Sublime

Resting

What’s the point of doing nothing? 3:57

Thich Nhat Hanh

The art of being rather than doing, according to Thich Nhat Hanh.

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Many of us are over-scheduled. Even the lives of our children are over-scheduled. When we can allow ourselves to rest and relax, healing becomes possible. There is no healing without relaxation. In the Plu

When we feel anxious, instead of turning on the TV or making a phone call or mentally obsessing, we sit still and feel our discomfort or restlessness. In this pause we let go of thinking and doing, and we become intimate with what is happening in our body, heart and mind.

We need not just rest but a certain quality of rest: deep inner rest, rest from the inner murmur that says we are defined by what we do, what we have, or by what others think of us.

Lying down is not the only position for resting. During sitting or walking meditation, we can rest very well. Meditation does not have to be hard labor. Just allow your body and mind to rest like an animal in the forest. Don’t struggle.