Sleep and rest are not the same

When we feel tired, the body’s natural way to recuperate is through sleep. Sleep is very important for physical health; but are ‘sleeping’ and ‘resting’ synonymous? These days sleep has become a way of escaping from a noisy and stormy inner world that is consuming our energy. There is no doubt that sleep relaxes your body and puts a pause to your mental chaos. However, there is a type of tiredness that each of us faces that sleep can’t fix.

We go to sleep feeling tired, and still, many of us wake up feeling tired. This is more prevalent in this era of technology, where our minds are active even when the body falls asleep. Just as not using your phone does not charge its battery; likewise sleeping is not resting.

What we need is to know the difference between waking up and awakening – which means to become free from expectations and struggles of life. Awakening is not being influenced by illusions of what people say or do.

Complete rest cannot be attained without being at ease with oneself. It is this state of inner peace and being at ease that gives you the real ‘rest’ that one can’t get by just sleeping.

So, give up that battle of trying to get rest from sleep. Instead, be at ease. Experience the state of rest by awakening your inner self and putting it to ease. Get rest …you deserve it!

Courtesy: Rajyoga Meditation Center, Kingston (Courses are given free of charge). Email: kingston@jm.brahmakumaris.org