Without proper rest the body breaks down. Athletes and trainers alike recognize that proper rest is an essential component to any effective training plan. Without rest, our body is deprived of necessary mental and physical repair. A common misconception is that rest is only achieved through sleep. While this isn’t entirely incorrect, sleep is an essential component to rest, you will see, there are additional categories of rest that are often times overlooked yet still important. 

We can divide the category of rest into three categories: passive, active and total. Passive rest is identified as a waking state using influences that help calm and focus the mind while resting the body. Active rest is similar to passive in the fact that it is a waking state, however this form of rest actively moves the body and mind. Total rest is quite simply sleep.