The Power of Rest: How Shabbat and Nervous System Recovery Can Improve Your Well-Being

The first Torah portion Bereshit is the creation story. God does a whole lot of work creating heaven and earth, light and dark, water and sky, land and seas, vegetation, the sun and moon and stars, birds and sea creatures, land animals, and, finally, humankind in a total of 6 days. 

On the seventh day, he rests. 

In my secular approach to Torah, I believe that these are mancreated words and stories intended to teach people who were struggling to cope with and manage their existence. All kinds of wild behavior is written about in the Torah, and I believe the authors wanted to teach people about right and wrong and alleviate the existential crisis that comes with being alive. This book is an early self-help book, a guide to personal development, and the commentaries document the importance of determining best practices. 

So, I think it is no accident that the very first verses guide us to a fundamental tenet in the personal growth world: TAKE TIME TO REST. 

The Jewish idea of tikkun olam has been trending over the course of this past year. It refers to actions intended to make the world a better place. We often hear that we cannot pour from an empty cup; we cannot give fully to others, achieve our goals, or fulfill our purpose when we are burned out and exhausted. When we’re rested and balanced, we can better show up to repair the world, whether through community action, supporting loved ones, or simply being our best selves.

The very first chapter of the Torah tells us how we can ensure we have enough energy and spirit to participate in tikkun olam. 

In our ever-increasingly connected and fast-paced world, I see two types of rest that are important. The first is probably more obvious: physical rest and/or activities that fill your cup. In the Jewish tradition, rest is sacred, as exemplified by Shabbat, the day of rest that calls us to pause, reset, and rejuvenate. 

The way in which you decide to rest can take on many forms—from choosing to observe Shabbat as a time when you turn off your phone and spend time with loved ones to reading a book in a hammock on vacation to practicing meditation for a few minutes each day. One of my favorite coaching activities to work through with clients is creating a list of energy givers and energy depleters; from there, we work to bring these into better balance. 

The second type of rest is about the nervous system. Our nervous systems often default to the 'fight/flight/freeze' mode due to constant stress, but learning to shift into the parasympathetic 'rest and digest' mode is essential for true recovery and balance. This deeper, more restorative rest is something that anyone can access with practice. 

I would argue that most people do not even know what the rest-and-digest part of their nervous system really feels like, and I assert that because it wasn’t until I participated in my 200-hour yoga teacher training in a retreat-like setting in Thailand that I experienced what it feels like for that to become the default mode in my body. 

And while, yes, taking 21 days on an island in Thailand to practice hours of asana (yoga postures), pranayama (breathwork), meditation, and kriya (cleaning techniques) is a pretty ideal way to find your new baseline, the good news is that that is NOT the only way to get there. 

Whether you believe in God or not, it’s noteworthy that this supposedly all-powerful entity needed rest. Of course humans do too! Taking your nervous system from sympathetic (fight, flight, or freeze) to parasympathetic (rest and digest) is something that everyone can practice, and there’s a whole toolkit of ways to get there. 

If you’re curious about how to explore this deeper rest or want guidance on integrating more balance into your life, join me for Meditation Mondays or schedule a 1:1 coaching session. Let’s work together to create a personalized path to true rest and rejuvenation.