BENEFITS OF DEEP RELAXATION
For today’s musing, and getting myself back into the writing swing, I wanted to explore further something that I feel very passionately about, and that is…deep, active relaxation. I have talked about this before. See the previous post here.
However, I felt it needed touching upon and brought back into the forefront of our awareness. Now more than ever, with everything that’s going on currently, the overwhelming amount of stimulation we get from our devices, news bulletins, work pressures, and even from our friends and family; we are in a constant state of heightened stimulation, never quite fully switching off. I know the case can be for me certainly.
So how do we counter this?
If you have made it this far, then do continue reading and seeing if this article resonates for you in any way. Maybe there’s a little niggle inside that’s been telling you to stop and slow down. Maybe this is your permission to do just that…
What is deep, active relaxation?
When we think of relaxation, we might think of activities that require very little to no effort from us physically, such as taking a bath, reading a good book, or maybe a gentle stretch, scrolling on our devices or watching TV. Maybe we think of getting a massage or some other form of physical therapy. Sometimes we think of relaxation and the image of taking time off work, going on holiday, or spending the day lounging around the house. Maybe it’s hanging out with friends and family or attending a social event. Many of us may switch off from a busy day by going out with friends or having a glass of wine, or engaging in other activities that are separate from work; which again all benefit us as they allow us to unwind, peel off the layers of work pressures, and enjoy a little freedom, but those things are not relaxing or acts of rest.
While all these things can aid us in helping us to slow down, and maybe take a break from the day-to-day busyness of life, what I am referring to here is the art of deep, active, full-body relaxation through the medium of yoga Nidra or guided sleep meditation. These practices aim to assist the body in letting go of tension and releasing the nervous system from the internal stresses we might be experiencing. The very definition of Yoga Nidra can be described as follows:
During Yoga Nidra, you learn to surf between the states of wakefulness and sleep, where your body finds its natural state of equilibrium (homeostasis) and the breath balances and becomes quiet. In this state, you can access the subtle flow of energy, called prana, in the body. One of the goals of this practice is to identify and remove blockages to its flow.
Deep, active relaxation is where you consciously allow the body to enter a state of rest. You allow the central nervous system to switch from the sympathetic (fight or flight) to the para-sympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system. When we actively give the body a chance to do this, we may notice a feeling of softness through the muscles, the body becomes heavier and you may even fall into a gentle sleep (I preface here that Nidra is not meant to replace sleep, it’s just that our bodies may be so wired that when given the chance to stop, it falls asleep).
If we never really let the body switch off, then we are never truly allowing the body to relax. We may feel like we are resting, that we are switching off, but maybe what we are doing is simply shifting between different types of stress. We may feel we are moving away from our work pressures to these fun, social activities, but these situations can still leave us feeling exhausted, socially drained and burnt out. Maybe what we need to do is STOP completely.
What do we do about this I hear you all cry!
Let’s think about the differences between sleep and rest, which for me, are two different activities and offer different benefits. Both sleep and rest are extremely important for our bodies and minds. Both offer different opportunities for your body to switch off. Now I am not claiming to be an expert here, however, through my practice over the last 10 years or so, the various pieces of training I’ve completed, and the style of yoga and meditation I teach, I feel it is crucial to spread the message about deep relaxation and how it is vital to maintaining a calm and centered nervous system. But, as always, please do your research and find your teachers that will help and guide you, if this is an area you want to dive a little deeper into.
So, how does active rest differ from sleep?
An article on Yougov.co.uk states that:
One in six get by on less than 6 hours, a figure sleep experts deem unhealthy…(with) …. One in three Britons (32%) have been getting seven hours sleep a night, the most commonly given answer. A further 27% are only getting about six hours a night and one in eight of us (12%) are subsisting on just five hours.
https://yougov.co.uk/health/articles/27245-three-quarters-brits-get-less-eight-hours-sleep
So if we are already struggling to get the recommended required amount of rest needed for our bodies in our normal sleeping patterns, then it is even more important that we incorporate resting practices into our lives, such as yoga nidra. Now yoga nidra isn’t about substituting your sleeping habits (as I have already mentioned previously), but rather a tool to help aid or assist you in adjusting your sleep and resting health habits. We should always try to prioritise good, healthy sleeping habits. Sleep gives the body a chance to process the day, rest the vital organs and regenerate skin and muscle tissues. We process our actions and thoughts through the various stages of light and deep sleep. This is a vital part of how our bodies enable us to get up the next day and go about our daily lives. When we are deprived of sleep our cognitive function suffers, our moods can suffer and we may not be truly present. Now I am not here to tell you what is the perfect amount of sleep. There have been many studies and arguments that will all differ in their views. For me, I need at least 7-8 hours of good sleep to feel fairly rested, and ready to function the next day. That might be different for someone else. What you need to focus on is how you feel the next day. How does your skin feel, your thought patterns, your decision-making, how you respond to others, your blood pressure, stress level and so on? Below is an article outlining in more detail the impact the lack of sleep can have on our bodies:
Why should we practice relaxation exercises?
Well, I think the answer to this question is pretty self-explanatory. It truly is about giving you the best possible chance of reducing stress and tension within your nervous system. We can store and hold tension within our joints, muscles and connective tissues without realising. Only when we start to soften, let go and release do we notice how tightly we’ve been holding onto so much ‘stuff’, unnecessary stuff at that.
Some examples listed below that offer the opportunity to practice relaxation can be:
- nidra
- meditation
- breathwork
- restorative yoga
…And to get you started and maybe more interested in practicing these relaxation and resting practices, I have shared below a link to my meditations, gentle yoga and Nidra playlist on YouTube (all free to access). Over the coming week, stay tuned for a private recording that you can practice at home, or in bed to help you drift off into a restful and peaceful night’s sleep.
Hopefully, this short little article of mine has given some food for thought. Maybe you feel like diving a little deeper into resting practices and maybe looking to adapt your sleeping and relaxation habits. I am not here to tell you what to do, however through my experience and teaching, I feel pretty strongly that everyone should be incorporating these techniques into their lives.
Emma x
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