09/12/2025
How often have you heard the phrase ‘try to get some rest’?
Trying to rest seems somehow like a juxtaposition: on the one hand you need to rest, on the other ‘try’ involves effort!
I’m sure you don’t need me to point out that we live in a fast paced world. Everything open and available 24/7. If we don’t ’do’ we’re ’wasting time’. Even on days ‘off’ we cram ourselves through timetabled portions of being busy, being active, getting things done. Our ‘rest’? Usually in front of a screen, if we’re honest. TV, phone, tablet….its all adding to the nervous system overload.
Did you know, in the last 25years, the adult human attention span has gone from 12seconds to 8?! 12 seems pretty lame, but 8?! What are we doing?!
How do we combat this? Suduko?! Take a walk? (Yes, probably, to both but definitely the latter) Get more facials? (Again, yes, can’t look at your phone then can you?!) But in a NERVOUS SYSTEM level? Yoga has the answer (always) and it’s called Restorative Yoga. It has another answer (always more than 1) Yoga Nidra.
Restorative yoga is NOT ‘granny yoga’ it’s NOT ‘easy’ and it’s NOT (just) relaxation. What it IS is a reset for the vagus nerve. A chance to be still in an ever moving world. An opportunity to find comfort amongst a whole list of things designed to keep you going/moving/winning/peaking when you’re not MEANT to do those things all day, every day.
Yoga Nidra is NOT taking a nap. Seriously! DON’T go to sleep during Nidra! What it IS is a rewriting of your nervous system, an exploration of your layers of Self, a chance to meet that Self and let go of the other versions you’ve been lugging around all day. It’s a way of getting the left and right side of your brain to meet together and harmonise. To take you from the sympathetic nervous system responses to the parasympathetic nervous system responses. To ‘rest’.
Try it. Wednesdays 7:45pm.