Update: 31 October 2024
Intensive Rest Therapy
Author: Julie Casper, C. Ac.
Intensive rest therapy is a simple focusing technique that can be used to concentrate the benefits of rest into a shorter period of time.
Technique
The proper lying position requires a lumbar support (rolled up towel, hand-width) and support under your knees as shown. While lying in the correct position, envision energy flowing down and out with each breath. (Note: If you have spinal kyphosis or your shoulders are rolled forward, the arm position may cause brachial nerve impingement. You will be more comfortable using the arm position illustrated below or you can prop up your arms with pillows to relieve any discomfort.)
- Start with 10 - 20 minute sessions (you can work up to 1 - 2 hours as desired).
- Lay in the anatomically optimum position (described below). This position allows for free-flow of your cerebral spinal fluid, which works like a tonic for your nervous system.
- Gently touch the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth (at the thick part of the palette, just behind your front teeth). Maintaining tongue position throughout the exercise is important because doing so completes the meridian circuit.
- Completely relax your forehead, the muscles around your eyes, and your jaw.
- Breath slowly. Take complete, full breaths. Exhale completely.
- When you exhale, visualize (and feel) a subtle flow of energy traveling from your head, downward through your body and out through your finger tips and feet.
Within a few minutes you may begin to experience a subtle tingling sensation in your hands and limbs. In traditional Oriental medicine, this tingling sensation is known as Qi movement. This is a signal to relax more deeply. The energetic sensation will be felt throughout your entire body. Intensive resting therapy promotes physical and psychological health and a sense of well-being. Practice often (a good time is early afternoon).
- Promote Coherence (advanced, optional)
- As you become more physically relaxed, bring your awareness downward toward your heart. Begin to feel your heart beat. In physics, coherence is synchronicity, where waves have a constant relative phase. The topic of coherence is too deep to cover here. For our purposes, simply bring awareness to your heart beat. Do not worry about mental chatter, your hardworking brain always has a lot to deal with. With practice brain noise will become more like background noise. As you begin to feel your heart beating, coordinate your breathing with your heart beats (for example, 4 beats on exhalation, and 4 on inhalation). Always directing qi down and out thru the finger tips and feet.
Anatomically optimum sleeping position
For many people, lying on their back is an ideal position for sleeping because it allows internal organs to function unconstricted, enables complete diaphragm movement for full breathing capacity, and provides unrestricted spinal nerve function and spinal-cerebral fluid flow.
Follow these tips to help maintain a natural healthy curvature of the spine.
- Position one or two pillows under your knees (or use a knee-bolster or leg-wedge).
- Arm position as shown, or arms at sides with palms facing up. If you are kyphotic or your shoulders are rolled forward, the arm position may cause nerve impingement, prop your elbows up with pillows to relieve any discomfort.
- Add a lumbar support positioned opposite your navel as shown above (a towel rolled up to width and thickness of the palm of your hand works well, it should not create too much lumbar curvature).
- Sleep so neck-head alignment is flat, try to elongate the cervical spine. Use no pillow under your head (a small neck roll or pillow may be used if your spine is kyphotic).
- Sleep on a firm (non-toxic) mattress, a soft mattress causes poor spine position.
If you snore or suffer from apens or acid reflux, sleeping on your back may be difficult. A sleeping wedge can usually provide temporary relief from this problem and allow you to sleep on your back.