Sleep and meditation. Brain wave frequencies. The art of rest. Empty space and the absence of congestion. Rejuvenating and cleansing nervous and digestive systems.

Unless you have an active meditation practice, most people need at least 7.5 hours of sleep per night. If you get less than that and don't make it up within two weeks, you develop sleep deprivation. Sleep allows the brain to sink into the slower brain wave frequencies, from the beta waves of daytime activity to the slower alpha and theta waves, down to the delta waves during the deepest part of sleep. Healing and rejuvenation of organs and systems, like the digestive, endocrine, immune and nervous systems require these slower brain wave states that occur when we stop doing and allow ourselves to rest. Studies have shown that experienced meditators can train their brains to reach these deep states of relaxation even when engaged in daily activities. However, if you haven't yet reached this capacity through advanced meditation practice, you need to make sure that you are getting enough sleep and rest to restore your energy and cells.

I recommend a meditation practice of some kind to all my clients and am happy to share information about the Vedic meditation I practice. Check the Events listing in my Onebodymind Newsletter for upcoming IntroductionToMeditation talks. Studies have shown that when consistently practiced over a period of time, meditation de-stresses the bodymind, lowers stress hormone levels, slows biological aging, develops greater creativity and problem-solving, and teaches meditators to remain in the calmer alpha and theta brain wave frequencies even when not meditating.

Both Rubenfeld Synergy Method® and Prepare for SurgeryT Counseling help clients access and cultivate restful states. Resting is an art that North Americans don't cultivate enough. Many people come to me overwrought, feeling overwhelmed with life. Indeed, some of this feeling comes from the hectic pace of urban living, but some of it comes from an internal state of anxiety and fatigue. If the internal state is peaceful, the body can de-stress. While stressors certainly exist in the external environment, the feeling of stress happens inside as a biochemical-energetic response to outside stimuli. Change the internal state (the attitude, the consciousness, the brain wave frequency) and the external state has less effect on us. Many people who come to me desperately need to relax and restore. Many have developed hectic lifestyles in which they are busy, busy, busy without the time to slow down and be contemplative about their lives and direction. It's hard to listen to your internal wisdom and intuition in this excited state, and many people miss windows of opportunity in their lives to change and grow because they are too busy to change, and so end up feeling stuck, overwhelmed and often fatigued.

For this reason, RSM, PFS, and meditation all strive for internal states of calm from where we can access the most adaptation energy-meaning more energy goes to immune function and healing, less to producing stress hormones like cortisol, and more vital energy is freed for creativity, growth and problem-solving. Lying down on the table for a RSM session can be deeply restorative, creating an opportunity to energetically de-stress mind, body, and emotions so you can go out into the world free, open and perceptive, able to respond to the need of the present in ways that are vital and relevant. In Prepare for Surgery workshops, this deep state of relaxation is cultivated twice a day before surgery to access positive healing visualizations and strengthen the immune system. In meditation, cultivating the least excited state becomes a daily practice that over time trains the bodymind to relax, release and revitalize.

Emptiness, void, quietude-on a biochemical-energetic level the bodymind experiences these qualities as the absence of congestion that is the beginning of all healing, growth and creativity. When we crave rest in our lives, it means we need to stop, step out of the rat race, let go of control and doing, and connect to the energy of just being part of the world. That may mean we need to close our eyes and lie down to sleep, or sit up and close our eyes to meditate, or lie down on the sofa to nap, or take that quiet walk alone in nature. If you feel the urge to rest, do it. Rest is as important and necessary as the other four elements in maintaining vital wellness and longevity.