‘Daring to Rest’ is the title of the superb book by Karen Brody. What a novel concept!
In a world gone crazy with doing, achieving, going so fast we don’t know what down time is anymore, daring to rest may seem like a waste of our time. Nothing could be further from the truth!
Yoga Nidra (which is what Karen Brody’s book is all about), is, in my experience, the deep rest that our bodies, minds and nervous systems are yearning for. Stop, listen, breathe …. can you hear the call of your deeper Self imploring you to slow down and come home to yourself? Heed the call, it may well restore you to sanity in a world gone just a little crazy!
Deep rest, on the contrary to being a waste of time, is time so well spent that it gives us a new lease of life whenever we do it. When we are well rested, creativity and inspiration flow, our bodies can heal, our minds kick into being awake and focussed, and we generally become much nicer people! On top of all that, and probably most importantly, the deep rest achieved from a regular practice of yoga nidra calms down the nervous system, the place where anxiety, stress, overwhelm and trauma all sit, showing up as hyper-arousal. Many of us live in a hyper-aroused state which has become our ‘norm’ and it is only when it starts to calm down, that we can see how stressed we were and realise that without a sense of calmness and restedness in our lives, we are really missing out on life.
Anyway, don’t take my word for it, come along and try it and see how you feel. No effort required, just your presence on the mat…..along with a bolster, blanket and an eye pillow! Prepare to rest deeply, in both body and mind, and to enter a state of healing and peacefulness. No movement is involved, this isn’t a ‘yoga’ class in that sense. This is the meditative heart of yoga that brings you home to yourself.
All I can usually hear when people hit the mat on arrival at a Yoga Nidra class – is a huge sigh of relief! Time to rest and so ready for it!