We live in a culture that rewards always being busy. Rest seems like something we have to earn. But what if rest were a right?
A question of justice
Researcher Martha Palacio-Avendaño, in a 2023 article in the journal Res Publica, argues that the right to rest is a basic claim of justice. It is usually discussed in relation to paid work or unpaid care. She asks a different question: what do we mean by “activity”, and what do we mean by “rest”?
Decolonising the body
Drawing on Chicana writer Gloria Anzaldúa, she argues that thinking about rest requires decolonising the body. Our bodies still carry the marks of old forms of subjugation, and listening to those marks is the starting point for understanding what it really means to rest.
On the mat
In yoga we have a pose that says it all: savasana. Doing nothing. Lying down and letting the body be heavy. For many people it is the hardest pose, because they can’t stop without feeling guilty.
- Resting is not wasting time.
- Rest doesn’t need to be justified.
- A tired body is not a more committed body.
Perhaps the most radical practice is simply to stop.
Source: Res Publica – The right to rest from Gloria Anzaldúa’s postcolonial feminism.
