13/11/2022
Throughout my life I have encountered several techniques that have been life changing. Meditation - its effects widely known & accepted. Breath work - which has recently gained mainstream popularity.
A practice that isn’t as widely popular but is gaining traction, is REST.
REST as a radical practice of being- not just to get ourselves fuelled & back in the game to keep doing.
For me, I hope that REST can carve out a little more space in everyone’s lives. If the pandemic taught us anything - it was that it feels strange & uncomfortable to slow down, stop, or REST.
Growth, peace, and balance is found through that discomfort, though.
Here are just some of the reasons why REST is probably the most important self-care tool you can adopt:
When you STOP moving, the automatic functions of your body can regulate. When you regulate your breath, your heart rate follows. The heart controls your emotions, which in turn controls your thoughts. Your autonomic nervous system comes into harmony.
When you REST your thoughts can stop flying around. Physical stillness is a powerful tool for calming the mind.
When you STOP moving, you can hear and see more. This time that you are giving to yourself coupled with the physical connection to the Earth links you with your physical reality, grounding you into your mental reality, without the distraction of the stories in your mind.
When you REST you can feel yourself. You will connect to parts of your body that have gotten lost from your view. You will feel the tension and stress in your body, then you will feel as you let it go.
You don’t need fancy props or time on your own (unless you can get it). You just need some pillows, maybe a blanket or two, and the courage to be motionless. Find comfort in whatever position you can take then stay there for 10-15 minutes and see what happens.
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