Submitted by Ben Flanders http://spontaneouscoordination.drupalgardens.com/blog —  With apologies to Wallace Stevens. If you haven’t read his poem “Thirteen ways of looking at a blackbird” go and do that right now. He makes ya think… http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/174503 —  Constructive rest is not one thing. It can be different things to different people, and it can be different things to the same person on different days (or times of day, or moods or…well you get the idea.) Here are my humble thoughts on just a few ways to practice constructive rest. 1. Progressive Relaxation: start with the muscles around the eyes and the face, work your way down. Go as deep or shallow as you like. 2. Coordinated Breathing: rest one hand on your chest and one on your belly, notice where you tend to expand, and play with letting the movement of the breathing flow throughout your whole torso  (or chest, or ribs, or hips…) 3. Nap: Sometimes we’re just fried. Take a nap on the floor or a mat for 20 minutes. Set … Continue reading →