This page serves as a note pad for of Dr. L’s ‘natural’ prescriptions to address trends in patient needs. Practices on this page are holistic in nature (= mind-body-spirit) and act to support active treatment plans.
1) Restoring Deep Relaxation:
This particular practice is for the person who struggles finding restful sleep, rest, feels ‘tired and wired’, over stimulated from the day, lacks sufficient ‘downtempo’ or ‘yin’ activities to balance their go-go-go… This accompanies adequate sleep hygiene (read HERE).
Frequency: consider doing this restorative practice (below) once a day for 5 -10 minutes, either in the morning, midday or right after work. Try not to practice this too late- because it might disturb your ability to fall asleep! Commit to practicing this daily for 7, 14 or 30 days. Go for it!
Body Position: begin by selecting a body position that makes sense to you/is easy to get to; lay flat on the couch or on the floor, Once you get there, there are several options as to how you can support the body to ‘cue’ it you are about to relax:
1) laying flat- roll a thick towel under the knees (first 3 pics), this allows the back to release and be supported by the floor, have a THINLY folded towel under the head (photo) so the forehead slopes towards the nose (a yogic trick that helps quiet the mind)
2) laying flat- place pillows/bolsters under both calves (ill find a photo) heels are OFF the floor (if you dont like it, do #1), have a THIN towel under the head (same reasons above)
3) laying on the floor (only)- calves rest on the seat of a chair OR your whole legs rest up against a wall, small thin folded blanket under hips (see photos)- for a more detailed description- see this Dr Weil article
Eyes: cover the eyes with a hand towel or an eye mask (Dr. L recommends Bucky which block light and dont press the eyes), if you play relaxing sounds or a meditation on your phone, turn the screen down/away from you.
Ears: You may use earplugs for silence, leave your ears au natural or use noise cancelling earbuds so it blocks environmental distractions and delivers relaxing sound.
Mind: because the mind wanders, consider using a guided meditation (see a sample of Dr.L’s below) or Calm app, or Headspace. Seek ‘guided meditations’ that offer a ‘progressive relaxation’. Alternatively you may just listen to natural sounds, pick something soft like a babbling brook (vs crashing waves), or a light drizzle (vs a robust thunder/ lightening). Think gentle, gentle, gentle sounds… play it low enough to hear but not active you.
Others: If you live with others, let them know you’re taking a 10min vacation and going into ‘do not disturb mode.’
Timer: set a timer for yourself, on your phone or something similar— so you don’t have to think about when to end this practice.
Keep it Simple: Try not to stress yourself about doing this right, pick the simplest version of above and add on later. Let it be good enough so its easy to simply start the practice.
