Seven Kinds of Rest

The Water element is associated with the Kidney meridian, which is the sacred holding ground of our bodies. Kidney energy relates to how we use our vital essence, our fire, our genetic codes. It reflects how we age, how we adapt, and how we understand our limits. When in balanced alignment, our drive, desire, and ambition is linked with the soul needs of our being.

Deep in winter, the mysterious complexity of the Water element becomes increasingly evident: harshness and contraction are mixed with a life-affirming potency and vitality. It can be a time of great healing, an opportunity to fortify our Kidney energy in the deepest of ways. 

We strengthen our Kidney energy when we connect with the resilience of our ancestors. We come from long lines of survivors. When we share stories in the winter, honoring our ancestral wisdom and traditions, we renew ourselves with a sense of belonging and trust.

We strengthen our Kidney energy when we feel into the roots of our lives. Its source runs in the deepest channels of the body, in underground labyrinths and bone caves and dark passageways, through the bone marrow, the teeth, and the primordial thickness of ourselves. It asks us to better understand what we are made of. 

We strengthen our Kidney energy when we honor our lowlands, our lowlight, our lowtones, while also warming ourselves by living, breathing fires. We are making a study of contrasts, finding a different kind of beauty, knowing that even in the cold darkness, this too belongs. 

We strengthen our Kidney energy when we rest and nourish our inner reservoirs. This is not nourishment that comes from movie-watching on the couch or from on-line shopping therapy.

Perhaps we can widen out what rest means to us. In her book, Sacred Rest, Dr. Saundra Dalton Smith offers a framework for seven different kinds of rest:

Physical- resting our bodies through sleep, yoga nidra, naps, etc

Mental- daydreaming, cloud or candle gazing, letting the brain rest

Emotional- taking time to acknowledge hidden feelings, grief

Social- spending time alone to reflect or pause

Sensory- taking a break from screens, other noises, lights, smells

Creative- not having to produce, be clever, or create content

Spiritual- tuning in to your soul’s voice or longings

Every year around this same time, a realization hits me. Expect less of yourself. Less social interaction. Less creativity. Less motivation. My qi has gone inwards, there is less to work with on the surface, and I can relax into letting that be okay. 

Excerpt from the Seasonal Love Letter: Water element style, '25

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