The Art of Wild Rest: A Sacred Reclamation of the Slow, Soft, and Soul-full

One of my greatest missions with my work is to help people remember that we are not designed to live in a constant state of motion, doing and taking action. We are not meant to override our natural rhythms and instincts that tell us to slow down, breathe and relax. We were not created to earn rest, prove worth, or hustle for joy. These things are innate in the fabric of our creation and they are a given.

Yet so many of us (maybe all of us at some point) go against this very nature.

We strive for more. We serve endlessly. We stay constantly busy. We feel small. We try to hack or force or push things. We’ve forgotten the pleasure of simply existing and experiencing life in the moment.

Rest—true, wild, sacred rest—is not a luxury that needs to be afforded (though it can definitely feel that way and I’ve definitely thought that many times in my life). It is a lifeline. A reclamation. A radical return to the roots of who we are as humans, as emotional creatures, as wild spirits.

What Is Wild Rest?

Wild rest is not just about naps or sleep, though that is certainly a part of it. It is not passive or indulgent as many people would think. It is something we all crave that makes us feel deeply alive. It fuels us in ways that nothing else can and that is why we need it.

Wild rest is an untamed, soul-deep exhale.

It’s the kind of rest that whispers you back to your animal body, your wild heart, your untamed truth. It’s the rest that remembers your most raw and natural form.

It is intuitive. Rhythmic. Seasonal.

It honours the spiral, the pause, the dark, the silence, the whisper.

It is the sacred art of coming home to yourself. Your true self.

It’s at the heart of your authentic path.

It cultivates union with God.

We need wild rest to feel whole again and I strongly believe that we are so lost and disconnected because we’ve lost the art of not only embracing it but also desiring it and allowing ourselves to receive it.

Why We Resist It

Many women in my community carry an invisible weight. This is the weight of expectation, performance, perfection, obligation and seeking self-worth somewhere in the fleeting momentary gratification of external validation.

We’ve been taught that rest must be earned, that your only value comes from doing and that stillness of any kind equals laziness.

But these are lies born of disconnection from the soul.

The world may tell us to keep going, keep hustling, keep pushing, never stop! But the soul—she begs us to slow down.

We resist rest very similarly for the same reason we resist shadow work… because we fear what might arise in the slow and quiet.

The grief. The guilt. The loneliness. The fear. The longing. The emptiness. The truth of our internal state that we’ve tucked away, claiming over and over again that we simply don’t have time for it.

But these are the very things that want to be witnessed, held, and healed. The very things that desperately need you to hold space for them, as these are the catalysts for your healing and growth.

These things are God’s calling for you to go deeper.

The longer we avoid rest the more likely we are to become unwell and unhealthy - in mind, body and soul.

Rest as a Sacred Practice

Rest is not a break from life, it is one of the most important parts of it! A return to the fertile void of the body, mind and soul. A space where healing, clarity, and creation are born.

Practicing wild rest means:

• Choosing stillness and tuning inwards over stimulation and tuning out
• Letting the natural cycles of the earth and your primal self set your pace
• Trusting your body’s cues for healing, rest and recovery
• Allowing yourself to not need to know it all, and it instead embrace the great mystery that is part of existence
• Listening to the soft, subtle voice within to guide you into all areas of your life
• Leaning into faith instead of fear when uncertainty arises

Rest is a ritual.
It is a prayer.
It is a ceremony.
It is love.

Ways to Practice Wild Rest

Since Wild Rest is truly a practice of YOU tapping into your animal instincts, listening for guidance from the Creator and applying it accordingly, it’s so vital to acknowledge that the practice itself looks different for each person. My intuitive instincts might invite me to do things that yours won’t and vice versa.

So, below are some ideas and invitations to get your body into a state of trying Wild Rest, especially if you’ve never ventured into this realm before. I encourage you allow yourself to give them a go but keep in your awareness what signals or messages your body, mind, emotions and energy are sharing with you.

Here are a few invitations to begin:

• Unplug and close down - airplane your phone at night, gently stretch your body, breathe deeply, speak kindly to yourself and then rest into bed. See how much this shifts your energy in sleep. You’ll rest much deeper without the energetic noise.
• Say no – your response to life’s possibilities is sacred. When you say no to what doesn’t feel right, you energetically say yes to what fits.
• Light candles at dusk – honor the end of the day with reverence and give your eyes a rest from artificial light. This ignites the primal self too.
• Do nothing – and notice what arises. This is often the answer to something you keep seeking answers for as well. If you’re going in circles doing everything, try doing nothing. Intuition speaks in whispers.
• Journal from a place of surrender – not to fix, but instead to feel. Just write out how your day unfolded. This might surprise you.
• Follow the Moon – rest more during the dark new moon, do more during the bright full moon.
• Trust that rest is a needed action – a sacred kind of doing that nourishes your entire being in harmony with the Creator.
• Take a breath before answering - sometimes your intuition just needs a deep breath to respond with love and compassion. Take a moment before you answer. Hush, hear the heart.

The Clarity Map

I created The Clarity Map as a guide for this type of sacred remembering.

To help you pause, soften, and reconnect with the truth of who you are.

Here at Rest in your Wild, rest is not weakness—it is wisdom. It is how we restore our wildness and remember our innate worthiness.

If your heart is craving a softer rhythm or if your soul is tired of striving, you are not alone.

Rest. Come home to your heart.

Get the clarity map here.

May the light of your soul guide your way.
May your intuition speak clearly.
May the earth remind you: you belong.

In devotion,
Emily