on finding purpose through rest

“ you don’t realize your true gift until you rest, “ 

was a sentence that popped out of my mouth after I taught my weekly relax.restore.recharge yoga class last week. 

The space that gets created when we rest is a space for rebirth and renewal. To truly grow and shift and fully process our life’s experiences, we do need to consciously unplug and go within our vessels on a regular basis. 

What defines a vessel in this context? I see it as a combination of our bodies and our inner 'beingness'. Like going into a cave of a sort, where we are sheltered and given time to process and purely exist without a reason. Our outer environment can also be a vessel of a kind - a calm earthly space with nurturing plants, beautiful lighting, natural soothing scents and soft cushions to hold us gently; a wonderful outer vessel formed around our own internal vessel. 

In reality, our ‘vessel’ can be seen as our house. My body is my physical vessel, the framework for my mind to feel safe and my spirit to find greater ease. All this can offer a profound reset for our nervous system, and when practiced in community with others, it has the opportunity to fill us with safety in the collective field.

What I repeatedly get to witness in my weekly yoga classes as a facilitator, is how the human being has the ability to transform in just 90 minutes. Bodies surrender onto the ground to release all that no longer serves…: the aches, the stiffness, the holdings - the stress.

In the meantime, the mind gets used to letting go, as it can take a while to soften the intensity built up within our thoughts. Once thoughts start melting, space gets created for spirit to set us free. To play and flow freely within our vessel. To find the natural shimmer of joy that lies within us all! Just like a natural stream that flows through a creek, polishing the hard edges of stones and boulders, making our environment more harmonious and friendly…

just like nature, we are better when we take time for rest.. may it be a sweet power nap after work, a restorative yoga class in a collective with others, or a private healing session with a facilitator,

we all become a little better when given the time to rest...