Deep rest

It’s been a week since we got back from our trip to Maui. As you can imagine, spending nine days on this beautiful island was quite blissful. Warm, moist air scented with plumeria, hot sand to stick our toes into, ocean water that was the perfect temperature to slip into, to snorkle and swim and dart around like any of the other fish. And plenty of time to nourish our bodies with sun and wonderful food and rest. Deep, deep rest.

When we set our intention about this trip, it was to rest as much and as deeply as possible. It had been years since we took a vacation like this, and it was time to reboot, to totally “empty out” (as the root of “vacation,” the Latin word “vacare” describes).

My body jumped onboard with this intention, deciding to get a cold. That meant even more sleep, more sitting (from the beach to the pool, back to the beach). Reading, writing, dozing.

All of this non-activity was very unusual for me. I’m someone who is always moving, always finding the next thing to do, checking off the items from my list, getting a lot done. It took a few days for me to get into the groove of doing nothing. There was one day when I felt that last pin drop into place, as my mind finally relaxed.

Coming back to this time of year, when there is so much darkness and cold here in Boulder, I can feel the continuing pull to hibernate. My body is loving the sleep that comes from being cozy in a cool, dark room. I notice that, with all of this resting, my mind now feels open and free. My ideas are fresh, my attitude positive.

What would it take for you to give yourself deep rest?