I Choose to Relax Now

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