"What if our ancestors' wildest dream was that you could and would rest? What if simply laying down gives way for the fullness of that prayer to rise up? Somebody prayed for you to know that rest is your birthright. Claim it." Octavia Raheem
As the plane prepared for takeoff, I found myself engrossed in the latest edition of one of my favorite magazines. Upon flipping open the pages, my gaze fell upon a striking headline: 'The revolution of those lying down'. Given my passion for restorative practices as a yoga teacher, particularly the significance of savasana and deep relaxation, you can imagine my immediate curiosity to delve into the article.
It illuminated a burgeoning movement in China, spearheaded by a new generation disillusioned with the relentless pressures imposed by their parents, the frenetic pace of modern corporate life, and the ceaseless demands of labor. This generation, weary and disenchanted, has chosen to withdraw from the relentless demands of society, opting for a different way of life even before embarking on their careers.
While this phenomenon may be novel to me, it resonates deeply. It speaks to a universal yearning for reprieve from the relentless grind, a longing for a simpler, more authentic existence.
Resting is a very important practice; we have to learn the art of resting. Resting is the first part of Buddhist meditation. You should allow your body and your mind to rest. Our mind as well as our body needs to rest. Thich Nhat Hanh
In a world which asks so much of us and gives back so little it is no wonder that the youth is burnt out at the start. We discuss this in yoga class all the time. We live in a primarily 'yang' heavy society. One of constant rushing around, that emphasizes exerting energy, making money, competing and ascending the corporate ladder at any cost. Even at the cost of exhaustion, unbalance, mental unease and physical disease. It is a rat race and an extremely hard world to start out in. Many contemporary societies apply immense pressure on the new generations from the earliest age. It is not uncommon in countries such as the USA and China for children in kindergarten to have tons of homework or for teens to train hours on end for competitive exams such as SATs to get into prestigious colleges, and all this creates immense stress on our children and young adults as they grow up. Constant expectations and demands are exhausting and cause the early onset of anxiety, depression and fear of being inadequate and a constant failure. This mindset is in complete contradiction with the philosophies of yoga in which we should pause and learn to just be. Learn to be comfortable with ourselves, primarily as souls! Not ourselves as successful doctors or lawyers necessarily. This way of growing up constantly busy then backlashes in adulthood and makes it nearly impossible to re-learn how to simply be and rest.
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”
Lao Tzu
For instance, has anyone here ever taken a sabbatical or transitioned between jobs? If you have, you probably can relate. Most of us constantly complain about our jobs. The world has become a complicated place and keeping up with work loads, deadlines and meeting life's demands is no easy feat. I know so many people who couldn't wait to have some time off in life to just live! Travel, bake, learn a language, make art, garden... the list is endless! Yet often when we unplug from the system, even momentarily, we are met with immense weight, anxiety, fatigue, sadness, and fear. Fear of the future, of not having enough money, of failing, of what comes next, of the unknown. We constantly wait for a moment of respite and then don't know what to do with it. This is because as Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us, resting takes practice too. Many of us don't allow our body and mind to ever rest. We are always struggling. And this becomes a habitual pattern, a habit. It is very important to start by understanding that we have this energy. Thay explains that when we recognize a habit when it manifests then it will lose its energy and power and will not be able to overwhelm us anymore. Hence the importance of sitting and the importance of practice in order to observe these tendencies, unravel and transform them.
“Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance of the present experience. It isn’t more complicated than that. It is opening to or receiving the present moment, pleasant or unpleasant, just as it is, without either clinging to it or rejecting it.” Sylvia Boorstein
I can closely relate to 'The revolution of those lying down.' And although it saddens me to think that the next generation is so overwhelmed by the demands of modern life that some prefer to not join in any way and seek solitude, I can not blame them. Who says that they are worse off lying down, looking up at the sky, contemplating, enjoying life and cherishing the art of doing nothing and slowing down? Yoga teaches that it is imperative to slow down in order to be more present and contemplate mindfulness. When we slow down for instance we can enjoy the present moment. We awaken our senses and can notice every little thing more clearly. We attune to the miracles of life. How can we possibly be mindful and there for ourselves and others if we are constantly busy and distracted? Children, from an early age, see that running around does not equate health or happiness necessarily. They witness it in their parents. They see their parents constantly on their phones pretending to be there but not truly being present. Children sense that even if they do everything in their possibilities to study hard, get into an ivy league college and land a high paying job they might still feel doomed, so truly, why bother?
The art of lying down from the yogic tradition includes simply relaxing, opening, allowing. To relax in this moment with all its uncertainty should be enough. We must train to be content in the present moment without additional motives. The yogic teachings tell us that our essence is in fact openness and love, unconditional love without external reasons. But then we grow up and we lose this sense of space and ease. We become disconnected and life happens; we start equating our happiness with others, with things and, we start consuming and grasping outwardly to feel joy. But that is not true joy. Not the joy a child feels intrinsically while smiling and opening their eyes to the world. So the first step is to be aware of this. And then secondly, to train in relaxing with whatever arises. As yogis our job is to realign body, mind and spirit by using the breath to feel embodied, which means to be here- in the now- whole again. Mended, reconnected, at peace. The art of restoring and resting reminds us not to suppress, to indulge, or run or ignore. It trains us in just being. As Tsoknyi Rinpoche says so eloquently: "Waiting is Kindness." And it does require patience and time to train in this manner.
“Receive the breath, receive the weight of the body, receive the moment. Give up ambition, give up movement, give up fear… and rest.”
Judith Lasater
Our system requires rest for overall well being. When we quiet the mind and let our bodies do their thing, it's when the magic occurs. This has been known for centuries in the yogic tradition and more recently contemporary science agrees. When we rest we regenerate all our long-term systems such as immunity, metabolism and fertility. Restorative yoga activates the parasympathetic nervous system. This is the “rest and digest” part of your nervous system that helps keep basic functions working as they should. By allowing time for longer asanas (postures) and deeper breathing, restorative yoga helps elicit the relaxation response. This response can help slow breathing, reduce blood pressure, and produce a feeling of calm and increased well-being. Just to name a few, studies now show that it can help reduce chronic pain, lose weight, deal with depression, heal from an injury, and improve sleep.
“Calming allows us to rest, and resting is a precondition for healing. When animals in the forest get wounded, they find a place to lie down, and they rest completely for many days. They don't think about food or anything else. They just rest, and they get the healing they need. When we humans get sick, we just worry! Our body and mind have the capacity to heal themselves if we allow them to rest. Stopping, calming, and resting are preconditions for healing. If we cannot stop, the course of our destruction will just continue. The world needs healing. Individuals, communities, and nations need healing.”
Thich Nhat Hanh
It is not a coincidence that this movement is using the words 'lying down'. We are in a society that does not look highly on 'yin practices' such as rest, slowing down and doing nothing. It is in fact deeply frowned upon. You might be referred to as a waste of time, a good for nothing or a lazy person. Resting is a revolutionary act in today's world! I truly hope social, corporate and educational pressures lessen on our youth. I hope it is taught in schools that rest is more valuable than running around. I hope our mind-body-spiritual connection is rendered once-again sacred. I hope it is passed on to the next generations that if we are not in balance it will be impossible to feel safe, be healthy, at ease and navigate compassionately through life. The extreme ways of our society are simply attracting an extreme reaction from the youth. And change must start from our individual selves. If we, as adults, yogis and yoginis, can't lead by example I'm not sure we can blame our youth for wanting out and to simply lie down.
コメント