The benefits of stillness for integration

Taking time to be quiet is hugely beneficial. Why? We all need time to integrate. Integration is the space we hold to extract the nourishment from what we have taken in.

For example, we need time to integrate our food, this is called digestion. We need time to extract all the goodness from the food we have eaten. The body will then take on the nutrients it needs and expel what it no longer needs. It's a natural process and one we are all familiar with.

It's the same with movement practices. We need to take space and time between exercise workouts so that our body can integrate the goodness of what we have worked on. If we are building muscle, then the body needs time to build those muscle fibres. If we have done Pilates then the body will need time to integrate it's new movement patterns. Or if we have somatic movement, Yoga or other awareness exercises the body needs time to integrate all of the new information it has gathered.

The same goes for our life in general. We are bombarded with information, like never before. There are many things vying for our attention and many things to learn and understand in our modern life. (If we are wise, we will carefully select what information we allow into our lives.) Giving our brain and mental space a break from all of this input will serve us well. If we wish to learn from the information we are gathering every day and want to use it effectively, then complete rest space for the mind will do wonders. Thoughts that go around and around will have a chance to be integrated, the goodness extracted and what doesn't serve you allowed to release.

Constant eating without proper integration leads to an unhealthy body; constant exercise without a break leads to chronic tightness and injury; and constant mental stimulation without integration leads to mental overload and stress. We need to balance.

This is why spaces for conscious rest and stillness (not sleep) calm the mind and body. It's so important for a balanced life and more and more it's an imperative for healthy living, not a luxury.

Why do I say sleep is not suitable for integration? Well, it is. However, if you are overstimulated (as is so common for many of us) you probably won't be getting the quality of sleep needed to enter a deep state of relaxation and restoration. If you've every woken up not feeling refreshed, you will know what this feels like. For some of us, this is constant feeling. Practicing conscious stillness will help with this.

Stillness doesn't have to be a big practice, or a long practice. Even just consciously stopping to take in your surroundings, or spend 5 minutes in stillness watching your breathing will be a great start. Longer practices of 20-30 minutes a few times a week will really help you to re-set and regain your vitality.