Today, March 9, has been named National Napping Day in the United States. This is to recognize the toll that changing our clocks for Daylight Savings takes on our bodies. We lost an hour of sleep yesterday.

I'd like to also recognize the toll that the daily news is taking on our minds and hearts.

Layer on to that everything that each of us is carrying in our individual lives, and we have a lot to rest about.

So let's do it.

I am devoted to encouraging the practice of rest in all its forms. Take a nap if you can. And some other suggestions...

• Perhaps look up from your tasks and listen to the birds, or look up at the stars.

• Perhaps take 15 minutes or maybe more (maybe much more) to go for a walk in the woods or down a quiet street.

• Perhaps sit down and read a book that brings you joy.

Give yourself the gift of doing nothing productive.

Or in the words of one of our greatest poets:

and may myself do nothing usefully...

from 53, by E.E. Cummings

And if you would like a more formal practice of rest, or to rest in a way that feels supported and centered, I've got Yoga Nidra for you.

Here are some options to rest with me:

• Rest with me on Insight Timer. This free app connects you to recordings from me and many other practitioners. Yoga Nidra for Early Spring is a practice that I created especially for this time of year.

• If you prefer to download a practice, you'll find options here. For $10, you get the feeling of resting in one of my group classes, without having to change your schedule to be there!

• If you'd like to experience a month-long rest journey, with prompts, encouragements, and recorded practices, try out Yoga Nidra for Writers & Creators. $30 for the full series.

With all my wishes for soft rest and sweet dreams,

Stephanie

As always, everything in this post was written directly by me (not by AI). These messages are sent to my mailing list first. If you would like to be added to the list, click "Subscribe" at the top of this page.