I Love Rest
I Love Rest
I have come to claim it and own it and nestle into it.
Our dear Erin is so intentional with her monthly themes. When she told us all that she planned to focus on rest this month, and tapped me to write our newsletter’s monthly greeting, it felt as close to kismet as writing a newsletter intro can feel.
I LOVE rest. Over the years, I have come to claim it and own it and nestle into it.
In a world where life moves at the pace of words I don’t even know because they were invented yesterday by people 20 years younger than me, rest is kind of anathema.
We are all SO busy and, sometimes, when the constant hum fades, even for just a moment, we create a different sort of buzz for ourselves, usually with one technological device or another. It’s not our fault. We have all heard about the manipulative tech valley villains dastardly plotting the attainment of the planet’s every last brain cell. It’s an attention economy, and we’re all, like it or not, here for it.
Like Katniss in the Hunger Games (my son is reading it now so this dated reference is relevant in my current life) we can undermine the overlords with our own small acts of restful rebellion. I take a nap (almost) every day. Seriously.
That said, I can count on one hand the number of times in the last 11 years, 1 month, and 15 days that I have slept past 6AM.
As a yoga teacher, I have the flexibility to be able to rest in the middle of the day. I recognize the utter privilege in being able to lie down for 20 minutes at 2PM. And, as you’ve just read, I still feel the need to explain it and apologize for it. It’s true that I am lucky, in this time and culture, to be able to take a short break in the middle of the day.
It is also true that I feel so much better for it, that cultures in other parts of the world are much more cognizant of the value of rest than we are in our own productivity obsessed one, and that I probably spend at least as much time (okay, way more) looking at my phone on a daily basis than I do with my eyes closed.
Let’s face it, WE ARE TIRED.
The past 3 years have been the thousand day equivalent of a cortisol surge; it is no wonder drinking memes abound. That said, naps win over wine any day in my book.
And we yearn for rest, discuss it obsessively and, yet, when given a few moments of free time, rarely ever prioritize it. It feels indulgent and there is SO. MUCH. TO. DO. I know. And sometimes there really isn’t time. When you have one or two or three (or more!) children under the age of 6, my guess is that you are giving this read a very big eye roll. See yearning above. But rest does so much for us. If we truly recognized the actual workhorse that it is we would all close our eyes when given the opportunity.
And, while a nap isn’t something available to all of us, there are pockets of restful possibility throughout the course of our days:
For those of you with very young children, choose something, other than sleep, to let go of this week.
If you can’t let go of anything, carve out 10 minutes for a guided meditation or yoga nidra.
If you have a little more time, rest under a weighted blanket for 20 minutes one day, or go to bed a half an hour earlier.
While you’re somewhere, waiting, close your eyes and breathe instead of pulling out your phone.
And if you find yourself with enough time to take a yoga class, we’d really love to see you.
We need energy to raise children, do good work, and smash the patriarchy.
There’s lots to be done.* Get some rest.
*Speaking of “lot’s to be done…”
Here’s our current list of things we’re supporting. Perhaps you’d like to dive in too? After a nap, of course:
The 40 Days for Carolina Abortion Fund Fundraiser : Make a pledge to end clinic harassment. Pledge to “sponsor” a protestor, which may keep clinic harassment to a minimum and/or raise lots of money for the folks at the Carolina Abortion Fund.
Be a Gun Sense Voter : Use this tool from Moms Demand Action to find gun sense candidates in your area - candidates who have proven their commitment to lifesaving gun laws.
VOTE : We love Vote Save America for all things voting. Check out the Midterm Madness section & get ready to vote in November!