The silent healer: sleep versus rest

Ashbourne yoga practioner Claire Maguire examines the difference between sleep and rest and how we desperately need both as a key part of a healthy lifestyle Rest is important for health and sleep is a necessary factor. Both are needed to help create energy. When energy levels are low, waste increases in the body, tiredness is present and rest is needed. When a person rests, ie, lies down consciously awake, energy is restored. All the waste in the body gets extinguished. Rest and sleep are dependent upon each individual's ability to relax. Once a person knows how to relax, a good night's sleep is very possible. If an individual is tensed, he or she cannot be in the state of rest. Sleep makes you feel better, but its importance goes beyond just boosting your mood or banishing under-eye circles. It can benefit your heart, weight, mind, and much more. There are many factors which divide rest and sleep. Rest occurs with conscious breathing. This allows the autonomic nervous system to rest. Elimination of toxins occurs primarily at night when the body rests through sleep. If you use most or all of your energy running around all day you will not detoxify well. Students who attend my yoga classes speak of a deep relaxing sleep after attending class. Some describe the 'morning after' feeling in different ways. Some students are barely able to open their eyes the next morning; others bounce out of bed full of energy. This can be related to how much energy they are wasting during the day without proper 'time-out' or rest during their daily routine. So the answer to their bodies' reaction to the yoga class differs depending on their behaviour before class. Thus, not giving yourself enough 'downtime' can harm in an emotional way as well as a physical one. Thought processes are often not completed during the day due to interruptions or distractions. The mind completes these processes during sleep. In essence, when we sleep, our minds are churning through our problems. The answer to these problems can often present themselves the morning after. It comes back to the popular statement to 'sleep on it'. In fact, many types of emotional development and processing of one's past takes place during the sleep state. I often discuss the benefits of yoga nidra in my articles and this week is no exception. A proven antidote to anxiety and restlessness, the ancient practice of yoga nidra has been adopted by cancer patients, recovering addicts and run-of-the-mill stressed-out people. Pilot studies in the US have resulted in its introduction at various army camps across the States for wounded warriors. It has found to be a crucial resource for soldiers adjusting to life after war. It helps them with their physical, psychological and moral wounds. Correct breathing patterns can transform a person's ability to rest. Notice when you inhale if your belly releases or draws in. The stomach should fully release or push-out on an inhale and relax back on an exhale. If the reverse is happening, take notice and correct it immediately. Claire Maguire teaches a physically challenging yoga practice, Ashtanga yoga, at The Yoga Room, Ashbourne, every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The 2012 schedule via the website www.yoga-meath.ie is coming soon.