S2 E4 Rest as Resistance - In Praise of Tricia Hersey's Nap Ministry

I have been so inspired by the work of Tricia Hersey, creator of the Nap Ministry and author of Rest is Resistance, A Manifesto. She has helped me understand and see through some of the false beliefs we had been taught in this "grind culture" we live in.

This episode is an introduction to some of the ideas she covers and encouragement to explore her work if you need more rest in your life, and are interested in creating space where ALL can have access to rest.

Our inherent worth is not dependent on our productivity. Rest is a birthright, not a privilege or a luxury.

The Four Tenets of the Nap Ministry are written here:

1. Rest if a form of resistance because it disrupts and pushes back against capitalism and white supremacy.
2. Our bodies are a site of liberation.
3. Naps provide a portal to imagine, invent, and heal.
4. Our DreamSpace has been stolen and we want it back. We will reclaim it via rest.

These fundamentals have been shaped by Hersey's scholarship and study of Black liberation theology, womanism, somatics, and cultural trauma.

The other big "aha" I'm taking away is that community care is fundamental, and self care (conceptually) is more of a product of an individualistic culture that doesn't recognize our connection with other living beings.

I love how Hersey focuses on the dreaming, daydreaming, and imagination that springs from adequate rest. This is the real reason for rest, not just so we can "come back" and be productive. To invent a world where there is justice for all, and we have for freedom and ease, we must make time to imagine and daydream.

"Rest is a meticulous love practice."

If you are intersted in listening to the talk on Rest as a Portal of Healing that first drew me to Hersey from the Minneapolis Institute of Art it is linked here.

Rest is Resistance is available anywhere books are sold, and I especially love the audio book in her own powerful voice.

Another podcast favorite of mine (We Can Do Hard Things) also hosted a conversation with her back in October 2022 and it did a lovely job of sharing her work in a nuanced way.

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Music credit: https://www.melodyloops.com/composers/ihsandincer/

Cover art credit: https://www.natalyakolosowsky.com/