One summer the whole family got Covid. Ugh. I asked my friends on social media for advice, and the frequent refrain was “rest, rest, rest!” My doctor agreed, so I did. Even when I couldn’t fall asleep, I tried to rest. One day when I was feeling somewhat better but still sick I spent some time sitting in my comfy bed reading a book. When I stood up I noticed I was sore. A light-bulb went off in my mind as I remembered that folks who have a serious long-term recovery in the hospital must be turned regularly so they don’t get bedsores. Resting is not the same as being perfectly still.
My wandering mind made another connection-- usually when I have an injury from my yoga practice, or from sitting at the computer, the first thing I try is to not-do the thing that hurts; I rest the parts of my body that are telling me something is wrong. For years I had done this with a particular injury, but no amount of resting seemed to help. Finally my doctor sent me to a Physical therapist who taught me exercises that would help strengthen the muscles needed to support the joints that were hurting.
I hadn’t done any of my PT exercises while I was struggling through the first few days of Covid, but that day I rolled out my yoga mat and did the most basic, gentle exercises. The fatigue and some of the symptoms lingered, but I realized (again as if for the first time) that some problems need something more than rest to resolve. That rest must always be balanced with challenge, with gaining strength and using our capacities. This is true not only for our physical strength and capacities, but for our psyche and our spirit. [If you want to learn more, look up “behavioral activation” for some interesting research on how this can help us with our mental health]
I remember riding my bike up and down the hills in my neighborhood as a kid. I remember how hard I worked to pedal up the hills, and the joy of coasting down the other side. Now that I have celebrated enough birthdays to be officially “over the hill” I think there is a temptation to want to just coast. But as long as we are alive, we must balance resting and strengthening, pedaling and coasting, fiery sun energy and the passive reflective light of the moon. In yoga asana, we are challenged, even in the same pose, to notice which muscles are working, and which muscles can relax and rest (like how clenching your jaw actually doesn’t help with a challenging balance pose). This takes a perpetual discernment- today in this moment, whether I am doing chores, working a busy office job, running a marathon, or recovering from illness or injury, what balance of effort and ease, of challenge and rest would be most healing and fruitful?
