How do you stop fighting against your exhaustion and start living in alignment with seasons that demand rest, not productivity?
We’re coming back around to that time of year where, no matter how much rest I get, no matter how healthily I eat, no matter how much I exercise and do yoga, my bones just feel tired. As autumn leaves begin to give way to winter hibernation, I long for nothing more than to curl up on my sofa under a warm blanket with a good book.
It’s at this time of year that I have to remind myself that we, too, are animals, and that it’s only natural for us to live in alignment with the cycles of nature. That in order to go through seasons of growth, abundance, and harvest, we, too, need some rest. That this period we are entering into is an invitation and an opportunity to turn inwards, to restore myself, and to reset for next year.
In some ways, this frustrates me. There is SO much I want to do, in addition to my client work. Finish my Friday Pause manuscript. Launch a group program for career transitions. Read about a hundred books. I feel guilty for not filling every moment of free time with something productive.
And yet, most days, I can’t bring myself to do much more than what I’ve committed to completing for work. I don’t have a lot of incremental energy for my ambitious projects. It helps to remind myself that this is seasonal, and that, if I am living my value of “surrender”, I need to just flow with the current rather than fight against it.
I love this poem by Marianne Murphy Zarzana about the savasana yoga pose. The final pose in almost every yoga class is savasana, also known as corpse pose. In this pose, you literally lie flat on your back for a few minutes and let all the activity from the session settle and integrate within you. It’s as important to the practice as the opening stretches or the ambitious sequence of downward-facing-dogs.
Savasana is more than just a grounding end to a yoga class. It’s a regular practice of surrendering, of appreciating the present moment without having to DO anything. It allows us to tune into touch base with ourselves and sense what we need most in that moment. It reminds us to let go.
If you have been feeling overwhelmed, spread thin, or just plain tired, consider giving yourself a few minutes of savasana. Let your body sink into the ground, breathe, and ask yourself “What do I need most right now?” See if there is a way you can live more in flow with the season we are in. Perhaps it will provide some relief.
