t take a nap, I tend to work all day and even into the night since I teach several nights a week. This is bad news for me, my friends! Not only is this practice bad for my health, it also negatively affects my productivity.

Every body and mind need rest to digest food and emotions, to balance the nervous system, and to support healthy living for the long term.

Over the past year, one word keeps showing up in my meditations—REST. I have been on a quest to understand this message which arises from deep in my soul.

I will share with you some ways I incorporate rest into my day. Please notice what is NOT included: drinking alcohol or caffeine, playing video games, reading, binge-watching shows, spending time with friends. While these can certainly be pleasant activities, and they do give us a break from “work,” it is not right to call them “rest.” Rest calms body and mind, while leisure activities continue to agitate body and mind.

Here are some of the ways I incorporate rest into my day:

Meditation breaks at noon and late afternoon provide quiet. They help me notice any whispers of pain or discomfort that may be brewing so I can take care of them before get overwhelming.

Yoga nidra guided meditation, either self-guided or with a recording, let me lie down or sit in a relaxed position and take a deep dive into the intentions of my heart.

Restorative yoga with lots of physical support—pillows, blankets, cushions—with an eye covering or darkened room bring the autonomic nervous system into balance so that my stress response is mitigated.

Occasional naps with a furry companion, because they are, after all, our best teachers.

“Replace ‘I will relax when. . .’ with ‘I choose to relax now.’” -Alan Cohen