I am Gina.
What in the world is rest?
We talk about needing rest.
We say,
I've got to get a good night's rest.
But what actually is that and how does it differ from sleep?
And how do we find it?
We do know that sleep is a form of rest,
But rest isn't always sleep.
I'm so glad to be sharing this concept of rest for I Am Day.
Grateful that you're here.
I'd like us to consider the greater awareness and presence of adding rest into our day.
So rest can give us an opportunity.
To pause,
To become more present,
And to become more connected with ourselves.
Ultimately,
I believe the way we create that space of rest for ourselves has an impact on how we move through the world and how we connect.
The people around us.
I don't think we have to wait until we're exhausted or fully depleted to recognize the need for rest.
I know that that is what I used to do.
It was the only way I could carve it out.
When it was forced on me by my own fatigue.
But we can begin to recognize the opportunities for rest that already exist within our day.
So of course our days are already so full and rest can start feeling like one more thing we feel we need to do.
Oh,
I need to do this thing to be healthy,
This thing to be well.
It starts to feel like pressure.
It's really easy to begin to discount the idea of rest and think,
I just don't have time for that.
I can't fit it into my day.
But rest.
Truly isn't about finding additional time in the day.
It isn't necessarily one thing,
One time,
One place,
Or even one particular way of resting.
There are many different kinds of rest that we may need.
And we can start taking advantage of some of the spaces that already exist in our lives,
In our days,
Using them a little differently and carving out pockets of rest for ourselves.
I like to think about rest in terms of the entire day.
Not just about where is it that it fits.
So I know I'm going to go to sleep at night because I need to restore my brain and body from all the great things that happened during sleep.
But there are moments of restoration also during our day that we can draw from.
These are the few moments when absolutely nothing is pulling you.
When you're not taking in more information,
Thinking about what comes next,
Responding to someone or something,
Or trying to get yet another task accomplished.
You're simply allowing yourself to be where you are.
So where,
Where you think could these moments occur or exist in your day?
For me,
I like to stack things upon something that's already happening.
Maybe it's the time when you're sitting in your car.
Before you head into work.
It could be that five minute detour that you take to a local park.
Or maybe it's those few moments after you get out of the shower.
Those few precious moments alone.
Before you get dressed and move on to what comes next.
I even see it as simply as the time when you're washing your hands.
You're just there with the water.
Feeling the temperature.
Feelings.
The flow.
Sensing your feet on the floor.
Take a breath.
For those few moments you can allow yourself to be right there.
This is a moment of rest.
Many of us love music,
So if you consider music,
There's often a rest.
And the rest is the place where nothing is happening in the music.
No sound.
No instrument.
That rest is a part of the song,
The part of the whole piece of music.
It has a purpose.
The silence has meaning.
So we need to consider those places.
Of rest.
The quiet,
The silence in our lives too.
When we can start to reduce some of that stimulation and constant activity,
Even for brief periods throughout the day.
We give our mind and our nervous system an opportunity to and shift.
The other thing that's really important is to do it intentionally.
With intention.
There is a difference between simply having a few moments when nothing is happening and recognizing these moments as an opportunity to rest.
There's your intention.
When we do that,
We give our mind and body an opportunity to move out of that constant doing,
Thinking,
Responding,
And all of the stimulation around.
You might also consider the ways in which you need rest at different times and places in your life and in your day.
Maybe you need to go home and have time away from people or crowds.
If you've been around them for a while.
I know that I do.
Maybe you need to be away from the noise or the sounds.
The activity of the city or television or radio constantly on.
And maybe you just need rest from information.
Or simply the time when no one or no thing is asking for your attention.
Think about what you need rest from.
And begin to offer yourself opportunities to experience that rest and be intentional about taking them in.
Let's have a few minutes for ourselves now.
And experience a moment of rest.
Consider a little bit of grounding,
A bit of connection to ourselves and to the earth.
You can take in a deep breath if that feels good.
And just notice the space where you are right now.
Take a look around.
Notice one thing that's drawing your eye,
One thing that you see.
And now consider one thing that you hear.
And now one thing that you can feel.
Maybe it's the temperature of the air around you.
Is something in your hands?
Your clothing against your skin,
Or just the surface underneath you.
Let's now turn more toward ourselves.
Who is your jaw?
Your shoulders.
Notice your hands.
Your belly.
You don't have to make anything relax or release or change.
Just notice them.
And just allow for the next couple of minutes that nothing will be pulling at you.
Imagine yourself in a little bubble of space.
Where you don't need to respond to anything.
You don't need to plan what happens next.
You don't need to solve anything and no one is waiting for you.
For these few minutes.
There's nowhere else you need to be.
Allow your breath to move in and out naturally.
And just take this moment to rest.
Continue to focus on your breath if that's helpful.
Feel it coming in and out of your body.
Maybe notice the sound of the breath as it enters and is released.
And if you'd like,
Allow the next few exhalations.
To release.
Rewind.
Anything in your body that feels held.
Or tight.
And before we finish,
Take a simple stretch.
Breath in,
Could be your arms overhead,
Your legs,
Your feet stretching,
Your shoulders moving.
And consider whether there's another space in your day.
Where you can do this practice just one more time.
And it doesn't have to look just like this.
Maybe it just takes five minutes.
Maybe it's just one minute.
Perhaps it's just that.
Moments when you're washing your hands.
Be creative.
Seize the opportunities as they arise.
Don't allow a busy life to trick you into believing there isn't room for rest within it.
Rest doesn't always require you to step away from your life.
It's often just about recognizing that there are restful spaces already within you.
And around you.
Thanks for being here.
Wishing you great rest.
For this I am day.
And for all the days that follow.
