As summer heat carries on across the country, with shifting storms, and shifting political news, I am mulling over restorative practices. Restorative is an interesting word. It is a specific aspect of healing that by definition makes a person feel better--recovers energy or abilities--when they are tired, sick, injured or even overwhelmed. Restorative implies what is damaged or depleted can be made whole again.
In yoga, restorative refers to a type of relaxation that includes the body as well as the mind. Gentle muscular stretches are held for several minutes, while the body relaxes, supported by pillows, bolsters and other props. Mental processing slows to focus on the breath. This seemingly contradiction of simultaneous relaxation and stretch, increases physical flexibility, releases muscle and emotional tension, lowers blood pressure, improves cardiac rhythm, and reduces physical pain. It's interesting that Westerners, in the push to achieve more mastery in yoga, or more athletic strength or skill in exercise or sports, often focus on self-coercion to summon success, resisting the idea of gentle restoration of the body.
In the Western Biblical tradition, there are multiple references to spiritual restoration that leads to physical healing and renewal in life circumstances, including relationships, prosperity, and a sense of meaning, The first passage I memorized in the Bible as a child was the 23rd Psalm that begins with the metaphor of God as the Shepherd who cares, and "makes me (us all) to lie down in green pastures. He leads me by still waters. He restores my (each) soul". As I child, this image of green pastures and still waters brought me immediate peace, even though I didn't understand the historical context. Now, after years of reflection on this Psalm and it's layered historical and metaphysical meaning, these lines still bring Peace. In the context of 2024 and global climate change, there is new meaning in our collective need for green pasture and still waters with an added understanding of restoration and the critical role of nature's capacity to soothe and heal.
Yet, "restoration of the soul" is not to be confused with the idea that life must stay the same, nor return to what it "used to be". Life is movement, and Life is not locked in to one form, or expression. Life is boundless. It is our human capacity to flow with changing times--with Life's boundless possibilities and our own creative ability to respond to events--that is in need of restoration. If you are tired and depleted, if you slip into despair, or just feel over-burdened, consider a time of restoration, a time of rest, ease and nourishment, rather than neglect or force. Sundays, or these remaining days of summer, in spite of heat, storm, or news still hold a space for your deeper soul restoration. Let go. (Susan Nettleton)
For poetry: https://www.bible.com/bible/114/PSA.23.nkjv
https://bestselfmedia.com/restoration-a-poem/