Your Yoga Teacher Loves When You Rest
Photography by Morgan Whitney Photography
There are many reasons why someone may land on their mat to practice yoga. No matter the reason, as a yoga teacher, I try to include themes in class that aim to redefine rest as much as I can. I love when I see students take the time in class to honor their unique needs even if it deviates from what I am teaching. There are so many reasons to celebrate the student that chooses to come to class to be in community and role model what it means “to do what is meant for you.” It’s genuinely fulfilling to be in a position to hold space for people to feel what it’s like to rest even if for an hour. Sometimes the yoga room is the only chance a person has to tend to the parts of them that need time to be nourished.
Rest is commonly interpreted as “doing nothing,” but it isn’t only about doing nothing. The phrase “rest is radical” has become widely popular and evolved over the last decade. Many of the systems people have to participate in no longer work for most. Functioning under capitalism is not sustainable and enforces mental and physical demands that ignore most of our basic needs, like rest. Rest is rarely by default built into everyday schedules, but is necessary for a community’s survival, health, and overall well-being. So, what can we do?
First, we must stay curious about how we think of rest and how we support ourselves. This includes viewing rest from a holistic lens. Rest requires integration into everyday life with the understanding that there are many forms of rest, all of which deserve our time and attention. There is physical, mental, social, emotional, creative, and spiritual rest. One or more of these categories may need tending to when we feel depleted, exhausted, overstimulated, or burnt out. However, it is important to acknowledge how unattainable, out of reach, and daunting it is to prioritize daily rest. Work and responsibilities shouldn’t routinely undermine the rewarding life of rest, but under capitalism it does.
Rest is not always passive. It is essential that we are aware and acknowledge when we need rest, and it is equally important to act on it. Some limitations and barriers can be removed with some gentle reframing. For example, if your only idea of rest is a vacation, a pedicure, a massage, or a day off work, then you will constantly be challenged to prioritize resting when you need it. We can’t always afford a vacation or a massage when our body’s systems are demanding rest. While physical rest can be passive like napping on the couch, other types of rest are often active. It is inevitable that we will experience heavy, traumatic, chaotic, confusing, and painful periods of life where it feels impossible to think of resting, but this is when we need rest the most. Rest also supports us when we experience light, joyful, aligned, clear, and ecstatic periods of life because it offers us the opportunity to be radically in the moment.
Rest fills up your cup and reminds you of spaces that are full of love. Rest restores connection to yourself and to others. Rest makes you feel more alive. Rest is sacred time dedicated to radical self-love. Rest is moving, reading, writing, playing, creating, praying, and listening. When you are in the flow state of rest, your system has a chance to glide, drift, and coast into the parasympathetic state. We don’t always need to be in depth of life like an angler fish, we also deserve to be in the shallow water like a starfish.
If you were tasked with identifying what rest means to you today, how would you describe it? Try to get to know what it might mean for you to rest in this moment of your life because it will likely be different tomorrow. Perhaps approach this with a playful attitude as you learn what works for you and know that it just needs to be “good enough.” You are likely doing your best to manage everything right now and rest can support you.
