Coming to Rest

I came to Rest this morning as a peachy-pink glow rose over the steel gray and dusty blue clouds that hugged the horizon. Yesterday's warm-up into the 20s continues ... it was +8 degrees when I rose at 5:45 am and it's eight degrees still, two hours later.

Last night, exhausted, I went to bed early. I couldn't relax, my mind rambled, I started a "to do" list in my head and noted all the things I should/could accomplish. Finally my partner said, "Slow down. Relax. Take deep breaths." That careful reminder helped and I carried it along with me into today's practice....

This morning I noticed how comfy-cozy and nurturing it feels to sink slowly down into Resting Position. Once there, I often imagine myself resting lightly on the Earth. I feel the Earth supporting me. I note the Earth's energy and bouyancy.

Often it appears that my students think of Resting Position as a place to get to but they don't think about how to get there--just do it! (Huh, that sounds like me trying to get to sleep last night!) It reminds me of the old maxim, "It's the journey that's important and not the destination." To me, arriving at Resting and the way in which I get there are both significant.

As a visual aid and encouragement I suggest to students that they imitate nature: "In the fall you're a leaf floating softly to the ground," I tell them or, "In the winter you're a beautiful snowflake sinking quietly to rest." Still, since we live in a goal-oriented society, it's difficult for us to appreciate and fully inhabit the steps we take along our path to a final destination, i.e., Resting.

So today try this: slow down and gently, softy, inch-by-inch allow your weight, the palms of your hands, and your attention to sink s-l-o-w-l-y toward the Earth. No rush. No need to push. No effort. No sense of time. Focus your energy and attention toward floating down, down, down ... softly. Ahhh.