When's the last time you did nothing?
Spread the love, forward to a friend!
View this email in your browser
#WednesdayWisdom
"If you want to experience direct grace, rest." — Octavia Raheem
Morning Musings
On Saturday afternoon, I settled into parsva savasana (also known as side-lying pose) and took an unexpected nap on the basement floor. It was the final session of the Pause, Rest, Be book club complete with a restorative yoga practice led by the author Octavia Raheem. And let's just say my body needed the rest. I woke up feeling refreshed and restored, which is quite the feat these days with an infant (the dreaded 4-month sleep regression is REAL!).
Even though I was one of the official book club hosts, I'd considered skipping the meeting because my to-do list is constantly a mile long. But at the last minute, I gathered my mat, bolster and blankets and made myself comfortable. I chose rest. I chose me.
I was introduced to restorative yoga at a yoga retreat for women of color led by Octavia in the fall of 2018. I wrote about the experience in an essay for ZORA, but suffice to say it was both life-changing, life-affirming and healing.
As someone who is always on the go, restorative yoga forces me to be still. To, as Octavia's book suggests, pause, rest and be. Now that's not to say it's easy. In our capitalist society, rest is often anything but. And I often have to fight the urge to want to rush into the next pose, which is basically a metaphor about how I rush into the Next Thing when it comes to life outside of yoga as well.
It reminded me of my Shine interview with Tricia Hersey of The Nap Ministry and how rest, especially as Black women, is revolutionary. Not all protests happen on the picket lines, y'all.
So my question to you this week is, when is the last time you did nothing? And if you can't recall, I encourage you to take some time today, this week and/or this weekend to do just that. Your body, mind and soul will thank you.
Love,
L'Oreal
Links I Love
1. Venus and Serena Williams on Their Own Terms (Harper's Bazaar)
2. Sha’Carri Richardson On Black Womanhood, Radical Self-Love, and Running Her Own Race (Teen Vogue)
3. Four Black Women Became Classmates, Roommates and Lifelong Sisters. One of Them is Now a Historic Nominee for the Supreme Court. (The 19th)
My Latest Obsession
Y'all, I both love and loathe my Instagram friend Aisha Beau for getting me hooked on Biossance. First it was the Squalane + Vitamin C Dark Spot Serum and in my last order, they sent a travel size version of the Squalane + Probiotic Gel Moisturizer and now they own me. It's like a mini facial and truth be told, I could use a little everyday luxury.
Now Hiring
Creative Director for Black People Will Swim
Senior Editor for Code Switch
Celebrity Writer for Elite Daily
Editor for Hunker
Associate Editor for Poets & Writers Magazine
People and Culture Manager for Women Employed
Communications Manager for AIDS Foundation Chicago
Search Consultant for On-Ramps
Support This Newsletter
Thank you to Stephanie, Cait and Sara for buying this week's coffee. Want to help fuel this newsletter and support my work? Click the button below!
Psst...did a friend forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here so you never miss an issue! Liked what you read? Be sure to follow using the buttons below.