It is nuanced, but the approach to rest has been something that I have seen as a near impossible feat for many.
In a western world of constant stimulation, it is surprising that many of us are even able to sleep.
Scrolling, watching, meditating, breathing, self-care practices galore! it is almost like we need to do something to feel like we are doing nothing at all.
Why is it that we feel the need to do anything? Is the mind that much of a dominating factor in our lives that we feel true rest is no longer achievable?
Can we be fully resting when engaging our eyes on a flickering screen of blue light? Many forget, our eyes are literally extensions of our brain. Are we still stimulating our nervous system and our dopamine receptors at times when we believe we are recharging?
The question of what rest truly is fascinates me.
Has meditating become an antidote to stimulation rather than a practice devoid of outward intention? Has breathwork become a counterbalance to feelings of franticness and reactivity instead of an activity of inner solitude and spaciousness?
Everyone has vices, and I have seen so much of the wellness and consciousness bubbles selling a life that is based on a foundation of movement, rather than a foundation of stillness.
It is as if the 5am cold plunges and 5 day detoxes are sold as a way for one to do even more than they currently feel capable of.
More action, more results - right?
I am so fond of and inspired by those that have created businesses in this sphere, or programs to help people regulate their internal worlds, but many do seem to fall back into the trap of this faux hustle culture that is so prevalent.
Think and Grow Rich culture is now Think and Think and Do and Think and Do and Think and Think and, oh ya, Grow Rich Too culture.
I saw someone post online that they were going to their 11th (!) Ayahuasca ceremony in the past 4-5 years. Even healing is a hustle, it seems.
What happened to integration? What happened to the void of nothingness that spawned us?
What happened to rest?
Maybe it is because rest is something we cannot be sold on, unless it comes in the form of a supplement that 5xs your restful returns!
True rest is simply that - a return to nothingness.
It is a return to the comfort of a lack of the continual manifestation of life itself.
How can we rest when we are so invested in bringing in more, more, more? Is it possible, that rest is the key component to “doing” so?
Rest may be temporary, but it is more powerful than any action you take.
We may be able to see beautiful colors, shapes, people, lands, and scenery, yet if we never blinked, our eyes would dry out and deteriorate.
Look at rest as the blink needed to keep your vision strong.
You don’t even need that much of it, it comes naturally, but the resistance towards true rest leads to a crash and burn that forces us to rest, I.e. dis-ease.
Thus we define rest as a necessity when we are sick, rather than as a necessity to life itself. Perhaps, resting on a regular basis was always meant to be experimented with and experienced in the whole of our days.
Think about it - why do so many people grind and hustle and take on extra hours? To afford the ability to not do these things!
If we want what we envision, should we not enjoy the fruits of labors before they fully ripen? Can we not enjoy the tree and its cycles rather than just the moments of harvest?
So rest. Not because you are burnt out, tired, or sick, but because you deserve it. Just as a baby never questions when it plays or when it snoozes, neither should you question your ability to simply turn off the world and your identity, and return to the ether that builds your body inside and out.
Rest. Contemplate. Trust. Be.
There is no effort required, and it is this return to no effort that makes the efforts towards our dreams that much easier and the pressure that much lighter.
Experiment with doing nothing, even for 5 minutes. You never know what inspiration may enter your field when you slow down and prioritize rest as a foundation in your life.
to my love
A waterfall in Big Sur is where I declared my life to you.
Barefoot together sharing breaths of the ocean air
Nothing mattered more than that energy we share
It carried us through times we weren’t sure we’d make it through
We knew in this life we had a chance to see what we could do
Together, with overflowing hearts and undiscovered wounds
Making love in ways that have shaped me, the way you take me
to different worlds with you and embrace me leaves me as speechless as
the day I met you
Thanks for being here my friend.
I see being as the most necessary and important action of all. I enjoyed reading this, thank you!