Special Yoga To Rest

The practice of relaxation and mental calm is essential in personal development. That is why traditionally in yoga there are postures whose primary objective is relaxation and rest. They do not seek – not even with classic yoga asanas – to stretch the body more or better than another student or to reach a certain level of perfection, but to surrender to rest in all senses.

Today it seems that acceleration affects us all. Commitments and responsibility easily overwhelm us. Furthermore, staying without doing something materially productive even starts to look frowned upon.

Is it really a waste of time to rest, meditate, daydream or even sleep? All of our activities are intended to have a profitable purpose and immediate practical utility. This is why caffeine sells so much. But coffee does not give energy, it agitates it. And agitation is confused with energy.

On the other hand, when doing a posture like Savasana to end an intense yoga session, sometimes the person does not feel exactly calm, but rather exhaustion. In fact , relaxation can be confused with exhaustion.

Some people blame themselves for feeling tired, using pejorative terms like “lazy.” Only when health is reached to the point where health is no longer sustained due to stress or insomnia, nervousness, or illness does the person allow themselves to practice relaxation, as if it were a doctor’s prescription or a luxury.

For this reason, dear reader, I invite you to interrupt your reading for a moment and reflect. Is there something in your life that you would do better to be calm and relaxed? Wouldn’t you be a better father, brother, son, neighbor, friend, professional …? Would you rather have a fast and nervous partner or a calm and relaxed partner? What kind of mind do you offer to your partner and to your community? What kind of mental attitude would you like to live with?

Rest is not a luxury but an essential necessity

Being calm and relaxed raises both our own level and quality of life and that of others. That is why rest is not a luxury but an essential necessity. When a sick animal tends to isolate itself and remain collected, letting its body recover and regain balance.

Those who are thirsty do not feel guilty for wanting to drink, nor do they wait to finish their tasks to do so: they simply drink a glass of water naturally. But since rest is a time-consuming process, it can start a cycle of shame and guilt that further agitates the mind.

What can really scare you in the practice of stopping and resting is that conflicting emotions arise or having realized that there is something (a relationship, a habit, an attitude …) that really does not serve us and that we do not know how to manage alone; as if we opened a box of surprises.

So stopping and realizing requires courage. Sometimes it can be helpful to have a professional who can guide you through the process of true relaxation. However, the goal of relaxation practice is to be relaxed and calm outside of the yoga mat under the circumstances of everyday life.

Four brain waves

Since the invention of the electroencephalogram, numerous investigations have studied the relationship between the electrical activity of the human brain and its moods. Hence the medical division of brain activity into four basic frequencies based on the brain waves captured by the electroencephalogram.

The so-called delta waves, the lowest frequency of brain activity, correspond to deep sleep. It is important that the body returns to this level daily, because in this state the production of red blood cells increases, the immune system is strengthened and the absorption of amino acids in the tissues and protein synthesis improves. The body regenerates with deep sleep.

This state corresponds to sleep, hypnosis and trance. A mind set on delta waves has little self-awareness. The opposite state is that of wakefulness, when the so-called beta waves predominate , the state of alertness and attention to a bodily or intellectual activity. In the state of predominance of beta waves it is also where anxiety appears mainly.

Between the delta and beta waves are the states called alpha waves and theta waves. That of alpha waves corresponds to a state of tranquility and creativity, since it is where the activity of the left cerebral hemisphere begins to predominate.

The theta waves are associated with a deeper state of calm, related to daydreaming or making an automatic activity that requires attention and consciousness in its execution. Stress leads to spending the day forcing yourself to be in a continuous state of alert, corresponding to beta waves, to fall asleep in bed at night and then go through alpha and theta states while sleeping.

The only end is to stop and realize

It is important to allow yourself to go through other states of mind during the day. Daydreaming, gazing into the distance aimlessly and spending time consciously doing nothing, even opening up to boredom – what the philosopher Walter Benjamin called ” the bird that hatches the egg of our experience ” – is as important as sleeping and being alert when needed.

In the restorative Yoga classes the space is opened to practice these transitory states of mind between activity and sleep, in order to perfect the ability to return to them during the day.

This offers a revolutionary practice of rest and relaxation. It is a training whose only purpose is to stop and realize. Physically stopping means that no dynamic posture is usually done in yoga classes. It is used, yes, quite a lot of material: blankets, belts, chairs, cylindrical cushions ( bolsters ), yoga blocks …

The wall allows any part of the body to be supported in order to be in positions where it can rest for a long period of time. In addition, since the support is symmetrical, the uniformity that the body receives through the proprioceptive system allows for further relaxation in the postures, which encourages a deep sense of confidence and letting go.

Joints are not stretched or muscles are stretched

Unlike classic yoga classes, which offer vigorous stretching and toning asanas, these other poses hardly stretch the muscles in order to reduce stress on the body as much as possible. Stretching the muscles in an intense, forced or sudden way can stress the body.

In fact, the muscles can contract to protect themselves from an overstretch or a sudden and careless movement. So also the habit of demanding too is broken, as to the make a practice without the goal of pushing or control the body s and open space to another way of doing.

Another reason that the muscles are hardly stretched in these positions is so that there are no unnecessary stimuli for the body to handle.

Combining these premises with the observation that an embryo has all the joints flexed has led to the development of a type of posture in which the joints are not extended and the muscles are not stretched. In the so-called Yin Yoga, it is sought to stretch the muscles to gain more muscle flexibility and joint mobility – two factors that promote health.

But in restorative yoga, calm and peace are only sought through, literally, stopping moving and realizing what arises. The practice of stopping is so refined that music or visualization exercises are rarely used, as is the case for example in Yoga Nidra, another excellent discipline to create a deep state of relaxation.

All styles and currents of yoga complement each other, since the reasons for which yoga is practiced and the needs and abilities of the body change throughout life.

In restorative yoga, the practitioner tries first of all to become familiar with wise silence. During the postures, the eyes are usually covered with a mask and the body with a blanket, in search of warmth and darkness; two other elements that promote stillness and internalization.

Connect with consciousness

When you start practicing it is possible to feel nervous in that space of stillness and silence; But it is not the posture that creates the discomfort or restlessness but the mental noise that previously existed and of which we are now more aware. Staying in positions of rest, in silence and without any entertainment for the mind – such as music, visualization, directions from a teacher, etc. – allows an experience of connection with the depth of consciousness.

The Restorative Yoga is also suitable for those who suffer from injuries or impediments to participate in a common yoga class. In addition, it is recommended for pregnant women, who can enjoy a rest that allows them to release accumulated tensions and create an open mental environment, which also generates a healthy biochemical environment for the fetus.

Be kind to yourself and others

Yoga is based on practicing a serene observation of what arises and trusting in human kindness and ability to choose the best response to any situation or person. This is why an authentic yoga practice is said to provide a radical change in outlook on life. The person feels more relaxed, patient, and kind to himself and to others.