NEW today: a fresh FREE yoga nidra practice!

Yesterday I wrote about how the addict brain loves a full calendar, and how "busy" can quietly become the new drug. Today's practice is the follow-up. It's called Permission to Rest, and I made it for the busy ones. The list-makers. The people who feel guilty sitting down while there's still a dish in the sink. (I was raised by a mother like that; spoiler alert, she passed very young at age 56. Take care of you now).

You Don't Have to Earn Rest

Most of us were raised on a deal: work hard first, and then you can rest. Finish everything, and only then can you can sit down.

Here's the problem with that. Everything is never finished. There's always more to do. So we never cash in on that original "deal." We keep pushing rest to the weekend, then the vacation, then "after this busy season," and the busy season never ends.

This practice breaks the deal on purpose. For 30 minutes, you get to rest with everything still undone. Not because you were productive enough. Just because you're a human being with a nervous system that needs it.

You deserve rest. Just because you do. No conditions need to be met.

What's in This Practice

If you joined me for the first practice, thia will feel familiar. Here's the flow:

• Settling in with sound, from the most distant noises down to your own breath
• Your sankalpa, or intention. If you don't have one, borrow mine: I am allowed to rest
• A rotation of awareness through the body, which is intentionally a little boring (boring is how we get there)
• Breath counting backward from 27
• Opposites: heavy and light, cool and warm, and this week, rushing and stillness
• A visualization of a cool October evening in the Arizona desert, where you get to set your to-do list down under a stone and watch the stars come out

That last part is my favorite. I wrote it for every one of us who carries the list around all day, even into bed.

New to Yoga Nidra?

Yoga nidra means "yogic sleep." It's a guided practice that brings you to the state between awake and asleep, where your body rests deeply while part of your mind stays gently aware. It's evidence-based, and versions of it are used in clinical settings to help people with stress and PTSD.

If you want the full rundown, I wrote about it at length here, and you can start with the first practice too.

How to Practice

Find a comfy spot where you won't be interrupted for half an hour. You can lie on a yoga mat, a bed, or the couch, or sit in a chair. Grab a blanket, because the body cools as it relaxes. Headphones or earbuds help a lot.

A few things to know going in:

• You can't do this wrong. Fall asleep? Great. Stay awake? Also great.
• Your mind will wander. It'll make lists. It'll replay a conversation. Notice it, and come back to my voice.
• You're in charge. Keep your eyes open if that feels safer. Move if you need to. Skip anything that doesn't feel right for you.

The more you can surrender, the better. But showing up counts, even on the days you can't settle.

A Note for the Busy Ones

I'll be honest: this practice is the one I need most right now. Between my day job, my yoga teaching, Radio Detox, and getting ready for classes at Crunch Fitness Arcadia, my calendar is full. I love it. And I still need someone to tell me it's okay to lie down.

So consider this your permission slip. Signed, sealed, delivered.

You're allowed to rest.

Please try it and hit reply to let me know what you think. I read every one.

New free practices come out every other Tuesday. If you want more, subscribe and become a paying member for longer practices.

And remember: You are the architect of your own destiny.

-Heather