The Discipline of Rest
Channel: George Kao
Date: 14/07/2016

An important discipline that's not talked about enough: Rest.

Resting requires discipline.  It's easy to let other things distract you from rest: video games, TV, the internet & social media, other people's requests, pressures in your business, work, checking email, the news, food, social events.  

It's too easy to be "too tired to go to sleep", or "too busy to take a break."

But this single discipline -- Rest -- may, in fact, be what allows you to be your most creative, inspired self.

If you have ever truly rested, you know what I'm talking about.  From a deep rest, comes an almost miraculous energy, that naturally moves your body, mind, and soul.  

But such new and inspired energy requires proper rest.  There are several rhythms I recommend:

RHYTHM 1. DEEP REST. 

Vacations and Sabbaticals.

These are occasional times in your calendar -- days or weeks at a stretch -- when you have no obligations, business or social.  You are truly giving your willpower, your schedule, a rest.  In this stretch of time, schedule nothing on your calendar.  

You will sleep and nap as much as you want (or can!)  Aim to also spend time doing slower things, e.g. reading and contemplating a deep book, taking slow walks in nature, having as much silence as you can. 

Before your vacation or sabbatical begins, plan to take care of anything that might give you pressure.  Most importantly, let everyone (who might need your presence) know that you will be unavailable.  Put your email on vacation autoresponder.

Then when it begins, you can deeply rest.

Try to include nature in your vacations, as the natural environment has a profoundly restful effect on the human psyche.  Refer to "attention restoration theory" (ART) -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention_restoration_theory

Remember that rest requires discipline.  This means calendaring in your vacations: block off those days (or ideally, weeks) right away into your yearly calendar, at a rhythm that makes sense for you.  

For example I have blocked off 1 week of vacation every 6 weeks of work.  I find that I come back from vacations with renewed energy and creativity.  It's no wonder: deep rest creates inspiration.

RHYTHM 2. FREQUENT REST.

Breaks throughout each work day.

I take 4 naps a day.  Seriously. 
After breakfast 15 minutes
After mid-morning snack & dog walk 10-15 minutes
After lunch 15 minutes
After afternoon snack 10-15 minutes

After each nap, I feel so much better than before.  I usually put my most challenging projects after my naps.

I also am conscious to be as disciplined as I can about when I *start* my evening routine, so that I can go to bed early enough to get enough rest for the next day.  

I really do think the evening routine is more important than the morning routine.  If you get the evening right, you have energy in the morning to get *that* right.  I have carefully planned out my evening routine, and set a daily alarm at 8:45pm to trigger me out of my evening slowness, to start my evening routine.  I'm not perfect at it, but it definitely helps.

RHYTHM 3. SPIRITUAL REST. 

Energy Reboot as frequently as needed.

This is basically 8 breaths that I take, as often as once every half hour... really, anytime I start on another task that is slightly challenging.  Or anytime I notice I'm feeling negative about something or someone, I take a moment to do those breaths.  It's actually 4 full breaths:

Love (inhale)
Total security (exhale)

Guidance (in)
Gratefulness (out)

Energy (in)
Gratefulness (out)

Purpose for this moment (in)
Gratefulness for getting to do my work (out)

I consider this spiritual "rest" ... resting in the truth of divine love and perfect security of our destiny.  From that energetic space, we can then act in Love, instead of fear.

More about this "energy reboot" exercise here:
https://www.facebook.com/GeorgeKaoCommunity/posts/10154838729804867/

RHYTHM 4. RESTING INQUIRY 

Occasionally, try "resting" with a question.

Sometimes before I take a nap, or go for a walk, I try to pick one question or inquiry that I have at the moment.  It could be how to solve a particular challenge in a client's business.  Or an issue in my business.  Or a topic I want to make a video about.  Or it could be a philosophical inquiry I'm curious about.  I bring that question to mind, then I take my walk, or have my rest.  

Inevitably, some creative answer will come to me shortly thereafter.  This is because even when we are resting our conscious mind, our subconscious is still working on our behalf -- as long as we have "assigned" it some question.

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