On the Structure of Deep Rest: Peace, Flow, Coherence
I remember the first few times I practiced a version of therapeutic yoga called Katonah yoga.
The practices were 1:1 supported sessions that involved the meticulous placement of props and blocks around my body. My instructor chose precise places of support to facilitate the greatest amount of physical ease and unimpeded flow in each shape. Each posture was meant to be deeply restful. It took almost 10 minutes to set up each one, but once my body was comfortably arranged, I started to experience a state of nervous system rest that I had only previously achieved after days of meditating in a retreat setting.
My experiences were profound.
Coming out of each pose was like emerging from a little haven of bliss that not only rested my physical body, but also my mind and emotional state. I noticed long-held tension patterns in my face and posture melting away. I felt refreshing sensations in my vision, hearing, and subtle awareness. The effects of these forms of deep rest lasted for several hours and on other levels, for days.
You would think with such dramatic results from this kind of yoga that I would practice it daily or weekly (as I write this, I would agree with that logic and imagine I will return to the practice more often in the future).
The truth is, though, carving out time for our own rest can be difficult. For many of us, rest is accompanied by plenty of our own resistance to it, external obstacles that make it less satisfying, not to mention social stigma.
Over the past several years, I continue to be ambitious (?) in my search for deeply restorative practices: breathwork, travel to immersive experiences in nature, retreats, meditation and yoga practices, and other therapeutic tools. My work helping others in their own healing often prompts me to find new resources to share. I’m also motivated to keep finding more resources for my own healing so that I can give more fully to others.
Recently, I’ve been contemplating the qualities and benefits of deep rest and have found much to explore and express.
I hope for us to consider the following together: protecting our rest is quite the opposite of lazy: in fact, it requires tremendous energy and deserves our reimagining.
Rest Requires More Than Relaxation: Making Deep Rest Intentional
Deep rest—not idle relaxation or sleep—is not a passive activity.
As I reflect on various environments in which deep rest is possible—intact ecosystems, bodywork sessions, meditation, yoga, and other movement practices—I'm struck by how much conscious effort and intentionality is involved.
And, especially in the context in which our family, friends, workplace, and global community desperately need our active engagement, stepping away to choose deep rest feels like a radical act.
As you may know, our nervous systems are brilliantly designed for quick acceleration, but are only able to slow down with prolonged patience. So, the benefits of rest take time to achieve and unintentional interruptions (like scrolling on phones, artificial noise and light exposures, or task switching) can undermine benefits. But despite all of this, studies continue to show how important rest is for our health; everything from brain function and cognitive development, our physiology, healthy metabolism, cardiovascular disease, digestive health, and aging/longevity is impacted by our capacity to rest.
Healing Sounds: An Intact Soundscape Has Lasting Effects on our Body Rhythms and Requires Protection
Environmental research studies continue to demonstrate that the sounds and frequencies of intact, coherent ecosystems are healing for our bodies. offering measurable healthy changes to our hormones, cardiovascular systems, mental-emotional health, and brain function.
While exposure to immersive nature experiences might have been considered a passive or easily-accessed opportunity in the recent past, these days the constant barrage of noise pollution (traffic, overhead airplane noise, machinery, construction) means that access to nature without the interference of human-made noise has become elusive for many. Even the quietest square inch in the continental United States, mapped by bioacoustician Gordon Hempton, is interrupted by human-made sound every 20 minutes.
However, research shows that just 10-15 minutes in nature significantly lowers cortisol levels in lasting and meaningful ways (Hunter et. al, 2019). Conversely, long term exposure to noise pollution has lasting impacts on blood sugar regulation, cardiovascular disease, obesity, metabolism (Pyko et. al, 2017), as well as cognitive performance (Berman et. al, 2008), brain development, and sleep (Chepesiuk, 2017).
Busyness invades restful quietude in our daily lives in much the same way that artificial noise disturbances are encroaching on our wild spaces. (The micro is reflected in the macro, if you will.) And, if rest and quiet are endangered species, they are worthy of our determined protection.
Our Brain Waves Align with Specific Frequencies
New research helps to illuminate how important deep rest is for our productivity, learning, brain development, and the quality of our work. When we deliberately engage in activities that induce restful brain states, our cognitive abilities are sharpened, creativity is heightened, and our sense of meaningfulness (how we feel about our work) is significantly improved.
Here are how the different brain wave frequencies are correlated with different activity levels. As you read, consider the proportions of these brain states and their associated activities in your daily life and how they may interact with one another:
Beta Waves (15-30 Hz): Beta waves are associated with problem-solving activities involving alert, analytical thinking (e.g., crushing your email inbox or working through meeting agendas and to-do lists). In general, beta waves dominate our waking state; they are faster and associated with productivity; however, excessive beta wave activity can lead to stress and anxiety. Other states are needed to help regulate beta waves, preventing them from becoming overwhelming or counterproductive.
Low Beta, also called the Sensorimotor Rhythm (12-15 Hz): Sensorimotor Rhythm (SMR) is a specific range within the beta frequency band used therapeutically for people who struggle with attention regulation, anxiety, and managing hyperactivity such as in ADHD. Neurofeedback techniques or brown noise therapy can be helpful for calming excess restlessness and making beta waves more coherent and calm.
Alpha Waves (8-14 Hz): Slightly slower than beta waves, alpha waves are associated with a relaxed alertness and calmness. Alpha waves are present during activities like daydreaming and creative flow states. These brain waves can explain why we sometimes arrive at important conclusions when taking a shower or make progress on a project when we take a break to go out for a walk.
Theta Waves (4-7 Hz): Slower than alpha waves, theta waves are highly beneficial. They are connected to creativity, intuition, and learning. Scientists believe that these waves are essential for information processing and memory storage. They are also linked to different types of learning. Theta waves require intentional rest practices such as deep relaxation, meditation, the very beginnings of light sleep, resting in a sound bath, or savasana after a yoga practice. Another possible way to augment theta waves in the brain is to listen to certain rhythmic sounds such as binaural beats .
Delta Waves (0.5-4 Hz): The slowest brain waves, delta waves, are predominant during deep sleep and states of unconsciousness. Achieving deep restorative sleep optimizes physical and mental rejuvenation and allows the brain to encode long-term learning. Some research shows that even slight interruptions in deep sleep cycles can interrupt cognition, memory consolidation, and learning. Delta waves (1 Hz) are therapeutic for brains recovering from seizure, stroke, and traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Gamma Waves (above 30 Hz): Gamma waves are thought to be more transient and are linked to moments of insight, high-level information processing, and heightened cognitive functioning. They may arise more within settings of prolonged attention and focus and may be important in enhanced integration states and emotional regulation. Deep rest practices such as yoga, deep rhythmic breathwork, physical flow states, musicianship, and meaningful social interactions are thought to increase the brain environment in which gamma waves arise.
The nuances of various brain states adds another layer of understanding to the importance of deep rest for optimal functioning. A constant fast pace is not the ideal.
Internal Resistance to Rest: Facing Deep Patterns of Conditioning
Many people still feel unable to slow down, even if they want to or know that it would be healthy for them.
It’s not always the outside world that interrupts our relationship to deep rest: many people’s capacity to choose rest comfortably is deeply impacted by trauma – whether a recent traumatic event, or a series of traumatic experiences or behaviors that took place a long time ago.
Acclaimed psychiatrist and researcher Dr. Dan Siegel has explored how trauma shapes neural pathways in the brain, creating a constant state of hyperarousal or dissociation. This neurological response often manifests as an ingrained resistance to slowing down, a perpetual state of busyness as a defense mechanism against facing unresolved pain. For some people, understanding the impact of trauma on the nervous system—and being ready (and importantly, having enough support and safe space) to process emotions and held traumas—is an important part of being able to interrupt patterns of perpetual busyness.
Making Deep Rest Intentional
In a world that glorifies hustle and constant activity, protecting pockets of deep rest for yourself is a radical act of self-care.
Embracing the Season of Rest: Mirroring the Peace of Winter
In East Asian medicine, the season of Winter* [冬季, dōng jì] correlates with the element of Water* [水, shuǐ] and qualities of awe, peace, and stillness. The qi (or energetic nature) of the Water element is that it always flows downwards, towards the lowest place—like a river flowing downstream—and so, is imbued with the virtues of humility and sensible action (going with the flow and often, doing less). There’s a beautiful term that evokes this water-like quality of effortless effort called wúwéi [无为], or moving in ways that are inherently easeful and conserving of energy.
The season of Winter is associated with the Kidney* [腎, shèn]. The Kidney organ and meridian is responsible for the body’s energetic reservoir [jing qi] and is correlated with stamina and willful action. Habitual overwork, restless busyness, and constantly springing into action fritters away Kidney jing qi.
*[Capitalized words denote a concept better conveyed by ancient Chinese characters which express entire word-fields of meaning; uncapitalized words such as ‘winter’ and ‘kidney’ denote the western linear understanding of terms such as the straightforward season or body part.]
Within this tradition, the season of Winter is the perfect time of year to practice intentional rest, a pared-back activity level, and habits that cultivate internal stillness. We can use this time of year to tap into the profound health benefits of resting well: going to bed earlier, choosing measured expenditures of energy, reviewing interpersonal boundaries, and adopting self-care practices that protect inner peace.
What kinds of practices or daily habits feel in alignment with the wisdom of Winter for you? How can you build deep rest into a habit that offers physical, mental, and spiritual renewal? What are the ways that you cultivate the qualities of peace and internal stillness within yourself?
REFERENCES
❍ Harvard Medical School (HMS), "A walk in the park: Longer, greener exercise enhances mood and self-esteem," https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/a-walk-in-the-park-longer-greener-exercise-enhances-mood-and-self-esteem-2019052216844
❍ Berman MG, Jonides J, Kaplan S. The cognitive benefits of interacting with nature. Psychol Sci. 2008 Dec;19(12):1207-12. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02225.x. PMID: 19121124.
❍ Siegel, D.J. (2010). "Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation." Random House.
❍ Porges, SW. (2017). "The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory: The Transformative Power of Feeling Safe." W. W. Norton & Company.
❍ Krause, B. L. (2012). "The Great Animal Orchestra: Finding the Origins of Music in the World's Wild Places." Little, Brown and Company.
❍ Hunter MR, Gillespie BW, Chen SY. Urban Nature Experiences Reduce Stress in the Context of Daily Life Based on Salivary Biomarkers. Front Psychol. 2019 Apr 4;10:722. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00722. PMID: 31019479; PMCID: PMC6458297.
❍ Pyko A, Eriksson C, Lind T, Mitkovskaya N, Wallas A, Ögren M, Östenson CG, Pershagen G. Long-Term Exposure to Transportation Noise in Relation to Development of Obesity—a Cohort Study. Environ Health Perspect. 2017 Nov 20;125(11):117005. doi: 10.1289/EHP1910. PMID: 29161230; PMCID: PMC5947937.
❍ Chepesiuk R. Decibel hell: the effects of living in a noisy world. Environ Health Perspect. 2005 Jan;113(1):A34-41. doi: 10.1289/ehp.113-a34. PMID: 15631958; PMCID: PMC1253729.
❍ Research published in Neuron suggests that certain rhythmic sounds can increase theta waves, which may then boost memory retention and concentration even after the listening session ends. Albouy P, Weiss A, Baillet S, Zatorre RJ. Selective Entrainment of Theta Oscillations in the Dorsal Stream Causally Enhances Auditory Working Memory Performance. Neuron. 2017 Apr 5;94(1):193-206.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2017.03.015. Epub 2017 Mar 23. PMID: 28343866.