We are living in a time of incredible transformation, and incredible burnout. How can we keep showing up to do the work of creating the world we want, in a way that sustains us?

Join somatic facilitator Stacy Carleton as we explore these questions and disrupt grind culture in this experiential workshop and “book club.” In each 90-minute session, we will check in with our bodies, minds, hearts, and spirits through somatic inquiry, engage in gentle movement to settle our energy, read and reflect on excerpts from Tricia Hersey’s Rest is Resistance, share our stories of rest and unrest, and embody radical community care with a closing guided rest practice. This workshop weaves together inspiration from meditation, yoga, qigong, mutual aid networks, and community organizing.

Each session features a different passage from Tricia Hersey’s book. This is a book club where no pre-reading is required and you are encouraged to relax while the facilitator Stacy reads to you. (If you would like to read the book on your own and support Tricia Hersey’s work, please pick up a copy at your favorite local bookstore.) Following the reading, you are invited to reflect through writing, drawing, or quiet contemplation, with an opportunity to share your experiences with the group in a supportive container.

Cozy clothes are recommended to keep you warm and comfortable during our guided rest practice—I recommend wearing layers. Blankets and mats will be provided, or you can bring your own. Please bring your own pillow. Additional yoga props are available for you to set up your own rest nest during our time together.

Explore what happens to your capacity for navigating and creating social change when you reclaim your birthright of rest and make space for slowness, tenderness, and the inherent wisdom of your divine body.

All bodies and backgrounds are welcome. Experience with yoga, meditation, or any other exercise or modality is not necessary. This class is designed to be highly accessible, adaptable, and gentle.

READINGS

July 1: ~p. 27-34 (The idea of rest as resistance and rest as reparations)

July 8: ~p. 61-67 (Why we are not resting)