We all like the idea of rest, and we want to rest, so how come sometimes it feels so hard?
It's because there’s a lot of cultural conditioning around whether it’s actually okay to rest.
Because of this ⬆️ Nervous system patterns often link productivity with safety, so learning how to rest involves unlearning social pressures and relearning a sense of safety in relaxation and rest.
This is where Soft Strength: How to Rest, comes in!
This is the next course in my winter learning series. If you're interested in bundling it with the upcoming Train With Your Cycle course for a discount (they complement each other well!), there is information on that further down the page.
Resting sounds simple but there is actually a lot that our bodies are up against when trying to unwind.
These are a few of the common factors that we'll be exploring in this course:
- We may not know what kind of rest we need. Resting isn't just taking naps – though sometimes it is. Sometimes we need active rest, like the Active Recovery days in Ski Babes. Other times we might need space from stimulation, or social time to coregulate with others. We’ll explore how to recognize and access the type of rest that feels most supportive.
- Unlearning high activation patterns. A very common nervous system pattern that involves overcoupling (a body association) between activation and safety. The body feels most protected in a high activation state. The “up” side of the nervous system wave is fast and easy, but then the nervous system doesn’t feel safe coming down. Repatterning the nervous system so it feels safe enough to rest involves learning to ride down the “backside” of an activation wave. Here's an illustration:
- How to notice and complete incomplete stress cycles. Sometimes, before our body is able to rest, the nervous system needs to complete something—perhaps to complete a stress cycle or process the charge it’s holding.
- Why rest sometimes feels unpleasant. We’ll explore this, along with how, while rest sounds lovely, it doesn’t always feel that way. When we take away our busyness and productivity, we’re often left with other things that have been active in the system, things we may not have paid attention to. Productivity can sometimes be a coping strategy for managing nervous system activation, so moving straight to rest can feel uncomfortable. We’ll discuss how to work with this, titrate it, and help the nervous system feel safe in rest.
- The magic that can happen after rest - when we can access rest and an internal orientation that feels safe in doing less, we free ourselves from the cultural pressures of constant performance and “go mode.” Amazing things often happen after rest.
This is relational work.
Our bodies are in relationship with the world around them. Soft Strength skills help us right-size those relationships so that we are resourced by the nurturing ones and know how to navigate the impacts of the tougher ones.
This is
liberation work.
We’ve been taught to control the body and suppress its messages. Somatics help us shift this dynamic, so that we can be in partnership with our body, understand what it's telling us, and know what to do with that information.
This is unlearning
Our bodies knew how to do much of this when we were kids, but capitalist imperialist white supremacist patriarchy isn’t the most conducive environment for fostering these skills.
This is culture-making.
I dream of a world where we are supported in listening to our bodies, trusting them, and riding our nervous system waves. With the energy and life force that frees up when we are able to let our nervous system energy flow, we can build a safer world for everyone.
"These sessions definitely developed my understanding of somatics AND how to learn about my nervous system. I feel better equipped cognitively, physiologically, and emotionally to make this part of my life, recognizing that this is a slow long-term practice."
Amy M
Support from the season and supplementary resources:
It's a beautiful time of year to begin this work. Not only will we have the support of the season with us - winter being a time when our bodies are naturally inclined to want to rest and do less - I also suggest and will lean on these beautiful resources as we spend these four weeks shifting our focus to rest:
- Wintering by Catherine May
- Rest is Resistance by Trisha Hersey
- The 7 Types of Rest that Every Person Needs by Saundra Dalton Smith
Learning & practice
Course flow is designed to support your embodied integration of the concepts and give you lots of space this busy time of year.
- Weekly Content Uploads for 4 weeks
- Tuesdays beginning November 26
- Expect about 60-90 minutes of content per week
- One optional, live call to ask questions and/or receive support
- This will be on Tuesday Dec 10 @ 4pm AK/8pm ET
- Call will be recorded and posted
- Online community space for discussion & integration
- Access in perpetuity to all shared resources
Meet Your Instructor
Hi, I'm Sarah (she/they) MSW, SEP, CPT
I am a life-long Alaskan, somatic psychotherapist, and movement professional. In my work as a nervous system educator, I integrate Somatic Experiencing with Internal Family Systems, EMDR, and connection to nature to help people understand and work with their nervous system patterns.
You may also recognize me from my other endeavors at Mind & Mountain that integrate fitness, nature, & the Nervous System with Mindful Interval Training workouts. I'm looking forward to working with you and sharing what I know about nervous system capacity building for stressful times.
For a more extended bio, click here.
"For a 4-part program, I feel like I got a lot – resources, access to a recording and guided practice, optimal group size, and connection."
Soft Strength Participant
What About the Bundle?
Soft Strength: Support for the Season is the first of three courses in this learning flow. Each course has its own unique focus and they have the potential to build on each other if you do them together. To encourage that, we are making them available as a package deal for a discount!
Soft Strength: How to Rest
Use the darkest part of the year to explore your relationship with rest and wintering. This class will consist of 4 weeks of material for you to delve into asynchronously with one live group meeting for questions and support.
Content will be released weekly for 4 weeks beginning Nov 26. Live Q&A + practice Dec 10 @4pm AK
$240
Train With Your Cycle
Learn about how to work with the cycles in your life instead of against them. Focus will be on the menstrual cycle & nervous system cycle with dabblings into other cycles we encounter daily (moon, grief, creativity).
We will meet every other week for 3 months beginning Jan 25 @4pm AK
$395
Is the Train With Your Cycle course for me even if I don't menstruate?
What if I can't make the live calls?
Are there discounts for Alumni?
I've already done some nervous system work - is this going to be a repeat?
How long will I have access to the recordings/resource page?
Soft Strength
How to Rest
I'd be honored for you to join me in learning how to provide yourself and your people with nervous system care. These are critical tools for navigating these modern times.
If you have any lingering questions, click here to send my team and email.
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