Matthew Edlund

Meditators grow their brain. You can’t see the change without MRI scans, of course, but different parts of meditators’ brains grow larger.

We want to learn to rest anywhere, anytime, in ways that restore us, calm us, relax us, and make us alert. That means we have to learn how to breathe.

Breathing, like most forms of physical rest, improves as you practice. It takes a little time. But it’s a technique you’ll be able to do for the rest of your life, so it’s worthwhile getting good at it now.

When Freud was asked what the two most important things in life were, he gave a succinct answer: love and work. I think he was right.

In a world that bombards us with information, the art of selective attention becomes increasingly important. That means that self-hypnosis is a skill you’ll want to add to your toolkit.

Rest is restoration. Without rest, our cells do not reconfigure and regrow, rebuild, and regenerate themselves.

Napping, as you can tell, is controversial. It should not be. Napping is a normal part of human design.

In order to fully know the peak experiences people describe as their best memories, indeed just to heal and survive illness, people need to learn how to rest.

Ask yourself this: if you could do less and become healthier, more productive, and successful, would you do it? You can, if you know how to rest.

Research at Harvard has shown that short periods of daytime sleep—even as short as a six-minute nap—can improve memory.

Life should be rhythmic and musical. There should be time for activity and rest, for work and relationships.