Rest: A personal journey
What is rest?
When I hear the word "rest," my mind used to go straight to sleep. And I used to contract at the thought. Sleeping during the day felt like a waste of time to me. I could do so much in that hour of sleep! I've fought with midday sleep since I was a little girl. I'm pretty sure some of you can relate.
From time to time, I did give in to afternoon snoozes, when I was exhausted from too much studying, when I became a mother and was drained from doing it all, or after emotionally challenging times. Sleep would help me recharge my batteries, and it felt good to start over. But sometimes I would sleep too much and wake up more tired and so much work left undone.
During university, I discovered that a 10-minute very deep sleep would leave me refreshed, while 1-2 hours would often make me wake up sluggish and groggy. I began searching for that short, quick nap that didn't trigger guilt.
My Journey to Understanding Rest
It wasn't until my son was little that I discovered Yoga Nidra, a practice that gave me exactly what I needed. I wasn't sleeping, just resting my body and mind, taking a break from my thoughts. It was refreshing, didn't take long, and I was ready to continue my work with a clear mind and more energy. This was my first glimpse into what rest truly means and how it helps me.
Years later, I experienced a deep loss. Even though I was practicing yoga and doing my Yoga Nidra regularly, I continued working, even more than before, while caring for my family and for children, as a teacher and dealing with grief, which was exhausting… I didn't prioritize myself, especially rest.
I thought that helping everybody else would bring more peace, but in reality, it just added to my emotional tiredness, and I burned out.
It happened step by step, and I didn't see it coming. My body started sending signals, making me sick over and over until I realized my immune system needed a total reset. I began taking small steps, not just restorative yoga and Yoga Nidra, but small moments of pausing and rest throughout the day.
God, it was hard to stop the "doing mode"! I'm not talking about my formal practice, but incorporating rest during daytime, a few minutes of breathing, watching my dog play, observing nature, taking a slow walk, caring for my flowers. Initially, I needed passive rest, but I learned that active rest like a slow mindful practice, a walk in nature or gardening was also useful.
The Science of Sleep and Rest
Here's what I discovered through my research:
Sleep is a complex biological process involving specific brain wave patterns and hormonal changes. Your body cycles through different sleep stages to perform essential functions:
Physical repair and immune system enhancement
Memory consolidation and cognitive processing
Emotional regulation and stress hormone management
Rest, however, can occur in various states of consciousness and takes multiple forms. According to Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, author of "Sacred Rest," we need seven types of rest: Physical rest (passive and active), Mental rest, Sensory rest, Creative rest, Emotional rest, Social rest, and Spiritual rest.
What I understood better was, that : You can be sleep-deprived even with adequate hours of sleep, if you're rest-deprived during waking hours.
Wisdom from Sleep and Rest Experts
Matthew Walker, Ph.D. (Sleep Scientist, Author of "Why We Sleep") "I was once fond of saying, 'Sleep is the third pillar of good health, alongside diet and exercise.' I have changed my tune. Sleep is more than a pillar; it is the foundation on which the other two health bastions sit. Take away the bedrock of sleep or weaken it just a little, and careful eating or physical exercise become less than effective." – Matthew Walker
Sleep impacts everything from our emotional resilience to immune function, memory, and creativity. Chronic sleep deprivation is linked to anxiety, depression, and reduced cognitive performance.
Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith (Physician, Author of "Sacred Rest")
"Sleep and rest are not the same thing, and many of us are missing out on the other types of rest we need." She defines 7 types of rest:
Physical Rest – Both passive (sleeping and napping) and active (restorative activities like yoga, stretching, and massage that help improve the body's circulation and flexibility).
Mental Rest – Taking breaks throughout the day, keeping a notebook to jot down thoughts, and practicing meditation to quiet the mind and stop mental chatter.
Sensory Rest – Unplugging from electronics, creating periods of silence, closing your eyes for a few minutes during the day, and intentionally reducing the sensory input bombarding you.
Creative Rest – Exposing yourself to beauty in any form that inspires awe and wonder, whether in nature, art, or music.
Emotional Rest – Creating space for freely expressing your feelings and reducing people-pleasing behaviors, being authentic rather than performing to meet others' expectations.
Social Rest – Surrounding yourself with positive and supportive people who enhance your energy rather than drain it, and distinguishing between relationships that revive you versus those that exhaust you.
Spiritual Rest – Connecting beyond the physical and mental and feeling a deep sense of belonging, love, acceptance, and purpose, often found through prayer, meditation, or community engagement.
Karen Brody (Author of Daring to Rest, Yoga Nidra Advocate) "Rest is a revolutionary act. When women rest, the world changes." Karen emphasizes that Yoga Nidra and deep rest practices help women reclaim their energy, clarity, and inner power in a world that constantly demands more.
Dr. Andrew Huberman (Neuroscientist, Stanford University) "Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) protocols, like Yoga Nidra, can help the brain and body recover, improve learning, and reduce stress." NSDR is shown to boost dopamine levels, promote neuroplasticity, and offer recovery similar to sleep.(Huberman Lab Podcast, Episode with Matthew Walker)
NASA "In 1995, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) began exploring the power of naps as a strategy to keep pilots alert throughout a shift. …Following an extensive study NASA determined that the ideal nap length is 26 minutes to maximize its effects on job performance and alertness, and minimize the effects of sleep inertia, the dazed sluggish feeling commonly experienced from longer nap." (sleepfoundation.org)
Do we rest enough?
We have to put rest in our to-do list or on our calendar. We have to schedule it because even if we know how important it is, we often don't do it.
Pay attention to your body, when it reaches its limit and you don't listen, it will find a way to tell you that you're not resting enough. You might get a cold, experience pain, or develop an infection that requires rest. That's your signal to pause; otherwise, it will get worse. Stress weakens our immune system, and if we don't allow our nervous system to rest and reset, our health deteriorates, there are studies confirming this.
I, still need reminders to pause sometimes.
Making Time for Rest: My Personal Practices
If we understand how important rest is, how do we make time to actually rest? Here are a few practices that I include in my life:
Yoga Nidra was my go-to for rest as a new mother, then as a working mother. I used to work with children, and after work, I would take 20 minutes to refresh before starting my afternoon with my family (round 2!).
Restorative yoga poses – Child's pose with pillow or bolster support has been my lifeline for emotional reset, grief release, and anxiety relief. It's also my go-to for pain relief during menstruation.
Body scanning with breath awareness – when I have less time for a full Yoga Nidra. I scan through my body, noticing sensations and then pause and maintain awareness of my breath for a few minutes, bringing me back to the present moment.
Caring for my flowers – Tending to my garden provides both active and passive rest. The gentle movement while watering and pruning becomes a moving meditation, while the beauty of the blooms offers sensory and creative restoration.
Breathing practices or breath awareness – I use these for 5 minutes during the day when I need a quick refresher.
Walking in the forest is another way I rest.
Pausing from what I'm doing for 5 minutes, closing my eyes, and asking myself, "How are you? Really, how are you feeling?" and checking in with my body.
Moving slowly in my yoga practice.
Taking an evening walk, admiring what surrounds me.
Staying away from phone scrolling in the afternoon.
Rest is personal, this is what I found out.
Find ways to rest and reset during the day that are short and convenient for you.
And don't forget: Rest is a practice, and you have to learn to allow it to happen.
