Opportunities for Rest
We started a Book Club at the Shala, and our opening book was ‘Rest is Resistance’ by Tricia Hersey. Our discussion was led by some questions Tricia poses for her readers in her book. These questions are wonderful tools to identify your relationship to rest and seek ways to find rest in your own life:
What do I feel called to do?
Can the idea of unplugging and resting be reimagined by creating smaller moments daily, weekly?
What does intentional rest and care look like for you?
How is your heart?
How can you create rest in this moment?
Then Tricia shared some ideas on how to rest:
Closing your eyes for ten minutes
A longer shower in silence
Meditating on the couch for 20 minutes
Daydreaming by staring out a window
Sipping hot tea before bed time in the dark
Slow dancing with yourself to slow music
Experiencing a sound bath or other sound healing
A sun-salutation
A twenty-minute timed nap
Prayer or chanting
Crafting a small altar for your home
A long, warm bath
Taking regular breaks from social media
Not immediately responding to texts or emails
Deep listening to a full music album
A meditative walk in nature
Knitting, crocheting, sewing, and quilting
Playing a musical instrument
Deep eye contact
laughing intensely
May some of these suggestions be of use to you in creating opportunities to rest your nervous system, your brain, your soul, and your body. Much of Yoga is just that, re-aligning, re-shaping the neural pathways and training our nervous system to be more resilient in how it responses to the external stressors.
If you wish to deepen your understanding of how yoga affects the nervous system take a look at these:
The scientific basis of Yoga Therapy
Just a few ideas of so much great information that is out there.