Do You Need Mental Rest?

I recently had the luxury of two nights solo in an off-grid cabin in the Perthshire hills. I thought I was going there to work on business pivots and catch up on life admin. I would finalise our meal prep schedule and lay out my gym workout plan for the month. I had big plans—I was going to be so productive.

 

But as soon as I arrived, I became acutely aware of my inner taskmaster. I was mentally planning (or, more accurately, trying to control) my next few hours. I’d walk around the farm to hit my step goal, work on my business plan and then take a well-deserved (but carefully measured) break. Then it would be time to prep dinner. Here I was, in a stunning, secluded cabin, gifted the solitude I’d been craving—and I couldn’t…just…be.

 

That inability to switch off felt oddly familiar. In our busy, modern lives, we often stay “wired,” making slowing down feel unnatural, even uncomfortable. This tendency to stay busy can become a kind of restless inertia. We feel productive, but in a shallow way. Too overstimulated to realise our busyness may not be as productive as it seems.

 

Mental Rest

 

If you’ve ever felt utterly drained, but when a chance to rest appears, you end up tackling your to-do list or scrolling social media instead? Intellectually, you know you need to slow down but something in you is holding you back.

 

It might be because it’s not just physical rest you’re missing—it’s a deeper need for mental rest. That peace that comes when our minds aren’t constantly planning, worrying, or bracing for the next thing.

 

Mental rest is essential but can be elusive. When we’re juggling work demands, household responsibilities and the unending list of life admin, we feel like a soaked sponge, unable to absorb one drop more. We can become irritable, impatient and struggle to show empathy for others. We know we need to rest, but the mental load has become so heavy we’re not even sure where to begin.

 

Can Yoga Help?

 

For me, yoga has been a powerful ally in bridging the gap between feeling “too wired” to slow down and finding true mental rest. Yoga isn’t just physical exercise; it’s a way to step out of our overactive minds and into a quiet centre. I often remind students: “There is nothing else you need to do, nowhere else to be.” Once you’re in a yoga class, you’re here. Let someone else guide you and surrender control – just for a while. This, to me, is true luxury.

 

Yoga offers the support we rarely give ourselves. Physically, we talk about the support of the ground or the chair beneath us, but it goes deeper than that. Yoga provides a framework for us to receive the support around us, to let go of the need to manage every detail, and find relief from holding it all together ourselves. Through breathwork, mindful movement and meditation, yoga fosters a release, helping us let go of stress and tension. It brings us back into ourselves, letting us see things with fresh clarity.