Non-sleep deep rest

Non-sleep deep rest. This is a practice of deep rest while awake. The aim is to let the body rest as deeply as it does in sleep, while the mind stays quietly awake. If you drift off, that is all right, but the intention is to stay.

Lie down on your back. A pillow under the head and one under the knees can help. Let the arms rest a little away from the body. Eyes closed is usual here. If that feels uncomfortable, keep them half open and rest your gaze on one point.

Say to yourself, quietly, once: I am going to rest, and I am going to stay awake.

Feel the whole body lying here. Feel where it touches the surface beneath you.

Now attention moves through the body in a fixed order. At each place there is nothing to do except feel it. If you feel nothing there, name it and move on.

The right hand. The thumb. The fingers. The palm.

The right wrist. The forearm. The elbow. The upper arm. The right shoulder.

The left hand. The thumb. The fingers. The palm.

The left wrist. The forearm. The elbow. The upper arm. The left shoulder.

The right foot. The toes, the sole, the heel. The right calf. The knee. The thigh. The right hip.

The left foot. The toes, the sole, the heel. The left calf. The knee. The thigh. The left hip.

The whole back, from the base of the spine up to the neck, resting on the surface beneath you.

The belly, rising and falling with the breath.

The chest.

The throat. The jaw. The mouth. The cheeks. The eyes, resting in their sockets. The forehead. The scalp.

The whole body at once. The whole body, lying still, breathing.

Now the breath. We count the out-breaths down from ten. Breathe normally. With each breath out, count one number down. Ten.

Nine.

Eight.

Seven.

Six.

Five.

Continue by yourself. Four, three, two, one. If you lose count, start again from ten. It does not matter where you get to.

Let the counting stop. Let the breath be as it is.

Rest here. Awake, and resting. Nothing to work out for the next few minutes.

If thoughts come, let them come and go. Come back to the feeling of the body lying here.

Still. Awake. Resting.

Feel the whole body once more, from the top of the head to the soles of the feet.

Stay with it a little longer.

Now we begin to come back. Notice the breath, moving in and out by itself.

Notice the sounds in the room, and beyond the room.

Move the fingers and the toes, slowly.

Take a deeper breath in, and let it out.

When you are ready, open your eyes. Let the light in gradually.

Roll onto one side. Rest there a moment. Then, using your hands, sit up slowly.

Give yourself a minute before you go back to the day.