Creating Space for Rest

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Have you ever felt "profoundly tired"? This choice of words sometimes wells up out of me, usually when complaining to my husband after a long day or night with the kids. It isn't just a lack of sleep, however, that gives me this feeling. Sometimes it is the relentless pace of life around here that leaves me feeling this way. Add to that the typical demands of life with three small children, the continual onslaught of bad news in all the media we ingest, and the subsequent feeling that I have no ability to help or change these bad things happening in the world (wars, famine, global warming, refugee crises, human trafficking, increasingly disturbing world leadership). Mix all this together and we have "profoundly tired Leah". I just want to say to those other moms out there, I see you. I see how hard you work for love of your family and children and how hard, unending and emotionally challenging the pace of life can be sometimes. It's like being a mom requires the sprint and the marathon most days. I see you and I appreciate you mommas out there. May you find moments of space for rest. And may those spaces be like proverbial power naps for your soul. Use those moments to restore yourself in the deepest way possible. For a good friend of mine, she rests her soul by swinging with her kids and repeating a simple mantra which I have also adopted, "May all beings be well. May they be happy. May they be healthy. May they be at peace. May they be free from pain and suffering."

I love teaching my Restorative Yoga Class because I hope that it can become that kind of place for those who need rest. I think this self-sustaining rest has to be developed with a disciplined practice. It doesn't come to us naturally and I have seen plenty of people I love never learn to enter into this kind of rest and suffer because of it. One of my favorite things Jesus ever said is in Matthew 11, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” A yoke was a tool that fastened a beast of burden to another beast or to their harness so that they could work. Doesn't seem like much of a restful thing. But his yoke is easy and burden is light-. I take this to mean that in this joining to the Divine there is a mysterious restfulness that follows. I find it interesting that the word "yoga" means "to yoke" or "to unite". As I lead us in class, this is where I hope to lead you--in the direction of rest--in a practice that paradoxically allows you to rest through fastening yourself to a deliberate discipline. The rest follows as you are able to let go of the noise of daily life and connect to your Source with a listening and quiet mind. I look forward each week to practicing this alongside you. See you on the mat.