These last few weeks after breaking my ankle, I’ve had ample time to sit around. Usually, I carve out moments for meditation, reflection, and journaling—but never THIS much time. All day, every day, for 6 weeks at least.
When you’re forced to slow down this much, certain patterns start to come to the surface more clearly.
Most of us think of rest as laying around, tuning out, passively scrolling Instagram, watching Netflix….
But there are deeper layers.
Let me break down the levels I’ve noticed:
Level 1: Inactivity: Laying around, but my mind is stressed. I’m thinking about things and feel restless. There may be emotions like anxiety, frustration. I’m resisting being still. I don’t feel like meditating.
Level 2: Distraction: Watching TV, scrolling the news, social media. I’m checked out of my body. I’m numb. This is addicting. More content please!
Level 3: Rest: Actively trying to relax—reading, meditating, listening to music or podcasts, journaling or spending time in nature. I start to feel the edges of real rest. Emotions or tears might come to the surface.
Level 4: The Healing Zone: Magic. A feeling of deep healing and even love, where I’m not doing anything but receiving. It’s deeper than sleep—my mind and body are aligned, and this is where real restoration happens. The emotions are gratitude, peace, trust, safety.
The Nervous System’s Role
Our bodies are constantly toggling between the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems—the former activates our “fight, flight, or freeze” response, while the latter is responsible for rest and digestion.
When we’re in fight or flight mode, the body is on high alert, ready to respond to perceived danger. This is a useful survival mechanism, but when it becomes chronic—or because of trauma, when we’re stressed, restless, or in a distracted state (like in levels 1 and 2)—our bodies are never able to fully relax.
Activating the parasympathetic nervous system, inviting the body to rest, digest, and restore is the healing zone.
Without this, life kind of feels like we’re emptied out, waiting for the next vacation, weekend or distraction.
Renewal, creativity, possibility…. become SO hard to reach.
How to Reach the Healing Zone
Yoga Nidra, or “yogic sleep,” is an ancient practice where the body is completely still, while the mind hovers between wakefulness and sleep. It’s different from meditation, which often requires focus or concentration. Instead, Yoga Nidra guides you into a state of conscious rest—allowing you to release physical tension, emotional stress, and mental chatter.
For me, it’s been a key tool in reaching the healing zone—a state where I’m no longer thinking or doing, just being and receiving.
Here’s a 30 minute Yoga Nidra video on YouTube.
Music of course plays such a powerful role here too. Sound has a way of guiding us deeper, it invites us to feel without thinking, to be present without effort.
Returning to Music
I was finally able to get to my piano for a short time. Though I was sitting with one leg up and the whole thing tired me out, it was SO nice to be back.
I started to compose a song that might invite the the healing zone. You can hear a little snippet of it above. The rest I will share on Patreon.
It’s called “Moondrops,” which was an image that came to me while resting deeply—of the moon’s light drip, drip, dripping into my body.
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