The Nap
Who
Alone or as a group
Source et inspiration
Nap activists, including Emma Bigé and others
Where
Anyplace where you live or work
DURATION
According to participants’ needs (see detailed description)
MATERIALS
Silence, low light, anything needed for comfort (warm clothes or a blanket, cushion, mat)
EXERCISE DESCRIPTION
A practice of restorative napping:
- Cognitive rest: body scan, muscle relaxation
- Breathing (example: cardiac coherence exercise)
- Rest (in silence, ideally with low light)
- Joint mobilization (from the periphery of the body, moving towards the center)
- Muscle activation through massage (rubbing, massaging, tapping)
Even a short nap of 5 to 10 minutes has beneficial effects and allows us to become more available. A longer nap has restorative effects. A mini nap of 5 to 10 minutes provides very short-term mental restoration. A nap of 10 to 30 minutes restores both mental and physical performance and is beneficial for approaching complex professional situations. A nap of 60 minutes to 2 hours restores mental and physical performance for 4 to 6 hours. The practice of napping is also political: taking a nap also means stopping, accepting non-productivity, taking collective responsibility for slowing down.
Emma Bigé, Naps-in. Politiques de la sieste
Tricia Hersey, Rest is anything that connects your mind and body