Resting and Stopping

When a forest animal is sick, it lies down and does nothing. Often it won't even eat or drink. All of its energy is directed toward healing. We need to practice this kind of resting even when we are not sick. Knowing when to rest is a deep practice. Sometimes we try too hard in our practice or we work too much without mindfulness, and be become tired very easily. The practice of mindfulness should not be tiring, rather it should be energizing. But when we recognize that we are tired, we should find every means possible to rest. We need to ask for help, delegating tasks whenever possible.

To take care of ourselves is to take care of our whole community. Resting may mean we stop what we're doing and take a five-minute walk outside, or we go on a fast for a day or two, or it may mean we practice silence for a period. There are many ways for us to rest, so we must pay attention to the rhythm of our bodies and minds for the benefit of all. Mindful breathing, whether in the sitting or in the lying osition, is the practice of resting. Let us learn the art of resting and allow our body and our mind to restore themselves. Not thinking and not doing anything is part of the art of resting and healing.