Sleep is the best meditation.
Strengthening the mind.
What seems like “time-out” and a few minutes of meditation is restorative to a busy mind. Both deep rest and deep relaxation calm the mind, improve learning and memory. They also train the mind and body to get better sleep by inviting you to shift your attention toward getting rest rather than sleep. [Neurologist Dr. Chris Winter author of The Sleep Solution. ]
Simple meditations such as just using your breath, listening to rainfall or visualizing a blue sky can re-energize you and sharpen focus. If you feel like you are “fading” after mid-day, try a deep relaxation meditation to bounce back.
Discovering deep rest in short meditations.
We humans have lost the wisdom of genuinely resting and relaxing. We worry too much. We don't allow our bodies to heal, and we don't allow our minds and hearts to heal.
Shorter sessions that are ten minutes or less are enough to make a profound difference in your energy and your mindset. Deep rest allows the body to restore itself as the mind is given the opportunity to “let things go” and appreciate the feeling of being relaxed.
Sitting still, moving or even meditations that can be adapted to your favourite sports [with repetitive movements as a form of meditation] can unlock your resistance to deep relaxation and deep rest. Once you experience the “calm” like no other, you will realize what a powerful tool you have at your disposal to level up your brain performance and sharpen your focus.
Deep relaxation re-invented.
There is a perception that meditation has to be structured. And, to some extent this is true.
Meditations usually begin with relaxing the body and listening to your own thoughts. And, often, we can use the power of our own breath to release tension. From this point, it is possible to create a meditative state through visualizing something, using your imagination, observing the flow of your own energy or movement [ such as a crawl stroke, if you are meditating in a swimming pool] or it can be created by listening mindfully to the sound of rain falling [to name just one of the many ways to be in the present moment].
Sitting still or moving, meditative flow states induce a deeply relaxed feeling and mindset. As your body begins to relax, it allows deep rest that is restorative and energizing to take effect. Fluid repetitive movements, for instance can hypnotize the mind and tell it to “let go” a little. As your mind takes it’s hand off of the brake, you will feel a “shift” into calm. You will notice a quiet and a revolutionary meditative state that may not have been possible as an impatient meditator.
For this reason, I see deep relaxation of this kind, re-invented. Short sessions are achievable for new meditators who suffer from distraction. Creative solutions are there to adapt to every person’s nature and lifestyle. If you are having resistance to meditation for whatever reason, try Power naps. Learn to relax and get a better night’s sleep. It’s worth the investment of just a few minutes.
Meditation power naps for better sleep.
Research into the benefits of deep rest has turned up something really interesting. For those who has thought that taking time-out to power nap might ruin your sleep later, you might be surprised to learn that this isn’t true.
What they found was that by being able to focus on rest, the quality of sleep actually improved. While you are right to think that ” pre-meditative” preparation such as relaxing all of the muscles of the body and using the power of your own breath to release tension are gold standards for meditation. They are also solid skills to help soothe the mind and place the body in perfect alignment to get an excellent night’s sleep. It’s logical to assume this type of rest is ruining your sleep schedule. Not true.
Deep rest and relaxation meditations are priming the mind and body to give you a boost in energy and performance. They are not intentionally driving you into a state of sleep. Consider deep relaxation meditations in small sessions to improve your alertness or to help you to get the rest you need for good health.
A high tech time-out. Results in less time.
Deep rest and deep relaxation in shorter sessions are equivalent to a power nap. Researcher’s noted an improved ability to learn more quickly and retain information from non-sleep deep rest sessions and deep relaxation meditations. So why struggle when you can make more progress relaxing?
Taking the time, no matter how small, can make profound change to brain performance. By investing in as little as ten minutes, it is possible to encourage the brain to calm down and sharpen its alertness in a state that is pre-sleep. Simple deep relaxation techniques that use muscle tightness and breath can induce deep rest that is restorative. Improve your sleep quality by drifting off to sleep using these techniques to induce a concentrated session of rest or use them to improve your overall mental performance.
Lightspeed has created all of its meditations with the added benefits of deep rest and deep relaxation. Listen to MP3 sound samples on Soundcloud and try them out in a high tech power nap for your mind and body or Visit Shop.