How are you friend? I hope this message finds you well.

Sometimes we go into the New Year with some depletion due to the hustle of the holidays (or any germs that we encountered - I am feeling that one)....so today, I'd like to offer that we check in and explore what is happening in our heart/spirit, body and mind right now.....

• Is there depletion or something else?
• Can I get to awareness somatically, what are the sensations, where are they, what is my breathe doing?
• Can I accept it, sit with it, let it move through me?
• Do I want to do something? Move my body, be still, notice thoughts, sounds, images?

Then, can we take a deep breathe, Inhale, Exhale and notice what we are feeling and wanting with a new year.....

Maybe I feel the need/desire to set new goals....Or maybe the desire/need to follow the hibernation of the winter season and let myself slow down & sit with what is....Or maybe something in between....Or totally different....

Whatever it may be, I'd like to offer a gentle reminder of the importance of rest in our journey. I know how easy it is to get caught up in the doing—the learning, the striving, the healing. But today, I want to invite us to pause and consider something essential:

From a place of rest, naturally and somatically, our body, mind, and spirit find the space to integrate.

When we allow ourselves to rest, something magical happens. Rest is not just about recharging (although that is a powerful part of rest too); it’s the foundation for deeper understanding and connection. Rest invites us into the idea of AND/BOTH, a concept that can feel so elusive when we’re running on empty or working through trauma.

What is AND/BOTH?

It’s the ability to hold two seemingly conflicting truths at the same time:

• We are healing and we are whole.
• We feel pain and we feel hope.
• We are learning new tools and we carry the wisdom of what we already know.

This blending, this connection, this integrating doesn’t happen through force or overthinking. It arises from within when we allow ourselves the space to simply be.

(And as a side note) - A reminder that rest can look like a lot of different things....

It can be a stillness rest of our body, mind or spirit. Perhaps we need support from a couch, chair or bed and doing nothing feels restful,

It can be an active rest of moving our body, but in a way that is connecting, like a hike or dancing/singing to our favorite tunes,

It can be a rest that is a little bit of both,

It's a place to step into ourselves - giving us the space to be who we are and sit with that.

My active rest yesterday.....

Rest & Integration go Hand in Hand

Rest creates the fertile ground where new insights and old knowledge meet. It’s where we begin to blend what we’re learning with what we already know. In this blending, we don’t just understand concepts intellectually—we feel them in our body, spirit & mind.

This level of understanding simply isn’t possible when we’re constantly busy. Rest gives us the space to:

• Process and embody what we’re learning.
• Connect the dots between our past experiences and present growth. (This creates internal resources and reminds us of past internal resources).
• Build the capacity to hold the AND/BOTH within ourselves.

A Gentle Invitation to Rest

So today, I invite you to ask yourself:

• What does rest look like for me?
• Where in my life can I create a little more room for rest?
• How can I honor my body’s need to pause and integrate?
• What AND/BOTH truths are present for me right now, waiting to be blended?

Can you give yourself permission to rest—physically, but emotionally, mentally, spiritually? Whatever one feels most helpful for you. And notice—is it an active rest, a stillness rest, or a combination of both?

I offer that we can trust that this rest is not wasted time. It’s the sacred space where connection, creativity, clarity, and coming home to self are nurtured.

And as we rest, I invite us to circle back to where we started. And once again, notice our body and how it is responding. Does it soften? Does it release? Does it whisper truths that only rest and integration can reveal?

Does it help you tap back into what you are feeling and wanting for the new year in a more connected way?

You are already so capable, so wise, and so beautifully whole. Let rest & integration remind you of that.

Remember, ❤️

You Matter. Your Healing Matters. You Are Worth It!

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