Rest as a Practice

I’m craving rest hard right now. The days are shorter. COVID means release from all social obligations. I get to sit in front of the fire and turn inward. Something akin to unease creeps into me as the solstice gets closer. The moment we turn back towards the sun signals an end of sorts. More light, more activity, more outward energy. Have I done enough cocooning? Have I percolated all that needs to move through me in this darkness? What still needs time to emerge in the slow growth that darkness provides? 

Dominant culture is suspicious of rest, but I deeply believe it is essential to our work. Just as our physical bodies need stress and recovery through exercise, our minds, spirits and emotional bodies need periodic rest and recovery. Now is the time. 

I’m taking a cue from the garlic I planted this fall, sitting underground, storing up energy till spring. I too need this time to let things unfold more slowly. I’m practicing asking less of myself. I’m doing WAY less exercise. I’m trying to do one thing at a time. We could probably all use a scheduled rest practice, put on the calendar, between now and solstice. Here are some ideas:

-read for pleasure in the middle of the day.

-lie on the ground with your legs up the wall for 10 minutes.

-lie on the ground with weighted blanket or something heavy over your chest and hips.

-listen to a piece of music you love without doing any tasks for the duration. 

What renewal rituals are you allowing into your days?

What beliefs do you carry about rest? How do those beliefs support you or not support you in practicing rest?

How might emotional, physical, mental and spiritual rest all take different forms in your life? 

Rest well, beautiful beings.

With love,

Liz