The Power of True Rest

by Scott Tusa
This is reposted from Scott’s website.

As we are in the depth of winter, I am reflecting more on the power of rest. To be more accurate, the power of true rest. 

True rest is something that comes about when we begin to unwind not only the conditions of our stress reactions but the deeper constrictions that bind us to our conditioned sense of self in the world.  

I was recently on a six-day retreat with Tsoknyi Rinpoche, where he spoke about the need to develop a sense of being carefree. Here he is not referring to being apathetic or careless, but rather to an embodied intelligence that profoundly knows the causes of stress and the subtle conditioning in the body that perpetuates it. 

We tend to hold life a lot tighter than it actually needs, as we unconsciously hold patterns of constriction in the body and mind all the time. This is something that gets deeply ingrained in us from a young age. 

At the core of true rest is knowing how to relax and connect with a sense of openness authentically. For authentic relaxation to take place, we cannot hold the relaxation. 

As long as there are hope and fear connected to it, then it is difficult to experience true rest, as there will always be something pushing on us to be somebody or do something. 

At its deepest level, openness is connected to our underlying nature. At its more obvious levels, we start by dropping the doer, and instead simply relate to our experience as it is. This includes our body of sensations and emotions. 

For some, it is not easy to begin this kind of practice by directly relating to the body. In that case, we can start by gently relating to our thoughts and emotions in more inquisitive ways. 

Mingyur Rinpoche advises, "Instead of saying, This is who I am, we might reconsider and think, This is how I sometimes feel."

As we get used to noticing and reframing our embodied experience and thought patterns, we can continue the practice by dropping directly into the body, meeting the feeling, and eventually learning to be with whatever is arising. 

According to Tsoknyi Rinpoche, being means not suppressing, indulging in, running away from, or trying to fix the emotion, sensation, or energy we are being with. 

This is a process of continually showing up for ourselves and our emotions with presence and compassion, and just as we become skilled and comfortable with anything in life, it takes time and practice. 

Wishing you joyful effort in your practice and inner transformation this winter!