Rest is something I’m really into encouraging here at Yogipod so what could be better than a whole blog post dedicated to finding just that from one of my friends and teachers Harriet McAtee?
A big warm hello to Yogipod’s audience. It’s a pleasure to be here (thank you to Georgie for inviting me) – sharing some of the ways I think yoga can form an important part of your relationship to rest.
I’m a passionate advocate for rest, but that also comes with acknowledging that rest is also something that many people find challenging, for a variety of reasons. Rest doesn’t have to mean spending 20 minutes in savasana (corpse pose) if that doesn’t suit you!
In this blog, I’m hoping to explore a few ways our yoga practice can be restful, and also give you some useful tips and ideas for creating a more nourishing and personal relationship to rest. A version of this first appeared on the blog for my business, Nourish Yoga Training, taking a deeper dive into the social aspects of rest on top of what I discuss below. Throughout the blog below I’ve also included links to lots of resources and ‘how to’ guides I’ve created over the years, to hopefully give you some places to start if you’re looking to explore specific practices yourself.
Yoga Practice as Rest Practice
Resting is one of life’s things that is easier said than done. However, in many ways yoga and rest practices complement each other, so here are some ways to explore adding a more restful flavour to your personal yoga practice, or classes if you teach.
The Intention to Rest
Intentions help to ground or focus our yoga practice. Setting the intention to honour rest can not only bring us deeper into ourselves but can also help us connect to bigger purposes. Rest soothes the body, mind and spirit, but it also makes engaging with and navigating the world more manageable and even joyful. Rest can lie at the crux of the intersection between honouring myself and serving my community.
Intentions alter how we practice –– how does it feel to heed the body’s need over the mind’s wants? What form might my sun salutations, in honour of rest, take?
The Breath and the Physiology of Rest
From a physiological standpoint, the breath is one way that we can influence our nervous system to facilitate rest.
The branch of the nervous system associated with rest is the parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS), AKA the ‘Rest-and-Digest’ state, (counterpart to the sympathetic nervous system, AKA ‘Fight-or-Flight’). The primary nerve of the PSNS is the vagus nerve, famed for its length and sprawl, connecting the brain to heart, lungs, and gut. In general, we have little to no control over the processes of the PSNS and SNS; however, influencing the breath has been linked to vagal nerve stimulation, and therefore our rest response.
In this review paper, the argument is made that the physical and mental benefits gained from practising yoga and other contemplative practices are a result of the vagal nerve stimulation that occurs through breath modification. It’s impossible, and in my opinion pointless, to try and pinpoint exactly why and how our yoga practices affect us, but the paper offers valuable insight into one of the mechanisms at play.
Pranayama for Rest
We may turn to specific pranayama practices, such as three-part breath or alternate nostril breathing; however, any breath pattern that slows and deepens the breath, particularly lengthening the exhale, can help to engage the PSNS.
Above all, if you choose to work with the breath, find a way of breathing that feels comfortable for you. Often the benefits ascribed to certain pranayama practices are generic and prescriptive, working for some people but not others. Holding the breath or working with fixed ratios can end up triggering a stress response. For those of us, or our students, who have altered or sensitised nervous system responses, working directly with the breath should be approached gently and slowly, if at all.
Instead of traditional pranayama practices, sighing or blowing out the exhale through gently pursed lips are accessible and can be easily integrated into asana. There are many different ways to access our rest response, and the breath may change without us having to focus or alter it directly.
Resting in Asana
Yin and restorative styles of yoga are the obvious, but not the only, way of tailoring asana to rest. Forcing the body to be still, whilst the mind whirs on, in the name of relaxation is unrealistic and can be triggering, particularly if you are anxious, restless, or a trauma survivor.
Adopting an embodied approach to asana tends to slow us down, creates more space for being with the breath, and allows us to soften our edges through freer movement. From here, adding a few supported poses, using bolsters and pillows, might feel more welcome –– although just letting the body move softly and consciously can be nurturing enough. Bed yoga, where you practice gentle poses from the comfort of bed, is also a nourishing and accessible way to build rest into your asana practice.
Resting the Mind: Savasana, Meditation and Yoga Nidra
Savasana, meditation and Yoga Nidra are unique practices in and of themselves, but they can be approached collectively as ways of finding a deeper or mental rest. The biggest challenge to deep rest in turmoil times, and this is true of meditation practices is catching a mental break.
Savasana is in many ways the natural rest point of a yoga practice, and therefore a moment to emphasise in your yoga practice. Be intentional about rest in savasana by using props such as blankets and pillows, or even getting back into bed (no matter what time of day). Often we are told to avoid sleep, daydreaming or mind wandering in our savasana (and meditation) but all of these are states of rest that you might welcome if you are struggling to unwind.
For some meditation and mindfulness practices are a welcome solace right now, and for others we might forego them entirely, as they can be mentally confronting. We may also find that adapting our physical practices generates more mindfulness as a byproduct. Yoga Nidra is my rest practise of choice if I am in deep need of a mental unhook, and it is also a rest offering that I deeply enjoy sharing as a teacher. Theo has some excellent resources and recordings on her website if you would like to explore and experience this practice.
When Your Practice Isn’t Restful
I feel like this is something really important to say: sometimes your yoga practice, and that means any and all of the practices I mention above, just aren’t going to be restful for you. And that’s ok.
Whether it’s that you’ve just been through a really stressful event/period, you’re feeling wired or anxious, or something else, there are myriad reasons (and all of them personal to you) that coming to your yoga mat and attempting to lie down or be still in postures or breath, just isn’t going to feel good, supportive or safe for you.
If this is where you find yourself, I’d really encourage you not to force yourself to practice if it’s not feeling right for you at that moment. When I find myself in this situation, I turn to other ways of supporting myself and processing stress: heading out for a walk, journaling, taking a long shower, chatting with a friend, or cleaning/organising my space.
Then when I’m feeling a bit more settled (whether that’s hours, days, or a week later) I’ll set aside some time and come to my mat. Remember you’ve got a wide variety of tools in your toolkit to explore rest!
4 Tips for Your Rest Practice
- Prioritise Comfort: It should go without saying, but you really want to prioritise your physical comfort if rest is your focus for practice. Use all the props, cushions, blankets etc that you want to ensure your body is feeling *at rest* – this isn’t the time to be focussing on feeling a stretch, or strengthening a muscle. We want our bodies to be as comfortable (and warm) as possible to ensure our nervous system has the chance to settle as well.
- Manage Your Environment: Take a moment before you begin your practice to consider the amount of light in your space, the sounds, and the smells. If you’re prioritising rest, you might like to close the curtains or dim the lights – it’s the perfect excuse to practice by candlelight (which might also add a favourite scent into your space). If you can’t lower the lights, consider using an eye pillow or eye mask to block out the light if you’re comfortable with having them rest over your face. You might like practicing with music, or without – both are great.
- Be Realistic: Set yourself some reasonable expectations about what you’re going to do and how long for. 15 minutes of some gentle breathing and then Legs-Up-The-Wall might be a great place to start, and much more realistic than feeling you need to set aside one hour and feeling restless after 15 minutes. I’ve got a few more tips and ideas for managing self-practice over on my blog.
- Be Gentle with Yourself: Lastly but perhaps most important, be gentle with yourself. Our yoga practice can be a wonderful resource for developing self-compassion and kindness towards ourselves. If you roll out your mat and get all set up, lie down and it’s not feeling restful, that’s ok. You have the power to get up and do something else, or maybe what you realise you need that day is a more dynamic yoga practice, and that’s ok too!
I hope you’ve found some useful ideas and resources in this blog, and are feeling inspired to consider how you can explore your personal relationship to rest in your yoga practice (and in general!).
If you’re ever feeling like you need support in your rest practice, attending a restorative yoga class or workshop might be a nice place to start. I teach semi-regular online practices which combine yin yoga postures, restorative yoga and yoga nidra – you can check out my website for any upcoming sessions.
Harriet McAtee is a yoga teacher and teacher trainer based in Oxfordshire. Her business Nourish Yoga Training teaches person centred, inclusive yoga teacher trainings, workshops and CPD’s online and in person
Harriet is also the co author of The Yoga Teacher’s Survival Guide with Theo Wildcroft