RADICAL REST - 3 WAYS TO PRACTICE

What if you actually Surrendered to your Tiredness?

Can you learn to Rest better and Why is this so Radical?

In a world where our worth is measured by how much we produce and how efficient we are in that production process, it's no surprise that Rest is considered unimportant and often actively avoided. It's a built-in feature and function of capitalism to never allow us to rest or stop long enough to breath, pause and assess our lives.

I'm sure I'm not alone when I talk about how useless I felt when I left the 9-5 and didn't know how to fill in all that damn expansive time as I wasn't DO-ing anything.

So, I embodied what Eckhart Tolle talks about Coming back to the Being behind the Doing, which IS profound. Remembering we are human beings not human do-ings. We are worthy just AS WE ARE!

Another crumbling but killer illusion of this patriarchal capitalist society is that we need to 'earn a living.. Work until we die, until we have given 60 odd years - our best bloody years - to the boss, to the system that we serve, tnen we can live! I prefer just living, dont know about you?

Here are 3 Simple Ways to Radically Rest:

🧿SLEEP WELL

Sleep when you're tired and nap when you need to. Commit to a regular bedtime. Surrender to your tiredness, I promise you, you will - with practice - rise with energy feeling, refreshed and rejuvenated. If you do suffer with insomnia or wake often; I suggest Tending to your Senses; get wax ear plugs to shut out sound, burn incence or essential oils that are deeply relaxing to breathe, get yourself a quality lavender eye pillow; both blocks out light and lulls you into deep sleep as the eyes are finally relaxed and turned inwards.

Sleep Hygiene is not Hype, lack of sleep affects more than half the global population, especially now more than ever with 24/7 online world which never rests.

Learn to listen to the voice of your body, it truly wants to go with natural rhythms of day and night, yin and yang. Isn’t it time to listen to that voice?

🧿SELF- SOOTHING EXERCISES

Do some exercise: May sound like the opposite to rest; but I'm talking about self- regulating, vagal toning parasympathetic kind of movement here..

-Nature; A simple stroll through nature of the woods or local park or some slow flow Yin style yoga class ( no sun salutations) that's mostly floor/ earth based. Rooting down - again so that you can rise up, eventually!

-Thoat Chakra; Take some time to sing your heart out! Humming, chanting and singing are fantastic ways to awaken your throat chakra and access the vagus nerve, which is connected to your vocal cords and the muscles at the back of your throat. And this has been shown to increase heart-rate variability and vagal tone; plus it feels GOOOD!!!

-Yin Yoga consists of mostly floor based poses that are held between 3-5 minutes with lots of props, allowing the stretch to be felt deeply into fascia and connective tissue.
A general sene of heavy, groundedness is felt after a Yin class, which is perfectly in tune with this Winter season of withdrawing into slow and still vibes.

-Yoga Nidra is also a soothing practice, which allows your whole body to experience deep nourishing rest as we return awareness home to your body through a guided visualisation journey. Which can and does often take your mind into altered states of consciousness which is deeply restorative.. Can and often does contribute to vivid dreams when you go to actual sleep.

🧿CARE COMMUNITY

Join or create a Community of other likeminded people who value slow flow vibes, yin and esoteric experiences like journaling, bathing, juicing, facials, healing practices like a weekly massage, nurturing and nourishing foods and experiences as opposed to the go go go groups of friends that are all Yanged out, whose plans make you tired just reading them!

It doesn't have to be a huge group, just one who holds each other accountable for upholding these values and practices,basically a bunch of friends who prioritise rest!

Remember Individual self- care as an individual act is another myth of capitalistic society. My self - care is often maintained and made possible if you too are self-caring. Top-down governance do not want this, so if we move from the bottom up to truly tend to each other with care and love, this is simple yet Radical.

Any ideas or ways you wish to share that contribute to Radical Rest, please do comment below! Bless xx