Working from Rest

The core foundations that we have at The Journey International have been discussed, re-discussed, and re-discussed.  From the beginning, dare I say our first meeting, the value of "working from rest" was the essential of essentials (followed closely by living out what we say). So here are the two big questions. Why was this value so essential to us? and How do we at The Journey International live out this value?

WHY?
I think that each of us (and I include you) knows what it feels like to work through exhaustion. "Keep pressing! Just two more days until the weekend! At the weekend you can completely check out and sleep all day if you want. But now, you need to finish the to do list!" Does that voice sound familiar to you? That voice is not thinking about living life from a place of wholeness. That voice is not healthy.

Rest is not about checking out. Rest is a place of peace where you are fully conscience and present with your surroundings, including the people around you. We knew that starting a new project in the area of mental health services could potentially take over our time and mental focus. For that reason, from the beginning we wanted to have healthy practices and boundaries in place. This practice of working from rest allows us to be fully present with our clients AND be fully present with our loved ones.

HOW?
This question is a little more difficult. I can just speak for myself as this practice of working from rest is different for each person. We can certainly learn from each other. We can try out the things that work for someone else and see if they might work for us too. Ultimately however,  the practice of rest is one of grace and not rules.

For me, I practice a day of rest (sometimes this is 2 half days). During this day I don't do anything that begins like this, "I HAVE to...." On this day I do things that sound like this, "Today I GET to...." It is all about doing things that I love or sometimes doing nothing with people I love. No rules. Some weeks the most life giving thing to me is straightening my room. Other weeks that is NOT life giving at all. The idea is that at the end of the day my heart is full of goodness and I feel RESTED for the week ahead.

PRACTICAL TIME
When I talk to people about this, sometimes they say, "That sounds great. I wish I could take a day off, but if I did I wouldn't get everything done." Or, "I am a parent, I don't get a day off to just do things that I want." Here is my response to this (should probably add a disclaimer that these views are my own and are not necessarily shared by others at TJI). You can take a day off. Because working from a place of rest, scientifically, will make you more productive; allowing you to get more done each day. To the parent, please practice this! Please teach your family the importance of good mental health. Show them that you value yourself enough to take time for you and your family. This practice may change the whole dynamic of your family.

MAKE A CHOICE
Working from rest is a choice. When your life is centered around rest and not work, life may feel a little wonky at first. Perhaps however, it only requires a couple of minor changes. For the members of The Journey International, this decision was one that we each had already made in our life and together we agreed we wanted it to be foundational for our project. Feel free to contact us if you have questions on how you can incorporate this value in your life. One way to start is to attend a one hour yoga class. The hour mental break is good for you mentally, physically, and emotionally. To learn more about the many benefits of yoga, visit our yoga page.