The Power of Rest

Sitting With Rest

There are a few things coming up for me as I sit here to write, and I’m not sure what to say at first. So I’m just allowing the process itself to guide me.

As I stay with this moment, I find myself thinking about rest.

Rest is woven into everything around us — the way we breathe in and out, the way the universe expands and contracts, the tides, the way our nervous system needs both “fight or flight” and “rest and digest.” Even yin and yang remind us: life is not just about movement and effort, but also about slowing down and being held.

As a therapist, I notice how important it is not only to explore courage, hard conversations, challenging oneself, digging deep, and taking risks, but also to allow space for rest. Without rest, growth doesn’t get to settle in.

The Myth About Rest

I hear this often:

If I stop, I’ll fall behind.

I won’t be enough.

I won’t show up fully.

This isn’t my full potential.

It’s a waste of time.

If I slow down, then I will never get there.

I am being lazy.

I am too driven for rest. I know I can handle it.

Rest is not giving up. Rest is not losing ground. Rest is what allows us to integrate what we’ve learned, what we know, what we’ve grieved. And all of that is what actually helps us move forward. Integration is what helps us move forward, not just with knowledge, but with alignment.

Rest isn’t quitting. It asks us to trust. To let go. To breathe out and allow the world to hold us. To soak in the present moment. To let our body’s wisdom carry part of the load, instead of thinking we have to do it all from the driver’s seat. Because my goodness, how exhausting it is to feel like we always have to be on top of everything. It just isn’t sustainable.

I think about this often: we move forward with more ease when life isn’t just something we push against, but something we flow with—including ourselves. This flow doesn’t mean we settle, give up on goals, or stop striving. Rather, it creates the space and clarity we need to move with purpose, to act from alignment instead of exhaustion. When we constantly pressure our internal systems to produce and give, overtime, our bodies naturally push back, signaling resistance as our minds keep driving forward. Imagine living this life where we are always trying to catch up and to know. Now, imagine an internal system where we listen, allow it all in, and learn from it, becoming both the teacher and the student of our own lives, taking breaks, and resting. How much more liberating and inviting does that feel? Our bodies are more likely to be on board with us!

Even in jobs or systems that demand constant pushing and producing, we can stay aware. We can bring ourselves back to this framework, reminding ourselves that life doesn’t have to feel like this all the time. That there can be space to rest, reflect, and move with ease, even amid responsibility.

Noticing the Garden

Sometimes growth isn’t about planting or tending every moment. Sometimes it’s about stopping to notice the garden — to admire what’s already blooming. Sometimes it is to notice what isn’t blooming. And through this, there doesn’t always need to be an interpretation about it. Sometimes it is about walking through it just because we can. Can we trust?

Rest makes space for surprise! For adventure! For discovery: I wasn’t expecting anything, but I noticed how much better I felt. I noticed this isn’t so scary anymore.

Rest makes space for the joys in life.

Rest allows us to reap the benefits.

Rest regulates, restores, and replenishes.

Rest fosters creativity.

Rest is a pause.

Rest can be a pause from one thing to another.

Rest is a way of stepping back, and this allows us to see patterns, solutions, and new approaches that aren’t visible in the middle of constant doing.

Sometimes people come to therapy stating: I know all the things, I’ve read all the books, I understand… but I still feel stuck. I’m exhausted. I am tired. I am anxious. Sometimes what has happened is that the body hasn’t had the chance to integrate. To soak it in. To rest into it.

Change often comes not only from doing, but from being. From letting what we already know and feel settle into the body. To notice how that sits with us.

Sometimes a simple noticing exercise can go a long way- What am I noticing right now in my surroundings? What are my senses picking up on? What am I noticing on the inside?

When we give ourselves permission to rest, we can move forward with more ease.

For those who like research based insights, the good news is there’s plenty of evidence showing that rest does all of this! It reduces mental clutter, helps us think more clearly, regulates emotions, replenishes energy, supports memory, sharpens focus, fosters creativity, and allows us to move through life with more mental freedom and ease.

Success

Maybe success doesn’t have to be about perfect balance or being “on top of it all.” Maybe it’s about rhythm,  moving between reflection, effort, integration, and rest. Success doesn’t have to be about getting this rhythm perfectly; it’s about honoring what works for us in this moment.

Maybe life doesn’t have to be a resolution to arrive to. Perhaps it is about experiencing ourselves in the world. Trusting that both the doing and the resting have a place.

A Gentle Rest Exploration

If you’d like to explore what rest might look like for you today, here’s a simple framework. It isn’t about “doing rest perfectly.” It’s about giving yourself permission to explore your relationship with rest. (Please read my blog called Why Grounding doesn’t Work, if you’d like to know more about setting a framework for grounding exercises.)

1. Set the stage.
Create a small space that feels supportive — adjust the lighting, put on music, clear a little room around you. You’re signaling to yourself: this time matters.

2. Set a timer.
Even five minutes can be enough. Sometimes having a boundary of time helps the body feel safer to soften.

3. Give yourself permission.
Say to yourself: I give myself permission to explore what rest looks like for me today. This is not about achieving relaxation. It’s about being curious.

4. Notice your body.
Where are you holding tension? Where do you feel open? Allow your breath to lengthen on the exhale, just a little. Notice how that feels. Notice any discomfort. Allow these thoughts to pass through without placing any judgments on them. Even judging thoughts.

5. Explore with your senses.
Notice your environment: sounds, colors, textures. Where do your eyes feel most comfortable — open or closed, near or far? You might try the simple “5 senses” exercise (easily found online).

6. Rest into being held.
Notice what it feels like to let your body be supported. Feel your feet on the ground, your bottom on the seat, or your arms melting onto a desk or pillow. Allow yourself to sense the ground or surface beneath you holding you up.

7. Hold onto what feels pleasant.
This could be the feeling of a blanket, a warm cup, a candle, or simply a patch of sunlight. Let yourself linger with it.

8. Notice what happens.
You may feel a little lighter. You may feel a lot lighter. Maybe you’re not at total relaxation. That’s okay. Just notice: do you feel a little closer to ease? Did anything shift? Can you integrate this into your system as being okay? You’re more likely to get to this space, or closer to rest, if you can offer gentle compassion towards the parts of you that may have not felt fully relaxed. I did enough.

Rest here is not about arriving, but experimenting. About being in relationship with your body, your environment, and your own rhythm of rest.

-Imuri