Six Pillars Of Rest
A Gentle Guide to Resting in Your Own Rhythm
My passion is to weave what I’ve learned over my lifetime into everything I offer here at The Heart Space… and from that love, the philosophy of the Six Pillars of Rest was born.
For so long, I thought true rest was simply getting my eight hours of sleep. And yet, even after that, I often woke up feeling shattered. Over time, I realised that rest comes in many forms and that true rest is so much more than sleep.
I felt the call to come home to myself, step away from the crazy overwhelm, to sit deeper with my cycles and the seasons and it has truly transformed me. Through these practices of rest, I’ve healed parts of myself I didn’t even know were asking for attention. I’ve settled into a deeper rhythm, softened into compassion, let go of what no longer supports me and created a life with more spaciousness and peace.
So when life throws those curveballs, I step even deeper into my pillars of rest, guiding myself with clarity, groundedness, and care.
This is why I share rest in a completely different way than we’ve been taught to believe it exists. Here lies the magic… our magic.
A space where your true light can shine, and your heart can grow strong, compassionate, and whole.
The Six Pillars of Rest are the philosophy I weave into all my offerings, helping you reconnect with your own inner rhythms through body, mind, emotions, and energy, and move through life with more balance, ease, and awareness.
Physical Rest – The Quiet Sanctuary of the Body
Mindset Rest – The Gentle Clarity of Mind
Emotional Rest – The Tender Harbour of the Heart
Social Rest – The Rhythm of Connection & Solitude
Elemental Rest – The Nurture of Nature
Seasonal Rest – The Rhythm of Our Energetic Seasons
Who it’s for:
Anyone longing to feel more centred, grounded, and alive
Those who are constantly busy or overextended, craving permission to slow down
People wanting to reconnect with their body, mind, emotions, and energy
Anyone seeking to move through life with more balance, ease, and awareness
Those ready to honour life’s natural cycles and the rhythms of nature
Anyone wanting a deeper, more compassionate connection with themselves
Physical Rest
The Quiet Sanctuary of the Body
What it is: Physical rest is the renewal of your body’s energy through stillness and through movement that restores rather than depletes. Sometimes rest looks like slowing down: sleeping, napping, lying down, reading a book or soaking in a warm bath. Other times, it arrives through activity that helps you release tension and reset, like a walk, a yoga flow, yin yoga, a swim, time in the gym, or even a run that clears the mind.
Physical rest is about balance, tuning into what your body truly needs in each moment, whether that’s pausing or moving, so you can ease fatigue, restore vitality, and feel renewed.
How it helps: Physical rest replenishes energy, reduces tension and pain, supports recovery and overall health, and leaves the body feeling lighter, more relaxed, and ready for movement or activity.
Examples: Sleeping, napping, lying down, yoga or stretching, mindful walks, running, swimming, gym workouts, massages, soaking in a bath, reading.
2. Mindset Rest
The Gentle Clarity of Mind
What it is: This rest nurtures the mind by quieting mental chatter and calming the nervous system, creating space for clarity, presence, and a gentle inner dialogue. It supports you in noticing and softening self-doubt and imposter syndrome, replacing harsh inner criticism with kindness. It also includes being mindful of who you surround yourself with, inviting uplifting and supportive energy into your life.
How it helps: Mindset rest eases mental fatigue, reduces stress and anxiety, improves focus and decision-making, strengthens confidence, and allows self-belief and clarity to emerge naturally.
Examples: Meditation, deep breathing exercises, mindful silence, sound baths, spending time in nature, practicing stillness, journaling to clear your mind and process self-doubt, positive affirmations and compassionate self-talk, daydreaming, quiet creative pursuits, being around uplifting and supportive people, and gently limiting exposure to draining or judgmental influences.
3. Emotional Rest
The Tender Harbor of the Heart
What it is: Emotional rest is the space where your heart feels safe to express, process, and release its feelings without judgment or overwhelm. It is where sorrow, joy, or uncertainty can arrive and leave freely, where self-compassion softens the edges of emotional heaviness, and where inner peace quietly returns. Emotional rest replenishes your resilience, nurtures your capacity to love and be loved, and helps you reconnect with the tender rhythm of your own heart.
How it helps: Emotional rest restores emotional energy, calms the nervous system, reduces overwhelm, strengthens resilience, and helps you feel more connected, present, and at ease with yourself and others.
Examples: Allowing yourself to cry, laugh, or simply feel without resistance; having honest, heart-centred conversations with supportive people; journaling to explore and release your emotions; practicing gentle self-compassion and reassurance; setting and honouring boundaries that protect your emotional energy; and choosing to spend time with people who uplift, encourage, and nurture you.
4. Social Rest
The Rhythm of Connection & Solitude
What it is: Social rest is the balance between honouring your need for time alone and embracing connections that uplift and support you. It helps you step back from draining social pressures and constant performance, while protecting your energy and creating a sense of genuine belonging. Social rest allows you to be fully present with yourself and with others who inspire and uplift you.
How it helps: Social rest reduces stress from overwhelming interactions, restores energy, strengthens relationships that feel nourishing, and helps you feel more connected, supported, and confident in both solitude and company.
Examples: Spending quiet, restorative time alone without guilt, saying no to overwhelming social demands, setting and maintaining healthy boundaries, engaging in heart-to-heart conversations, enjoying joyfulness, laughter and fun, and nurturing positive friendships and relationships that replenish your energy.
5. Elemental Rest
The Nurture of Nature
What it is: Elemental rest reconnects you with nature’s rhythms, replenishing your spirit and inspiring a sense of groundedness. It’s the rest that happens when your mind and soul are embraced by the elements, earth, air, water, and fire, allowing inspiration to flow freely and effortlessly. This rest engages all your senses: the sights of landscapes and natural beauty, the sounds of birdsong or flowing water, the scents of flowers, trees, or fresh air, the tastes of seasonal fruits or herbs, and the tactile sensations of grass beneath your feet, sand between your toes, or the warmth of sunlight on your skin.
How it helps: Elemental rest restores energy, reduces mental fatigue, and brings a sense of calm and clarity. It grounds your emotions, sparks creativity, lifts your mood, and strengthens your connection to yourself and the world around you. By fully engaging your senses, it allows you to feel present, nourished, and alive.
Examples: Walking barefoot on grass, sitting by a river or ocean, feeling the wind on your face, gardening, watching the flames of a fire, listening to birdsong, smelling flowers or the forest after rain, tasting fresh fruits or herbs, observing nature’s details with mindfulness, and spending time outdoors without distractions.
6. Seasonal Rest
The Rhythms of Our Energetic Seasons
What it is: Seasonal Rest is the practice of living in harmony with the natural cycles of the earth and recognising those same cycles within yourself. Just as nature flows through spring, summer, autumn, and winter, you also move through inner seasons of blooming, expansion, release, and rest. This pillar invites you to honour the energy of each season, noticing how it mirrors your own emotional and energetic shifts.
Spring brings renewal, blossoming, and gentle emergence - the season of beginning again. Summer offers vibrancy, warmth, activity, and expression - a time of fullness and outward energy. Autumn teaches release, letting go, shedding, and softening - a time of reflection and recalibration. Winter invites hibernation, stillness, rest, and deep reconnection - a return to your inner roots. Seasonal Rest encourages you to notice where you are in your own inner cycle, meeting each season with compassion, trust, and presence.
How it helps: Seasonal Rest helps you move through life with more ease, awareness, and emotional resilience. Instead of resisting natural fluctuations in energy or emotion, you learn to work with them. It eases the pressure to always be productive, supports you through difficult seasons, and helps you trust in your own natural rhythm: that every winter eventually finds its spring.
Examples: Aligning your activities with seasonal energy, slowing in winter, blooming in spring, expanding in summer, softening in autumn. Honouring your emotional “inner winter” by resting more deeply during harder times. Allowing yourself to shed habits, pressures, or expectations in your “inner autumn”. Embracing bursts of energy or creativity as your “inner spring”. Noticing and celebrating moments of brightness, vitality, or joy in your “inner summer”. Reflecting on which season your life currently mirrors and adjusting your pace with compassion
