The Art of Deep Rest
- Linda Jyoti Stuart
- Oct 9
- 4 min read
10/9/25:
“Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.” — Chinese Proverb
Last month, while on a silent retreat, I came down with a nasty cold—most likely COVID, based on my symptoms and my acupuncturist’s assessment. No one can ever know exactly where a virus comes from, but I do know that the week before, I’d been working hard and getting very little sleep. As it turned out, the experience became a profound lesson in deep rest.
Throughout my life, I’ve continued to deepen my understanding of what it truly means to rest. Rest, I’ve come to see, is more than just sleep or taking time off — it’s an unwinding and unfolding of the many layers of our being. At the deepest level, it’s about softening the grip of who we think we are, and remembering who we truly are beneath all the efforting.
The Layers of Being
In Yoga Nidra, an ancient practice that dates back to the 6th-century Taittiriya Upanishad, these layers are known as the five koshas, or “sheaths.” Think of them like Russian nesting dolls — each layer representing a different aspect of our being, from the physical to the spiritual. The basic koshas are:
* The physical body
* The breath
* The mind and emotions
* The higher mind or wisdom
* Bliss/Awareness
Each layer influences the others, and learning to rest within all of them can bring a profound sense of balance and peace.
THE BODY (Annamaya Kosha)
When we think of rest, most of us start with the physical body — relaxing tense muscles or catching up on sleep. We all know the toll chronic tension takes. In today’s wellness and therapy circles, there’s a lot of discussion about “nervous system regulation,” and for good reason.
We actually have three nervous systems:
The central nervous system (brain and spinal cord)
The peripheral nervous system (connecting limbs and organs)
The autonomic nervous system, which includes both the sympathetic (fight/flight) and parasympathetic (rest/digest) branches
A calm nervous system supports well-being, but balance is key. Too much activation leads to anxiety and restlessness; too little, and we can feel drained or unmotivated. True rest involves cultivating harmony — through healthy habits, mindful awareness, and self-compassion — among the many factors that shape our inner equilibrium: brain chemistry, thoughts, interpretations, and unresolved trauma.
THE BREATH (Pranamaya Kosha)
If you’ve ever watched a baby breathe, you’ve seen how naturally the belly expands on the inhale and softens on the exhale. As adults, stress often changes our breath — it moves higher into the chest, becoming shallow and tight.
The breath is one of the simplest and most powerful tools for returning to calm and presence. Slow, conscious breathing not only changes how we feel but can also shift how we think. Each breath invites us back into the moment — a gentle reminder that we are safe, alive, and connected.
(For more reflections on breath, visit:
THE MIND (Manomaya Kosha)
This is the layer where thoughts and emotions swirl. In our Western culture, we often normalize stress as part of life — juggling work, family, finances, health, and loss. But when we stay in overdrive too long, emotional exhaustion sets in.
Learning to work with emotions, rather than resist or suppress them, is essential to rest. Gentle self-awareness, journaling, or talking things through can allow the mind to settle and the heart to breathe again.
THE HIGHER MIND (Vijnanamaya Kosha)
This is the wisdom layer — the part of us that can witness thoughts instead of being carried away by them. Meditation, mindfulness, and reflective practices strengthen this awareness.
Here, we begin to see that not every thought deserves our belief or reaction. In this space of awareness, we gain freedom — the ability to rest deeper within ourselves, beyond the constant mental chatter. Many wisdom traditions begin right here, with the discovery that peace isn’t something we achieve — it’s what remains when the noise quiets.
BLISS / AWARENESS (Anandamaya Kosha)
This is the innermost layer — the quiet radiance of pure being. When we touch this place, the boundaries between “you” and “the world” soften. We rest in presence, beyond body, breath, or thought. It all becomes one thing. It’s what it means to “rest in your true nature” — effortless, spacious, and whole.
Learning to rest through all these layers — body, breath, mind, wisdom, and awareness — is a lifelong journey. Whether your intention is better physical health or a deeper connection to your inner peace, exploring these dimensions of rest can transform the way you experience life.
Join Me
If you feel called to experience this for yourself, I invite you to join me for “Explorations and Experiences in Deep Resting”, a silent retreat at Vajra Vidya Tibetan Buddhist Retreat Center in Crestone, CO. November 14th-16th. Together, we’ll gently discover the many facets of deep rest — body, heart, mind, and soul.
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