I’ve had some of my greatest insights come during or immediately after a meditation or a nice shower. There is just something about the stillness that helps the insight, the solutions to problems, or just pure goodness rise to the surface. Whether it was an idea for the class I was teaching, the way to word something for an article, a solution to a family issue, or a message I needed to hear about a health-related issue, all and more have come from these moments of meditation. When we are able to sit and be still, or when allow the warm water to wash over us, and there is nothing but us, we can be in a state of rest.

This state of rest serves as the source of creativity and helps us to refocus, recharge, and rejuvenate. Whether we rest through meditation, a shower, or a nap, it provides the support to actually do the work we want and need to do. If we think about it, everything requires rest. In the winter, the green part of plants die off and the underground parts rest, and animals hibernate until the spring when things resurface and begin to grow above ground. Our mobile phones and electronics devices all need to be charged to fully function. Even while walking, one leg is stationary, or resting, while the other is moving us forward. Rest powers our activity.

When we are at rest, the mind is free to allow different solutions to rise to our conscious mind and give us those aha moments. On the other hand, when we are stressed, we are living in survival mode. Similar to a zebra being chased by a lion, the zebra is only thinking about two things: (1) how much time it has, and (2) finding a place to hide. Just like the animal can’t create in those moments, when we are stressed, our creation and ability to problem solve is limited. Rest helps us to think clearer and in new ways.

Additionally, when we rest by meditating, sitting in the silence, or even showering, we can better hear ourselves. Too often, we are busy being everything for everyone else and we spend too little time sitting and being with and for ourselves. When we take time for ourselves, we have the opportunity to listen to our hearts to see what it really desires for us. When we rest, we are one with ourselves.

Will you rest more often?

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