Rest Is the Rhythm Your Body Is Begging For

Hello Delightful Beings 🤍

During our Weekly Space Weather broadcast this week (see June 9th posts), I mentioned 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭.

and I were on a call this morning and the message came back up again — which was signaling that it's important for our community.

If you've been sleeping eight hours and still waking up exhausted, taking the vacation and coming home more depleted, or wondering 𝒘𝒉𝒚 𝒂𝒎 𝑰 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒕𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒊𝒈 𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 — this post is for you. Most of us are not actually short on the kind of rest we think we are. We're sleeping fine but emotionally bankrupt. We're meditating but socially starved. We're alone but nervous-system-fried. The map most of us were given for rest is incomplete — and that incompleteness is what keeps us exhausted.

The attached graphic is what originally inspired the conversation. While reviewing it, I saw a few things worth saying out loud — including some key elements I think it's missing.

𝑨 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕

The framework in the graphic is derived from 𝐃𝐫. 𝐒𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚 𝐃𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐨𝐧-𝐒𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐡 (not George Stern). Her original 7 types of rest framework is outlined in her book 𝑺𝒂𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒕 (2017). Brilliant work, well worth the read.

𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒆

The content comes from what I refer to as the 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬. Pre-pandemic. The world has shifted. Our nervous systems have shifted. Our exhaustion has taken on new shapes the original framework couldn't have anticipated. No wonder the graphic feels incomplete — it was written for a different world.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥

Before the updated list, the part underneath all of it:

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭. 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐥𝐮𝐱𝐮𝐫𝐲. 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭. 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐡𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞. The lineage is asking for it to stop here. The work that is actually yours to do is waiting on the other side of you putting down what isn't yours.

Take the nap. Sit in the bath. Cancel the thing. The wheel is turning anyway — turn with it.

𝑭𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝑻𝒚𝒑𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒆-𝑷𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒄 𝑭𝒓𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝑫𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝑵𝒂𝒎𝒆

1. 𝐍𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭

Distinct from physical rest. Physical rest is about sleep, muscles, recovery. Nervous system rest is about *autonomic regulation* — coming out of fight/flight/freeze, dropping into the parasympathetic, letting the vagus nerve recalibrate. Remember to breath through your asshole folks.

𝑺𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒔 you need it: hypervigilance, startle response, jaw tension, the inability to relax even when you're "resting."

𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒊𝒕: co-regulation with safe humans or animals, slow exhales, weight on the body, cold water on the face, time in nature without performance.

This might be you if you're experiencing body dysregulation.

2. 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭 (𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭)

Rest from the performing self. Rest from being "on" as parent, professional, leader, partner, healer, brand, or solo household human. The exhaustion of having to be *someone*. This is a huge piece of modern burnout that Dalton-Smith's framework doesn't quite name.

𝑺𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒔: feeling like you can't drop the persona, dreading the next time you have to "show up," resentment of people who expect you to be the version of you they know.

𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒊𝒕: time alone where no one expects anything of you, anonymous spaces (a different city, a new café), being with people who don't know your roles.

Personally, I find 𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝑵𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 — so that I slow down and can see, feel, and experience Nature as a mirror — is THE THING that brings this type of rest into existence for me. If I can't do that, I'll use Yoga Nidra meditations as a tool.

3. 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 / 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭

The graphic puts screens under sensory rest, but the contemporary load of *information itself* — feeds, news, podcasts, audio in every spare moment, the always-on intake — is its own category.

𝑺𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒔: doom-scroll fatigue, inability to be bored, brain noise that doesn't quiet even when devices are off.

𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒊𝒕: deliberate input fasts, single-tasking, walks without earbuds, mornings before screens, the actual practice of allowing boredom.

I find the dissociative distraction also keeps me from deep rest. When I'm in this state, often *standing up* is the thing that snaps me out of it. Changing my position puts me in motion and allows the messages of what I truly want to be doing with my time and energy to come through. My listening ability gets stamped out by the TV, scrolling, and filling my brain with external noise.

4. 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭

Rest from making choices. Decision fatigue is real and underestimated.

𝑺𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒔: paralysis on small choices, irritability with small asks, "you decide" exhaustion.

𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒊𝒕: defaults, routines, letting someone else lead for a day, eating the same thing for a week.

𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒚 𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝑷𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆 is what gets me out of this state. I've found that I need a list of things that I consider play that I can reference when I'm in choice fatigue. Doodling, drawing lines, baking, or even showering can kick off my ability to access play faster than most things.

5. 𝐀𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 / 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭

Rest from carrying what isn't yours. From the inherited burdens, the family patterns, the lineage of women in your line who couldn't rest, the weight that lives in the body but didn't start with you.

𝑺𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒔: exhaustion that doesn't match the workload, somatic heaviness you can't trace, a relationship with rest itself that feels guilty or forbidden.

𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒊𝒕: ritual, ancestral practice, somatic release work, naming what isn't yours and giving it back.

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𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑶𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 7 𝑻𝒚𝒑𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒕 — 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑹𝒆𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆

From Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, 𝑺𝒂𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒕:

1. 𝐏𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭

2. 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭

3. 𝐄𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭

4. 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭

5. 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭

6. 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭

7. 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭

Add the five above and you have a more honest map for the world we actually live in now.

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𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐀𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 7 𝒕𝒚𝒑𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕?

Physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social, sensory, and creative rest. The framework was developed by Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith and outlined in her book *Sacred Rest* (2017). Each type names a distinct layer of depletion and a specific way to restore it.

𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒂𝒎 𝑰 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒕𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒔𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉?

Because sleep only addresses physical rest. You can be sleeping eight hours and still be depleted in another layer — nervous system, emotional, social, identity, or ancestral. Most exhaustion is not a sleep problem. It's a *type of rest* problem. You haven't been told there were so many.

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒅𝒐 𝑰 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅?

Look at the signs of depletion in each type. Whichever box describes the last week of your life most accurately is the type of rest you're missing. You may be missing more than one. The wrong kind of rest doesn't help, which is why sleeping more or vacationing isn't fixing it.

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒔𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒎 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕?

Rest at the level of the autonomic nervous system — coming out of fight, flight, or freeze and letting the vagus nerve recalibrate. Signs: hypervigilance, jaw tension, the inability to relax even when nothing is happening. How to get it: co-regulation, slow exhales, weight on the body, time in nature without performance, cold water on the face.

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕?

Rest from performing your roles — parent, professional, healer, partner, brand. The exhaustion of having to be *someone* for other people. Signs: feeling like you can't drop the persona, dreading the next time you have to show up. How to get it: time alone with no expectations, anonymous spaces, being with people who don't know your roles.

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕?

Rest from carrying the lineage burdens that weren't yours to start with — the inherited patterns of overwork, the family relationships with rest as guilt or weakness, the somatic heaviness that doesn't trace to anything in your own life. How to get it: ritual, ancestral practice, somatic release work, naming what isn't yours and giving it back.

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🚀 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩

So tell me, beloved Somae Society —

Look at the original graphic. Look at the additions. Notice which boxes describe the last week of your life. Notice what your body has been asking for that you keep postponing.

𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒅𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒘?

Name it. Drop it in the comments. Write it in your journal. Say it out loud to someone you trust.

This week (Tuesday) in Space Weather we will review the Channel of Rhythm — it's the Human Design channel that holds the universal pulse, asking 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒓𝒉𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒎 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈? The body has been whispering its answer for a while now. 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌. 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆. 𝑺𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏. Join us. Bring your tea.

The lineage stops with you. The body is asking to come home. The wheel is turning anyway — turn with it.

🤍

Pour the tea. Take the nap. We'll be here on Tuesday.

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*Framework credit: Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, [Sacred Rest](https://drdaltonsmith.com/) (2017). Her [TED talk on the seven types of rest](https://www.ted.com/talks/saundra_dalton_smith_the_real_reason_why_we_are_tired_and_what_to_do_about_it) is also a great primer if you don't have time for the book.*

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Rest Is the Rhythm Your Body Is Begging For