A twenty-minute lie-down

This is a how-to for the plainest practice we know. You lie down. You stay awake. For twenty minutes, nothing is asked of you.

Research on rest practices like this is mixed, and most of it is small. In one laboratory study, people who rested quietly for ten minutes after learning a story remembered more of it a week later than people who went straight on to another task. That is a long way from everyday life. We make no health promises here. We only invite you to find out what you are like when nothing is required.

Before you lie down

Choose a flat place that is not your desk: a firm bed, a rug with a folded blanket, a sofa long enough for you. If your lower back complains, put a pillow under your knees. Keep a light cover within reach. The body cools as it rests, and cold is a poor companion for stillness.

Silence your phone and set a soft timer for twenty minutes, so that the part of you that watches the clock can stand down. Eyes closed is easiest. If closed feels wrong, rest your gaze on one spot on the ceiling. Mid-afternoon works well, or the hour after work before the evening begins. Avoid the five minutes before something you cannot be late for.

The twenty minutes

There is no script you have to follow, but there is a shape. It is the shape our Twenty-minute deep rest follows.

First, let the weight go. Breathe out a little longer than you breathe in, and let a sigh happen if one wants to. Feel where your body meets the floor: heels, calves, hips, back, shoulders, the back of your head.

Then travel through the body slowly, from the feet up to the crown, resting your attention on each part for a breath or two. You are not relaxing anything. You are only noticing it. If a part feels tight, notice that too. Spend a couple of minutes letting the out-breath run a little longer.

Then, for about ten minutes, do nothing. Thoughts will come and go like sounds from the next room. Each time you notice you have drifted, you have already come back, and that is all the practice there is.

For the last few minutes, deepen the breath. Move your fingers and toes. Roll onto one side and stay there for a few breaths before you sit up. Then stand slowly, and do not go straight to your phone.

When it does not go to plan

You may fall asleep. That is fine. You were probably tired. If it happens often, take it as news: sleep may be what you need, and what you deserve.

You may not be able to keep still. Move. Stretch. Turn over. Rest is allowed to be restless.

Your mind may race. Do not fight it. Give it one small job: count your out-breaths from one to five, then start again. When things are quieter, let the counting go.

Take care

If lying still brings up distress, sit up, open your eyes, and look around the room. You can stop at any time. If lying flat is uncomfortable (back pain, pregnancy, reflux), prop your head and shoulders on pillows or recline. Wait a minute after sitting up before you stand.

Tonight, before you decide you do not have time, set a timer for twenty minutes.