When There’s No Time to Rest + Home Yin Practice
Imagine slowing down during the holiday season, rather than speeding up.
For years, the idea seemed inconceivable to me. As a driven, overworked business owner and the mother of three sons, I struggled to slow down, often working through the holidays. Hosting our large extended family Christmas gatherings, my energy and attention were always directed outward, leaving little room for rest or reflection.
The call for rest was there, but I ignored it. The demands of my life and the high expectations I set for myself made rest feel like an indulgence, a luxury I couldn’t afford.
These days, adopting ‘less efforting’ and leaning into the invitation to rest has become my practice of exploration this autumn and winter—a truly novel experience!
Not checking out or neglecting my responsibilities, but rather tuning more deeply into the rhythms and cycles of nature. When nature peels away its beauty to reveal its bare essence, and darkness gently wraps a velvet cloak around us, calling us into stillness, it serves as a wise mentor and a supportive container.
This is where I’ve found the power of rest: in moments of true embodied rest, clarity and resilience begin to emerge —not despite the world’s chaos, but because of it, asking us to surrender and reset.
Winter Solstice, on 21st December, marked a turning point, honouring the longest night before the return of light—a symbolic reminder that just as the earth makes space for renewal, so too can we. It’s a time to reflect on what we are ready to release in order to make way for the new.
Looking back, I’ve come to realise that we always have a choice in where we place our attention.We can choose to say yes to the quiet, to stillness, and to rest.
But rest is a permission we must give ourselves. Without it, it’s unlikely to happen.
This holiday season, I invite you to join me in this exploration. It’s not a luxury but a necessity for your well-being, clarity, and resilience.
I’d love to hear what you notice. Hit reply – and I’ll respond personally 🙂
Octavia F. Raheem’s poem speaks to this so well and offers a gentle entry point.
1.1
Where do you start with surrender?
You don’t know,
so you place your one hand into your other hand,
you sit in the dark,
you don’t move.
You notice your breath.
When I teach, I often ask people to consider
Who or what is breathing you?
What is the breath within your breath?
So you consider who or what is breathing you,
what is the true source of your breath.
You notice the chair is holding you.
You feel the steadiness of that embrace.
You do this for one minute,
and that’s one minute of refuge.
1.2
That’s where you start.
A moment of surrender.
A walk through the labyrinth of time.
A glimpse of the center
the acceptance that this path
and journey are not linear.
It is a spiral.
Healing is not a straight line.
1.3
Find or make a way to be gentle
with your life
and self.
Find a way
to release your grip
from the handle of always doing.
You have pushed enough.
You have done more than enough.
Gather your strength.
Place it on the altar
in service to your softness
in service to surrender
in service to lying down.
1.4
To lie down is a power,
a place to fall apart
and be knit back together.
Come here
and be undone.
Be woven, made new.
Stop hiding in that coat
labeled I’m too busy.
See that you
you are a holy body.
Release the sweater of fatigue.
Be covered by supple and sturdy threads,
untangled and brilliant.
This is who you are meant to be.
1.5
You have been waiting for you
to lie down, get tucked in,
and say to yourself that’s enough for now.
No one else in the world can say that for you.
Besides, you would not believe them.
Soften your gaze
Take a full breath
Release your shoulders
again and again.
Tell yourself what you most need to hear.
Give yourself permission to rest.
A Gift For You
And here’s a 30-minute gentle yin practice as a holiday gift for your body.
Feel free to share with family and friends. Practice together 🙂
Warmest thoughts for a very Merry Christmas and a relaxed, stress-free holiday season.
One of the real pleasures at this time of year is the opportunity to appreciate and celebrate connection.
Thank you for being here.
Karen x
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