Rest is Resistance
Permission to pause, reflect, and just be.
Sex and Style is written by Somatic Sex Coach Sarah Ward. This is intended as general advice. If you’d like a personalized guidance, I’d be honored to connect with you in a discovery session.
Substack fam! I'm writing you from 30,000 feet en route to celebrate the holidays.
This holiday season has been full to the brim for me—writing, coaching, creating, and performing—and I know many of you are in a similar swirl of activity. Between parties, recitals, and endless gatherings, it can start to feel like we’re running on empty.
The full moon arrived on opening night of La Estrella, coinciding with my own moon cycle. This time of month can feel particularly potent, a reminder to slow down and honor our natural rhythms, even as the world around us speeds up.
In case no one has told you lately: you don’t have to earn rest.
In Rest is Resistance, Tricia Hersey says:
“We must believe we are worthy of rest. We don’t have to earn it. It is our birthright. It is one of our most ancient and primal needs.”
Let that sink in. This is an invitation for you to lay down what is too heavy to carry and give yourself permission to rest—not to recharge for more productivity, but simply because it’s your divine right to do so.
Our drive and obsession to always be in a state of “productivity” leads us to the path of exhaustion, guilt, and shame. We falsely believe we are not doing enough and that we must always be guiding our lives toward more labor. The distinction that must be repeated as many times as necessary is this: We are not resting to be productive. We are resting simply because it is our divine right to do so.
—Tricia Hersey
So, loves. I hope you take time to pause. To reflect. To break bread with those you love. To savor the sweet darkness. To allow yourself rest. To find pleasure in your body. May you find reprieve in naps and sleep. In snuggles with your pets and loved ones. In daydreams. In reading poetry or books or blogs like this. In savoring shortbread cookies. By sitting near a crackling fire. Through life-giving conversations.
In light of this, I’ll be refilling my cup over the holidays. I hope you’ll do the same.
If you’re seeking inspiration, check out my recent podcast conversation with
on Make Discomfort Your Bitch—it’s all about embodiment and the power of tuning into our inner wisdom.
Sarah shares her journey from bypassing her unease and shifting responsibility to others, to finding strength through embodiment practices.
Discover how tuning into her own inner wisdom unlocked new layers of personal empowerment and confidence.
This episode dives deep into her unique perspective on harnessing inner truth, tapping into embodied awareness and embracing discomfort as a path to growth. Don't miss this inspiring conversation.
—Cher Anderton
You can tune in to the episode here:
From all of me to all of you, wishing you a happy holidays filled with peace and presence.
Sex and Style is written by Certified Somatic Sex and Relationship Coach and Wardrobe Stylist, Sarah Ward. She has spent the last 20 years studying human sexuality and minted it in 2021, certifying in the VITA™ Methodology with Layla Martin and as an Erotic Blueprints™ Coach with Jaiya. For personalized support, schedule a free discovery call with Sarah.
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Thank you Sarah for sharing the importance and significance of rest, especially at the end of year when it feels like our tanks are close to or pretty much empty. We fail to realize that rest is what will allow more productivity to happen! You can't have 1 without the other. And why not let rest take over and be the boss of the house! She earned it and deserves her place in our lives.