The Spiritual Aspect of Rest
For as long as I can remember the month of June has been kind of hectic. A time of transition where spring is replaced by summer, and people get ready for new beginnings.
To me this past June was no exception. As usual, the to-do lists were long, and this time we even managed to throw an extra move into the mix. Same building, same floor. But a move is a move, and the number of boxes is the same no matter the distance. With the kids leaving the nest, we are preparing for our life, as a family, to transform.
Along came July and time for vacation. After months of all kinds of action, it was finally time to slow down, reflect and recharge our batteries among loved ones in our home country of Denmark. Only to discover that actually, I couldn’t!
Trying my best to wind down and kick back, I was unable to do so (at least not in the way I had expected.) Rather than relaxing and gradually winding down, my body was constantly feeling restless, and the monkey part of my brain was causing my thoughts to jump all over the place.
As a professional, I know all about the importance of rest. The restorative impact of downtime and all that great stuff. Even for From Balance, we have dedicated the entire month of July to the topic. And yet here I was: Struggling to make the most of my summer and scared of being unable to enjoy all the people and things I had been missing for so long. And as if all this wasn’t already enough, I began feeling like a bit of a fraud for not actually being able to walk all that talk.
While pacing around the lakes of Copenhagen, beating myself up for my inability to relax, I was suddenly reminded of an article I had once read about a nomad tribe. Describing their different rituals and how they were moving their village on a regular basis, I was fascinated by their wise reflections on disruption and change. Among many inspiring perspectives, one stood out to me in particular: “Our spirit is travelling separately and at a different pace than the body and mind. When going to new places, one must therefore always allow time for the soul to catch up.”
There it was! How could I have forgotten!? Leading a kind of nomadic lifestyle myself, I know this to be true and something to be expected. But what I was being reminded of was how the same thing goes for all kinds of transformation. Mind, body and spirit are not only processing change in different ways but also doing it at a different pace. Knowing my default tendency of going straight to my head, I realized the need for a change in tactics. It was time to replace the constant thinking (and pacing) to allow space for my soul to join the party!
While still trying to pay attention to a more conscious way of just being, I was having coffee with a friend. At some point in our conversation, we were talking about our concept of pace in work and in life, and how our culture is often different from our nature. “After years of being busy” she said, “I am realizing that humans are in fact much slower than we tend to think of ourselves”.
We then went on to discuss the irony in how many of us are drawn by the idea of speed, while we as a species are typically needing much more time to process and adapt. The fact that we rarely get things the first time but tend to absorb things in layers of discovery until reaching a point where we are ready to replace an existing idea or model with another. Our ability to stay present and pay attention to things and signs is directly correlated with our level of calm and our connection to ourselves.
Back walking around the lakes (now at a slower pace and perhaps a little wiser?), I am in the process of expanding my concept of rest. While it might not change my actual practice all that much, I am working on developing a different kind of patience with myself. Besides being in a physical and mental state in which we recuperate and restore, I am working on understanding how the state of rest is also a spiritual space in which we are not only processing the change itself, but also making space for new beginnings!
Wondering how you are thinking about the connection between rest and change, I am wishing you all a wonderful summer.
Love,
Sille