“We are more than ourselves in our sleep.” ~ Thomas Browne

Latest news from the Land of Deep Rest and Sleep!

• Do you or someone you know struggle with sleep apnea? A long overdue innovation/alternative to the awkward clunky CPAP machine is now on the scene and very much worth knowing about. 🙂
• Curious about the myriad and multiplying new sleep gadgets and supposed ‘measuring’ tools, apps, etc on the market? Do they actually work? Um, not really. And they can even make your sleep worse.
• Ever wondered if a simple counselling session with a focus on the impact your thinking has on your sleep could actually work for insomnia? Well, scientists have been wondering too. What they found? Yes to the tune of 73% success. 🙂

Whether you have specific issues with sleep, or you just LOVE sleep, and want to know more about your love – my goal is always to deepen your personal access in a way that liberates you to support yourself, your family, friends, and community. Would you like to book a 30 minute telephone consultation? I’d love to hear from you.

Send me a note here. 🙂

 

“Being aware of your breathing takes attention away from thinking and creates space…” ~ Eckhart Tolle

One of the main tools for generating a healthy flow of renewable energy in the bodymind system is through simple breath awareness. No fancy techniques – just the potency of your bare attention. 🙂

Breathing is something we all do thousands of times a day. It’s the only energy resource we have that is literally on tap, FREE, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – every day of your life it’s available to you…yet some of us are only taking tiny little sips of air…and then wondering why we feel anxious, wound up and overwhelmed – or, tired, drained, and exhausted.

Psychology of Breath Restriction

Habituated restricted breathing goes hand in hand with a habituated way of operating in the world. As we learn to perceive without manipulation, gradually we build trust in the process of letting things be as they are…” – Donna Farhi

Untying the breath in daily life

The first step in dismantling restrictive breathing patterns is simply training attention to notice.

From there, you will start to enjoy, savor and even crave the simple beauty of life moving through you –  breathing and being breathed.

You absolutely do not have to wait for a yoga class to experience this.

As an experiment, notice how often and in what situations you hold your breath.

• Slow down! Decelerate your activities.
• Engage in some menial, rhythmic work, letting your breath slow to match the rhythm of the activity
• Pay attention to how different activities influence your breath, and how your breath influences the way you feel in your body and mind.
• Spend time in fresh air. Indoor air quality is often very poor.
• Practice elongating your exhale and finishing it all the way to the bottom
• Learn to recognize when you are breathing too fast with the red dot technique – put red dot labels in prominent places at work and home. Every time you see a dot, notice if you are breathing too fast. Then focus on increasing your exhalation, breathing slow and low into your abdomen, and allowing your shoulders, chest, upper back, neck and jaws to relax.
• Make sure you are breathing through your nose and not your mouth.
• Allow your breath to move into all sides of the body – left/right, up/down, front/back. Enjoy breathing in 3D!
• If you are in bed and having trouble sleeping, you could try resting your attention in your belly, and counting back from 11 on each exhale, letting the breath release slowly and completely

See Donna Farhi’s wonderful work, “The Breathing Book” for more wisdom and practices you can implement into daily life!

I love how this short video on napping in the workplace
humorously addresses the need for more rest during the work day,
as well as some of the cultural taboos around it. 🙂

Maybe it’s time to lounge in the grassy roots of restvolutionary movements.
Perhaps a Sleep Pride Parade? National sleep month? year?

How do you integrate rest pauses into your workday,
or supplement lost or disrupted sleep, without feeling guilty
or like you are being ‘lazy’ or unproductive?

Wishing you sweet moments of rest & repose amidst the actions of your week,

~ Jennifer

Be earth now, and evensong.
Be the ground lying under that sky.
Be modest now, like a thing
ripened until it is real… ~ Rilke “Onto a Vast Plain”

Lots of you know me from my Sleep Yoga recordings,
but something that is even more important to me
is people feeling like they can rest and sleep well
independent of gadgets, recordings, bells/whistles, and/or whatever.

All those supports are wonderful and helpful at times,
but wouldn’t it be nice to feel free of needing anything?

To just rest and sleep when we want/need, with a sense of trust, and ease?

One of the questions I get asked most often is
‘what are simple ways I can rest during the day when I feel tired,
but don’t have a lot of time and don’t want to nap
or meditate or set up restorative poses?’

So, here is something I have been practicing and sharing a lot lately.

It’s a naturally occurring posture that you already know
and have experienced, though possibly more so when you were a child.
It’s a similar stance to a snow angel, starfish,
standing ‘carefree’ position,
and/or DaVinci’s “Vitruvian Man”, pictured below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s called Repose,
‘re-discovered’ by Victor Shamas (psychologist at U of Arizona & biofeedback researcher)
and Jhan Kold (rehabilitation specialist & yoga teacher) in January 2014
– as a way to hit our internal ‘pause or re-set button’

It involves lying on a flat, comfortable surface,
with arms extended perpendicular to torso,
palms up, legs wide, jaw relaxed, without strain,
in a quiet place with eyes open or closed.

The researchers have been recommending 7 minutes
three times a day, spaced evenly (e.g. 9, 3, 9) for maximum effectiveness.

Significant improvements have been noted in three areas:

• Psychological well-being (happiness, optimism, self-image, resilience)
• Flourishing (high levels of positivity, psychological functioning, social functioning)
• Physical health (ADL’s, climbing, bending and walking)

Case study participants have described benefits like:
reduced pain, improved sleep, increased sense of peace,
improved ability to break free of habitual thoughts, emotions and habits,
increased energy, mental acuity, creativity, memory and productivity…
just to name a few! (See more at www.repose4all.com)

 

 

 

 

 

Personally, I notice even ONCE a day is powerful and a great way to begin.

I love it because it is neither concentrative, nor ‘mindful’ per se –
attention is set free to do what it will.
Because of this, it’s easier to learn than most relaxation and meditation practices.
There is no strategy, agenda or technique.
No attempt to clear, empty or even observe the mind is required.

Another reason I love this is that it’s very similar
to something that I consider to be an endangered species
in some yoga circles – Savasana – corpse pose,
the integrative resting position that concludes yoga practice.

(Many practitioners cite Savasana as their favorite piece.
There are even t-shirts that say “I’m just here for the Savasana”)

I believe Savasana has been under-utilized not only as a tool
for digesting and absorbing a yoga class,
but also for helping us digest and absorb LIFE.

It’s a powerful, stand-alone practice
with potentially revolutionary implications.

Sooo…maybe test it out on yourself shall you?
Claim 7 minutes.
See where it transports you in this time
of February blah & between-ness.

With Love, ~ Jennifer