Perfect Poise, Perfect Life
Bring your body into balance and revolutionise your life
By Noel Kingsley
Publisher Hodder Mobius
AVAILABLE HERE

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Wicked Siesta

When is a siesta not a siesta? Apparently when it's a Power Nap. I must lower my voice to make it deep, resonant and macho to say this......."I'm just going to have my...POWER NAP Grrr. Yeah." so not to appear wimpish, weak or lacking any testosterone. Hmmmn.

Why is it that we have to dress up the natural call of the body to rest during the day so we feel comfortable about it? Hands up anyone who doesn't feel a drop in energy levels after lunch or mid afternoon. Or lets put it another way... who wouldn't like a quick 'NAP' (or a long one) after lunch if they had a chance? Can't see any hands.

We don't need mediterranean climates and sultry summer days to do this most wonderfully refreshing activity. If it came in a bottle it would be a national best seller. But it comes cheaper than that. It's free. However some may argue that they can't afford to 'nap' when there's a job to be done, money to be earned. "While I sleep I'm losing money." Oh yes? Oh no. Because when we try to keep on going when actually our body is crying out to re-charge the batteries and rest our mind, we are not able to give our best. We are sluggish, less vibrant, productive, and creative, slower, poorer communicators and generally not up to our best.

I have had a siesta almost every day for fifteen years because I not only need it for my health and well-being, I also owe it to every client who comes and sees me after lunch. When they come for an Alexander Technique lesson, they want me at my best....not half asleep and lacking energy. I've even left a lunch meeting early to have the siesta before my next client. When I've said that I need to go for my siesta they thought I was joking until they realised I was deadly serious. If anyone has a problem with that, then that's their problem, not mine. Mine is to make sure I'm functioning 100%.

There is a natural lull of energy levels during the day when our subconscious needs time to sort and file the information it's gathered as well as the body's energy being directed towards digestion. Acknowledging this is being responsible to ourselves and others. Call it a Power Nap or a nappy nap, it doesn't matter. The siesta is just a good thing to do.

It can be as short as five minutes, just long enough to let your mind wander freely away from activities at hand. Closing our eyes shuts out the stimuli around us to some degree. I guess an eye mask and ear plugs may be helpful, but I've never used those. But fifteen to twenty minutes is about right I find, and if I'm really tired, thirty does the job. Lying down helps but it could be in a chair. A tall glass of water follows a quick face wash and the afternoon will be as dynamic as the morning.

If you don't do it, I suggest you try it. Make time for it. Break your day. You'll be more productive afterwards. Enjoy.

Posted by Noël on May 18, 2006 5:02 PM | Permalink