Ways to Rest

Practices to Deepen Your Sabbath and Restore Your Soul

A true day of rest doesn’t mean simply “not working.”

It means letting the body repair, letting the mind quiet, letting the heart soften, and letting the soul breathe again.

Here are ways to deepen your Sabbath rest — practices that restore the nervous system, revive the spirit, and help you enter into the true meaning of Shabbat:

1. Partial or Full Fasting — Letting the Body Heal

A 24-hour fast (or even a slowed, simplified eating window) gives your digestive system a full break — something it rarely receives.

Benefits include:

• reduced inflammation

• improved mental clarity

• emotional release

• enhanced spiritual sensitivity

• deeper rest

• balanced blood sugar

• better sleep

• trauma unwinding

  
  

Fasting is ancient and sacred.

Yeshua practiced it.

So did prophets, mystics, and sages.

Even a light fast — only fruits, herbal tea, or broth — invites healing.

2. Minimal Talking — Protecting Your Energy

Talking requires:

• emotional engagement

• cognitive processing

• social “performance”

  
  

On a day of sacred rest, silence invites something deeper:

• listening

• reflection

• presence

• stillness

• peace

  
  

Even a “quiet Sabbath morning” can feel like a small retreat.

Give your nervous system the gift of minimal output.

3. Breathwork & Meditation — Resetting the Nervous System

Even 5–10 minutes can change the entire tone of your rest day.

Try:

• slow belly breathing

• 4–6 breathing (inhale 4, exhale 6)

• box breathing

• guided meditation

• body-scan meditation

• silent sitting

  
  

Meditation doesn’t have to be complicated — just sit, breathe, and be.

On the Sabbath, this becomes prayer without words.

4. Reading Torah — Nourishment for the Soul

Shabbat is the perfect time to read:

• Torah portions

• commentary

• Psalms

• Proverbs

• teachings of Rabbi Yeshua

• books of wisdom that touch the heart

  
  

Don’t study with intensity —let the words wash over you.

Let Torah be a comfort, not an intellectual contest.

5. Slow Walk in Your Neighborhood — Nature & Calm

A slow, mindful walk can be transformative:

• look at the trees

• listen to birds

• feel the breeze

• walk slowly, without destination

• breathe deeply

• stay present

  
  

This reconnects you with the simplicity of being alive.

Slowness is a spiritual discipline.

6. Gently Redirect the Mind

Avoid Thinking About Work, Planning, or Worrying

Your mind has grooves:

• planning

• problem-solving

• replaying conversations

• imagining “what’s next”

• worrying about future responsibilities

  
  

On Shabbat, gently say:

“Not today.”

Let the mind drift somewhere softer:

• gratitude

• memories

• dreams

• Torah teachings

• breath

• beauty

It’s not about controlling thoughts —just guiding them toward peace.

7. Healing Frequency Music or Spa Music

Sound is medicine.

Try:

• 432 Hz

• 528 Hz

• soft nature sounds

• gentle instrumental music

• sound baths

• ambient worship music

• Jewish chants

• flutes, harps, soft strings

Music opens the heart, quiets the ego, and invites restfulness.

8. A Cold Shower + Rest

Cold water:

• calms inflammation

• activates the vagus nerve

• heightens clarity

• grounds the mind

• softens emotional heaviness

  
  

Then immediately:

Lie down.

Cover yourself with a blanket.

Rest.

Your body will shift into deep parasympathetic healing.

This is one of the most potent Sabbath practices you can do.

9. Nature Immersion — Even Briefly

If possible:

• sit by water

• touch a tree

• lie on the grass

• stand barefoot on the earth (grounding)

• watch the clouds

• sit at the window and watch the sky

  
  

Nature reconnects you with God’s rhythm —a rhythm society has forgotten.

10. Journaling — Letting the Soul Speak

Either morning or later in the day:

• write whatever surfaces

• release emotions

• reflect on the week

• note what feels misaligned

• write prayers or blessings

• clarify desires

  
  

The Sabbath is the perfect time to hear your own truth.

11. A Cozy Nap — A Holy Act

A nap on Shabbat is not laziness.

It is obedience to the original command:

“Rest.”

Let your body soften.

Let your eyes close.

Let yourself drift.

You may wake up with clarity you didn’t know you needed.

12. Drink Warm Herbal Teas

Such as:

• peppermint

• chamomile

• lemon balm

• tulsi

• ginger

• lavender

  
  

Warm tea slows the mind and comforts the heart.

13. Gentle Stretching or Yin Yoga

Quiet, slow, long-held stretches release:

• tension

• trauma held in muscles

• emotional heaviness

• stress hormones

  
  

This is a body-based prayer.

14. Creative Rest — Not Performance

You might:

• draw

• doodle

• hum

• write poetry

• play with color

• lightly strum an instrument

• arrange flowers

  
  

Not for “productivity.”

Just expression.

Creativity is the soul stretching out.

15. Disconnect from Electronics

Phones, screens, and constant stimulation pull you away from peace.

A tech-free Sabbath revives the mind.

16. Prayer — Talking to God (and Letting Your Heart Open)

Prayer on the Sabbath should feel simple, honest, and unforced.

It does not need to be long or formal.

Prayer is simply:

Talking to God.

Speaking from the heart.

Sharing what is real.

Letting yourself be seen.

It can sound like:

• “Thank You for this day.”

• “Help me rest.”

• “Guide me.”

• “Show me the next step.”

• “Please heal this part of me.”

• “I’m tired, but I’m here.”

• “Help me love better.”

  
  

Prayer is the heart speaking to the One who created it.

Prayer is talking to God,

Meditation is listening to God.

On the Sabbath, alternate between the two:

• speak a little

• listen a lot

• breathe

• feel

• surrender

• trust

  
  

Let prayer soften you

.Let meditation quiet you.

Let both draw you closer to the peace that has always been waiting for you.

In Essence

A true day of rest is not passive —it is healing, intentional, sacred,and deeply aligning.

When practiced regularly, these rhythms:

• unwind trauma

• restore emotional balance

• strengthen intuition

• deepen peace

• reconnect you with God

• help you find your purpose

• transform your nervous system

• expand your compassion

• bring you back to yourself

  
  

This is the Sabbath the Torah intended.

This is the rest that heals the world.