A practice for those who find it difficult to relax by totally doing nothing. Here you are bringing awareness into your body and breath, releasing tension and bringing spaciousness between each vertebrae of your spine.
Constructive Rest
A position to allow for release of the psoas (the area where your legs meet your pelvis front body) The psoas is an area of the body that has the reputation for storing a lot of our emotions. It is the muscle that makes the movement of drawing the knee towards your chest, bending at the hip, sitting down, walking and other physical movements. Also constructive rest lets the spine decompress lengthening your spine. Each day gravity acts on our body and being upright all day compresses the discs in your spine.
Treat yourself to at least a few minutes of self awareness a day. If you can comfortably try 20 minutes of Constructive Rest to allow yourself to really relax as often as feels good for you.
How to practice Constructive Rest
Lying down on a carpet or blanket on the floor with a few books under the head only so that the spine is totally in alignment.
Allow space for the neck. at the back and front, your chin is not tucked down too much nor lifted up, find a balance. Hands are relaxed and folded on the belly, bottom of the feet are on the floor with knees bent, heels are about 18 inch away from your butt.
Focus on a relaxed breath with a slight lengthening of the exhalation, no force. With each release of your breath visualise your spine lengthening. Allow all the bones of the back of your body, the back of your skull, shoulders, spine and pelvis to feel heavy and sink through your body into the floor.
Ask your head to float away from your hips, imagine someone very gently and subtly pulling your head away from your shoulders, the back of your neck lengthens a little, and there is an opening across your chest. Your back widens, the top of your arms roll away from your body, hands stay resting on your belly.
Breathe space and light into your body.
With each exhale your body settles deeper into the feeling of being supported by the earth and you experience the release of tension as it dissolves and flows away.
Enjoy