Debunking the lie that rest = "doing nothing"

Hi community,

Will you try something real quick with me? A simple, rebellious lil'?experiment to empirically test if rest = "doing nothing"... or if that's a lie we've been told?

Take a moment to close your eyes. Begin to breathe in and out slowly yet fully. Allow yourself ~60 seconds to settle into your body for this short?practice.

Once you feel like more of you has landed here in?the present moment, notice?what happens?to your attention when your sense of sight is offline.?

Now, what captures your attention?

• Perhaps you're noticing some physical sensations in your body: Maybe there's a crunchiness in your shoulder or tightness in your lower back. Maybe a hunger pang emerges or the need to pee makes itself known. Maybe an ache in your heart demands a deeper look.
• Perhaps you're recalling a conversation or interpersonal exchange that didn't sit well with you: Maybe you're flooded with the things you wish you could've said or done differently. Maybe you're realizing you said "yes" at work when you really meant "no". Maybe you're reflecting on, "Why am I in relationship with someone who can't seem to respect my boundaries?"
• Perhaps your mind drifts to something you've been longing for, but haven't been gotten around to: Maybe it's cracking open that book on your shelf or signing up for that art class you keep eyeballing. Maybe your childhood love of tennis or outdoor bike rides or making homemade ice cream pops up for consideration. Maybe that nagging urge to tell you-know-who that you have a crush on them shows up (again)!
• Perhaps this period of relative stillness and silence makes you feel something: Maybe you're frustrated by the perpetual lack of time to do the things you actually want to do. Maybe you're sad that it's been too long since you last prioritized meeting yourself in this way. Maybe that leads to daydreams of what a world rooted in reciprocity and care, rather than competition and hoarding, could look like...

Whatever came up for you – whether it fits a category offered in the above non-comprehensive list or not – can you honestly?call that "nothing"??

In order for me to authentically label an experience as "nothing", there should be a?total void of?phenomena, an emptiness.?I should not sense, feel, or think of anything.?

But when I close my eyes, I'm not met by nothingness.?I?am met by all that usually gets drowned out by the busyness, noisiness, and distraction of modern life under systems of unrest (my term for systems of oppression since they operate by generating and perpetuating unrest on all levels).

This is why for many people,?this exercise (or trying to pause or?rest at all)?produces the discomforting feeling of their inner world getting "louder" or "scarier".?

Though we can momentarily suppress our truth with our workaholic tendencies or desire to caretake others, the truth of how we feel will eventually come out, one way or another.?

Because the body is a truthteller and truthtellers demand accountability.

When we finally do slow down, the?notifications (coming from our?mind,?body, heart and/or soul)?that?we've snoozed or tried to repress?are some of the first things that?greet us.?

And this incredibly common yet?VERY difficult?experience can generate a sense of?agitation and anxiety on top of the stress that led us to rest in the first place... all because we've been told the lie that rest = nothing.?

So rather than perpetuate rest = "doing nothing" or a space of "nothingness", let's reframe it in a way that also dismantles the supremacy of "doing" in our culture.

Rest is a state of being WITH everything that gives our lives shape, meaning, and definition: being present to the truth of how we feel, being receptive to the unseen forces that shape us, being perceptive through our?ability to feel, sense, intuit, and dream.

Your restie bestie,

Cassandra Lam / Lam Thùy Dung

P.S.?I?want to acknowledge there is a lot of fear and?chaos in the air as we in the US prepare for the presidential election and whatever comes after. If learning how to rest to sustain yourself is a priority?and you feel called to be in?liberation-aligned community,?REWRITING OUR REST STORIES may be for you.

RORS is?my 4-month group program for API women & femmes to?liberate themselves & their lineage from intergenerational cycles of burnout in community?through rest.

Enrollment for Fall 2024, which will run from September 21st - January 24th,?will begin mid-August.?I?can hardly believe I'll soon be welcoming cohort #5 to join me (and our 32 alumni aka The Resties) on their?rest journeys!

Join the waitlist HERE to be the first to get all the details by email.

?? Join the waitlist for Fall 2024 enrollment ??