Resting through a Calgary winter
Short days, dry cold, and a chinook that can turn an afternoon around. Notes on resting with the season instead of against it.
Notice2 min read
How it goes
- 01
Lie down 2′
Lie on your back with a blanket over you, and something under your knees if that is kinder to your back. Cover your eyes with a cloth or an eye pillow. Silence the phone and put it out of reach.
- 02
Travel the body 3′
Move your attention slowly from the feet to the crown, naming each part and letting it be heavy. You are not relaxing anything on purpose. You are only noticing.
- 03
Lengthen the exhale 2′
Let the out-breath run a little longer than the in-breath. After a few rounds, stop counting and let the breath be.
- 04
Do nothing 10′
For the next ten minutes there is nothing to do. Thoughts will come and go; watch them like cars on a far road. If you drift toward sleep, let that happen.
- 05
Come back slowly 2′
Deepen the breath. Wiggle the fingers and toes. Roll onto one side and rest there for a few breaths.
- 06
Sit up 1′
Come up slowly. Look around the room and name three things you see. You’re back.
This is the longest thing we teach, and the simplest: lie down, be warm and held, and for twenty minutes let nothing be asked of you. People know it by several names, among them yoga nidra and non-sleep deep rest. What they share is the posture, the guidance, and the permission to be awake without doing anything.
You can use the deep rest timer on this site to keep the time, or set any quiet alarm. Nothing here is meant to fix anything. If you fall asleep, you needed it. If you don’t, you still had twenty minutes in which nobody needed you.
Come back slowly. The practice is not over when the timer ends, but when you stand up and notice you are somewhere a little quieter than before.
Take care. 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. If strong feelings arise, open your eyes, sit up, or stop. Never practise while driving. This is rest, not a substitute for medical care.
Keep reading
Supported shapes: yin and restorative, plainly
Two slow styles of yoga where the floor and a few props do the holding. How they differ, one shape to try at home, and what the research can and cannot say.
Let go3 min read
A twenty-minute lie-down
How to take twenty minutes lying down, awake, with nothing to achieve: where, how, what to do with your mind, and when to get up.
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