Thursday July 30, 2020
Dawn Carswell
REST
When I retired, Carole Renselaer asked if I would be interested in volunteering at Common Table. I am grateful to be involved in such a warm and welcoming community. Thank you, Carole.
I was signing on to my remote yoga class when I received an email from Rob asking if I would be willing to write a daily reflection for SJC. While I’ve been reading and enjoying everyone else’s reflections, I was nervous, and a little intimidated, about people reading one that I wrote. So I stumbled though my yoga class with my mind divided between postures and writing a daily reflection.
Savasana is the final resting pose at the end of almost every yoga practice. It brings with it images and feelings of calmness, rest, and relaxation….feelings of drifting away, and sometimes even napping….as a well-exercised body and relaxed mind settle into the mat at the end of a practice. It was while in this state of REST and relaxation that I made the decision to write this daily reflection.
How do we find REST in a world of UNREST?
Wayne Muller, an author and minister, said, “Our relentless emphasis on success and productivity has become a form of violence. We have lost the necessary rhythm of life, the balance between effort and rest, doing and not doing.”
We live in a culture that views success as doing, doing, doing. We are taught that if we work hard we’ll achieve greater success. And this is what we’re supposed to want, right? We’re raising families, working to exhaustion, going to meetings…..and we end up tying our self-worth to achievement, doing, and productivity. We feel guilty when we slow down. We feel unworthy if we're not doing something, anything.
Today we are living in an upside down world. The pandemic arrived and changed our lives. We are asked to face a new normal. We’re attempting to adapt to present conditions. We are not as social, and we are required to stay home more.
The virus, while it has brought many unwelcome changes for us, has also brought about a forcing of REST. All creatures need periods of rest. Cats have this figured out better than anyone! How can you look at a sleeping cat and not feel restful? Resting is not just about sleep, it’s also about taking time to relax the body and mind. And perhaps even to just do nothing. Believe me, I know this is hard to do. We equate how busy and productive we are with being successful, but like Wayne Muller said, we have lost our balance, our rhythm.
One of the meanings of rest is “free of anxieties or disturbances.” What practice helps you feel free of anxiety or disturbances? For me, it’s listening to soothing music, taking a walk, getting lost in nature , gardening, or even taking a minute or two to take some deep breaths…..to just be.
In these times of unrest, I hope you find your own Savasana and your own balanced rhythm of life….and unbridled, guilt-free REST! You deserve it.