Cheryl Thomas, RYT
www.cherylthomas.com yoga@cherylthomas.com 415-308-3377 |
 Relaxation vs. Meditation vs. Sleep
I teach relaxation and stress relief via Restorative Yoga. Considering everyone is over-stressed and most of our maladies have a stress component, we could all use the tools to find a way to relax. This you know. I'm not suggesting stress is a bad thing. It's important when it's needed, like the an extra burst of adrenaline to help you accomplish goals and meet deadlines. It fuels mental alertness, motivation, and efficiency.
We hear a lot about how meditation can help with stress, like Mindfullness Based Stress Reduction or MBSR, which helps with anxiety, stress and pain. Restorative yoga puts the body in supported position that meet the conditions for the body to flip from the stress side to the relaxation side. And, there's sleep. But, I've often wondered: What's the difference between relaxation, meditation and plain ol' sleep? You, too? They are related, but not all the same.
Sleep - You are temporarily removed for the outside world, being "unconscious" but not dead (of course). You can be deeply asleep yet the body is not asleep (muscles tense, mind is active, adrenaline can be secreted and heart rate can be up). Non-REM sleep is where the mind is slow, body is still and heart rate is slow. During REM (dreaming) sleep, there can be bursts of activity, fluctuating heart rates that correlates to mental activity.
Meditation - Meditation requires some level of consciousness and awareness, even self-awareness. the body is relaxed, but the mind is alert. You're awake and aware of your situation and alert enough to process information, yet the mind is not racing. You can notice everything and think about things, but remain passive physically.
Relaxation - Relaxation is referred to as being in a state of quiescence where the mind and heart are slow and the the body is still. As compared to meditation where there the body must stay erect and there can be working muscles and even pain, relaxation via restorative yoga allows the muscles to completely relax. When muscles can relax and the body is free of pain the body can effectively transition from the "stress" side of the nervous system to the "relaxation" side.
Frustratingly, meditation and relaxation often lead to sleep! I think I can speak for most of us that it's way easy to fall sleep during meditation and restorative yoga (savasana included). I read where meditators may be spending as much as 40 to 50% of their meditation time actually sleeping.This is why Zen monks are often sprinkled with water or whacked with a stick. In restorative yoga, we actually believe falling asleep is okay as a brief nap can be extremely restorative, especially if you have a sleep debt. There's even the story of
yoga teacher who decided to lie down and "meditate" while his class was in deep relaxation. He woke up 8 hours later with a note tucked in his pocket - "You were relaxing so well we did not want to wake you. Love, Your Students."
Regardless of whether it's sleep or meditation or restorative yoga, taking some time to give the mind and body a break goes a long way to helping with your mood and general health.
Next week: More about restorative yoga--some yummy poses and whether it's better than sleep.
Note: The above photo is of my friend, Britt Fohrman, who I'll be assisting at Tassajara again this summer. See below for info.
Want to read some of my past articles?. They're archived right here. Enjoy.
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I'm subbing this Friday's noon class at
Yoga One in Petaluma and Restorative Yoga at Riverbed Yoga in Guerneville
on 3/29 at 6:00 p.m.
Hey, Petalumans. . . Save the Carnitas Pork High Tech Burrito Bowl until after 1:00 on Tuesdays. Join me at the NoonTime All Levels Yoga class at Yoga One in Petaluma. One hour. Bring yourself, bring your friends. (Your burrito will be waiting.) BY DONATION classes, thanks to Quiana Frost. Join her for a dynamic & creative vinyasa flow, integrating breath with movement on Mondays, 4-5:15 pm - @ La Tierra, Thurs, 8-9 am - @ dhyana Center -and Sat 9-10:30 am - @ Alive Yoga. Qs? Email at iliveingrace@yahoo.com. Thanks Quiana!! Devorah Blum of Yoga Studio Ganesha is hosting the highly respected and senior Iyengar instructor, Jaki Nett, on April 11, 2:30-5:30PM. Jaki will present Yoga Asana Related to the Pelvic Floor Through The Felt Sense Method®. The cost is $40. I'm signed up!
More Pelvic Floors! Devi Yoga Center is offering an important workshop on Stabilizing the Pelvis. It will be an interactive self-care workshop starting with the "floor" of the "core" - demonstrating the functional interrelationships to the hips, back, abdominals & thorax. More info here.
Retreat with Mirka Kraftso right here in Sonoma County. She'll explore the ancient Chakra system and will include walking meditation, and the Labyrinth and trails of Bishops Ranch, pranayama and meditation. It happens 5/17-20. More info and register here. Want to do a day long near the vast Pacific Ocean at the beautiful Green Gulch Farm with a lunch of organic vegetables and personal time for reflection. It happens on March 13 from 9:30 to 5:00 with Sarana Miller. I've done it, it's divine.
There are free download from YogaU: yogauonline.com.
My weekly schedule is below (scroll down or click here!). Or, you can always go to my website and click on the always up-to-date calendar to find where I might be.
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 Cushioning is In
I was an early adopter of the Five Finger shoes which have a slot for each toe. I'm of the belief that body is naturally built to walk/run and needs no extra "help" via cushions, "air" and arch supports. the minimalist shoe movement peaked at $400 million in 2012. The pendulum has swung. Now it's about the maximalist movement, especially like the Hoka One One, which has double the cushioning of standard running shoes. One runner offered: "But as a relatively older runner, staying injury-free is particularly important to me. I'm convinced that these are the shoes that will extend your running life." Read more here. I'm sticking with the low profile, "zero drop" (designed without a built-up heel) shoes. I've quit wearing my Five Finger in favor of the New Balance Minimus which have a very generous toe box that give my toes lots of freedom to move the spread. |
 Meditation and Weight Loss
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a type of meditation that has been proven to relieve stress and according to this study, "In overweight and obese women, stress may contribute to increased diabetes and cardiovascular disease," [Note: In any study, notice the words "may", "might", and "could".] The study goes on to report: "Given the increasing epidemics of obesity and diabetes, this study is particularly relevant to the general public, as it demonstrates that stress management, specifically with mindfulness-based interventions such as MBSR, may be beneficial for reducing perceived stress and blood glucose and improving quality of life in overweight or obese women," You can read it all here. |
 Tassajara Hot Springs I got a bit carried away in writing about my time at Tassajara Hot Springs Retreat Center last summer, writing 4 articles, which you can see here, here, here and here, (whew!). Many of you expressed interest in going to Tassajara. Well, here's your opportunity. I will be there again this summer for the Healing Power of Stillness assisting Britt Fohrmanfrom July 21 to 26. This would be a great time for you to come and you want to hang out with us!
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 Why Procrastinators Procrastinate True and entertaining post about procrastination. Here's a bit:
"In college, the sudden unbridled personal freedom was a disaster for me-I did nothing, ever, for any reason. The one exception was that I had to hand in papers from time to time. I would do those the night before, until I realized I could just do them through the night, and I did that until I realized I could actually start them in the early morning on the day they were due." |
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Schedule of Upcoming Classes
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Week of March 15, 2015
Monday
1:30 - 2:30
Sonoma, Private
Tuesday
Noon - 1:00
YogaOne, Petaluma
All Levels Yoga
4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Healdsburg, Private
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Thursday
8:45 - 9:45
Graton Community Club, Graton
Gentle Flow - All Levels 4:00 - 5:00 Healdsburg, Private Friday
12:00 - 1:00 Yoga One, Petaluma Noontime Yoga - All Levels
Saturday
9:00 - 10:30
YogaOne, Petaluma
All Levels Flow
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Week of March 22, 2015
Tuesday
Noon - 1:00
YogaOne, Petaluma
All Levels Yoga
4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Healdsburg, Private
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Thursday
8:45 - 9:45
Graton Community Club, Graton
Gentle Flow - All Levels 4:00 - 5:00 Healdsburg, Private
Saturday
9:00 - 10:30
YogaOne, Petaluma
All Levels Flow
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Graton Yogis Info:
Did you know your class pass (get these from your instructor) are accepted by all yoga teachers at Yoga in Graton?
We Gratonite Yogis have a place to call our own. It's www.
yogaingraton.com. There is information about current and new yoga classes offered in Graton.
Don't live in Graton? No problem. We want you to come anyway.
You cannot be lost if you don't care where you are.
Judith Lasater
When people ask me what equipment I use, I tell them my eyes.
Ansel Adams
"Not to have what we want is stressful; to have what we do not want is stressful." Buddha
Dalai Lama: "If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."
"Everything will be alright in the end. And if it is not alright, it's not yet the end!" The Magnolia Hotel movie
If your Food can go bad, it's good for you. If it can't go bad, it's bad for you. Originally pinned by Michael Leaming, Ed.D. onto Fitness, Nutrition & Wellness
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