Why Is Deep Rest So Important in Vedic Meditation?
There are a number of things that define Vedic Meditation and set it apart from other meditation techniques. One of the most important is the level of rest we experience when we meditate.
The rest we gain in Vedic Meditation can be deeper than sleep, and we can begin experiencing it within a few minutes of sitting comfortably and closing the eyes.
But why is this rest so important?
Most of us are carrying accumulated fatigue
Everybody knows what it’s like to be tired. And when people come to learn Vedic Meditation, they’re often carrying a legacy of fatigue that has been building up for years.
Tiredness affects almost everything we do. We don’t think as clearly. We don’t make good decisions. We don’t feel as capable or sure of ourselves. We start second-guessing ourselves.
That has consequences for our health, our work and the people around us.
Rest is our funding mechanism for activity.
When we’re tired, it can become harder to rest
There’s a problem here. When we become overloaded and tired, one of the first things that can be affected is our ability to rest.
We might struggle to fall asleep at night. Or we wake at three in the morning and the mind starts racing. The problems that were already rattling around in our heads suddenly seem amplified and louder.
We need rest, but the very fatigue and overload we’re trying to recover from can make that rest harder to get.
Taking the pressure off sleep
This is one of the important differentiators of Vedic Meditation.
We meditate for 20 minutes twice a day and during that time the body can experience a very deep level of rest. That takes some of the pressure off sleep.
Rather than relying on sleep to do all the work, meditation provides another opportunity for the body to rest and begin clearing accumulated stress and tiredness. Sleep can then become more restful too.
Ready for life
The point of deep rest isn’t simply to become good at resting.
We want to come out feeling rejuvenated and refreshed, with greater capacity for what life is asking of us.
When we get the rest we need, we’re better able to be there for life and for the people around us in the way we want to be. That is where the value of rest really becomes apparent.
Vedic Meditation is taught in person over four consecutive days at London Meditation Centre and New York Meditation Center.
Find out more: London | New York
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