Embodied Rest
Jul 05, 2022
How do you feel about dedicating periods of time to renewal or rest? Do you intentionally take extended periods of time to rest? Choosing to rest is so counterculture, isn’t it? I am a productivity junky. I often don’t feel like I have had a great day unless my to-do is crossed off. I get a dopamine hit every time I cross something off that list. It is typically forced rest (i.e., exhaustion or sickness) that finally gets me to put my feet up. This past weekend I spent two days in bed on a ‘forced rest’ due to symptoms related to perimenopause. At first I was distressed because I wasn’t able to participate in the 4th activities with my family, but eventually I embraced the rest that my body clearly needed.
According to the Torah, rest is a central aspect of living within the community.
Ex. 20:8 ¶ Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy.
Ex. 20:9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work.
Ex. 20:10 But the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns.
Ex. 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.
The Sabbath day is considered holy and not a day for work. The divine created and then rested. So too, the people of Israel are called to work and then rest. According to Exodus 20, rest is an embodied practice. It is something that you participate in with your body. You don’t just rest your mind on the Sabbath, but you rest from all physical labor as well.
The biblical theologian, Walter Brueggemann, argues that “the Sabbath rest of God is the acknowledgement that God and God’s people in the world are not commodities to be dispatched for endless production" (p. 6).
The ancient Israelites grew their own food, so everyday labor was key to survival. An entire day to rest was counterintuitive. But, this notion of rest and renewal is woven into the framework of the society. According to the Torah, we are not meant to be constantly working. This is not how we were designed, and this is not how God is designed either. Rest is about renewal. When we rest, we are able to participate in a divine act.
Brueggemann also maintains: “It provides time, space, energy, and imagination for coming to the ultimate recognition that more commodities…do not satisfy. Sabbath is restraint, withdrawal, or divestment from the concrete practices of society that specialize in anxiety. Sabbath is an antidote to anxiety…it is an arena in which to recognize that we live by gift and not by possession” (p. 85).
Sabbath, or rest, is not only choosing not to do something, but it is also about opening up space and energy. Ceasing work for a specified amount of time can calm the restlessness that our modern society perpetuates, that we must keep working, keep posting, keep our brand going, etc. In the pause, this is where we find that antidote to anxiety, the calm, which I would argue is embodied rest.
Taking time to rest each week is a choice. This may look different for you than for me. I do feel like unplugging and slowing down the last two days calmed my neural networks. I stayed off devices, didn’t watch tv, but I did read quite a bit. My to do list is still sitting there, unread for several days, and guess what? I rested and those items will get done eventually. The Torah seems to recognize that without incorporating rest into the requirements of the society, people might never take that time for themselves.
Rest is a concept that I am still trying to define in my own life. It is deeply connected to my values and how I organize my schedule each week. What does “rest” look like for you? Do you have certain ways that you incorporate embodied rest into your day? Week? Month? I would love to hear more about ways you dedicate periods of time to renewal. Post a comment on our Facebook or Instagram (@religionforher)!
By, Jennifer Metten Pantoja
