Energy allows easeful resting. We are under the notion that rest is only for when we are tired and that we ought to continue to keep working or doing until we feel tired enough to take a break. The rest we get in that condition is not really rest but a part of the working condition with the break taken as a re-charge. Just like the battery being recharged, it is still working even while resting and the rest is only with the purpose of becoming functional and utilitarian once more. Waiting till we are tired and resting only when we need to, is like waiting to run out of fuel before we refill. While a battery may have to be depleted before it is ready to be recharged, we as human beings can rest at any time, we can take it easy even on full charge.
Real rest is when there is sufficient energy to continue to do whatever you want to do and you actually rest by choice. Only with energy can rest be really restful. You respect it enough to take enough energy to it as you would to any other activity. You don’t draw from it but give to it. Like eating before you get hungry, resting before you need the rest is ecological and economical. In this context, you rest not because you are too fatigued to do things and cannot function anymore, but you rest simply to rest. You choose to rest simply to enjoy the rest – as you would choose to work, to play, to dance, to sing, to go out, to meet friends.
That's the art of easeful resting. An art that belonged to another generation. An art form that is almost lost. A form of living that keeps us in good health, cheer; that allows us to connect with ourselves and others. It goes hand in hand with a simple, easeful, restful life.
Thought – I rest easefully. I use my energy to rest when I desire and give my body, mind, and spirit the time to simply live. My rest is with no agenda to rejuvenate myself. My rest is not to overcome my tiredness or fatigue. (I do not wait till I am tired or fatigued before I rest.) I rest by choice, even when I have the energy to work, to play, to do things. I rest simply to rest.
