On The Importance Of Rest

Sunday, aka ‘the day of rest’.
A concept I have always struggled with.

I grew up in deeply Catholic Italy, where Sunday meant putting on nice clothes, going to church, then family lunch then…. Nothing?!
Alright, maybe some homework, watching Sunday sport, occasionally a movie, but everything moved ever ao slowly and lazily.

As a chronic overachiever, I am on the hyperactive side. It makes sense that Sundays have always been triggering for me.

I have always felt the need to ‘do’ something. To organise activities, get togethers. Alternatively, I would make sure I had work to do (as a self employed person, that is often still the case. I should actually be working right now!)

I think my sense of discomfort ties in with my historical dislike of silences
(there is another blog post coming up about that)

I tend to think that ‘doing nothing’ is pointless. Why do nothing when you could be doing SOMETHING?
If I am doing something - anything - it is easier to keep my thoughts at bay.

As I often like to remind students in class, back when i started practicing yoga, I was the eternal fidgeter.
Child’s Pose? What even is the point? And don’t get me started on Savasana. Why would I be lying on my back, perfectly still, waiting to be attacked by all sorts of thoughts?

10 years on, I have gotten better at being still on the mat and I feel lots of love for the fidgeting students who remind me of Luisa 1.0.

Taking time off and actually resting is still a work in progress…