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In his follow-up to Pause, rest, be, activist, rest coach and yoga teacher Octavia F. Raheem gently but powerfully draws you into an alternative world. Rest is sacred: reclaiming our radiance through the practice of calm includes “sutras” composed of poetic reflections that not only remind you to come back to yourself, but compel you to do so. His insightful whispers are designed to be read in seconds but profoundly influence every minute, hour and day that follows. This is advocacy work of the highest order that is defined not by shouting but rather by whispering just loud enough that something unspeakable within you can be heard.
These are the words of someone who knows what it takes to quell the demons of busyness. And these are the intentions of someone who knows that change happens at a much more integrated level than logic. Rather than preaching, she shows empathy. Rather than instructing, it invites.
As the title suggests, rest is sacred. Just like Raheem’s words. —Renée Marie Schettler
1.1
Where to start with abandonment?
You don’t know,
then you place your one hand in your other hand,
you sit in the dark,
you don’t move.
You notice your breathing.
When I teach, I often ask people to think
Who or what are you breathing?
What is the breath in your breath?
So you consider who or what breathes into you,
what is the true source of your breath.
You notice that the chair is holding you.
You feel the stability of this embrace.
You do this for a minute,
and it’s a minute of refuge.
1.2
This is where you start.
A moment of abandonment.
A walk through the labyrinth of time.
An overview of the center
acceptance that this path
and the journey are not linear.
It’s a spiral.
Healing is not a straight line.
1.3
Find or find a way to be gentle
with your life
and yourself.
Find a way
to loosen your grip
of the handle of I always do.
You’ve pushed enough.
You have done more than enough.
Gather your strength.
Place it on the altar
in the service of your sweetness
on duty to go
on duty to lie down.
1.4
Lying down is power,
a place to collapse
and be on your knees again.
Come here
and be defeated.
Be woven, made new.
Stop hiding in this coat
labeled I’m too busy.
See that you
you are a holy body.
Free the sweater from fatigue.
Be covered with flexible and resistant threads,
untangled and shiny.
This is who you are meant to be.
1.5
You expected
to lie down, to tuck in,
and tell yourself that’s enough for now.
No one else in the world can say that for you.
Besides, you wouldn’t believe them.
Soften your gaze
Take a deep breath
Free your shoulders
again and again.
Tell yourself what you need to hear most.
Give yourself permission to rest.
From Rest is sacred © 2024 by Octavia F. Raheem. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Inc. Boulder, CO. www.shambhala.com.