Rest has been colonized.
In today’s fast-paced world, our value is too often measured by our output, how much we accomplish, how long we can keep going without breaking, and how efficiently we can multitask. Productivity has become a religion. Burnout is worn like a badge of honor. And stillness? Stillness is seen as lazy, weak, or even rebellious.
But before this modern culture of grind, there was something older. Wiser. More human. Our ancestors, long before fluorescent lighting, 40-hour workweeks, and digital distractions, understood something we’ve forgotten: that rest is not just a biological need. It is a spiritual act.
Rest was not a reward after a job well done. It was part of the rhythm of life. It was ritual, communion, healing. Among Indigenous, African, and other ancestral cultures, rest was woven into the seasons of existence. After childbirth came sacred postpartum rest, often supported by aunties and community. After funerals, silence and seclusion were honored. Before major decisions, elders fasted and meditated. During the changing of seasons, ceremonies were performed to align with nature’s cycles, none of them rushed.
These weren’t indulgences. They were survival tools. Spiritual practices. Acts of devotion to the self and to the divine.
But somewhere along the way, we lost this wisdom. Colonization, capitalism, and systemic oppression turned rest into something we have to earn, and often deny to those most in need. For Black, Brown, Indigenous, and immigrant communities, especially, rest has become elusive. The ability to rest freely, safely, and without guilt is a form of liberation.
At Neteru Apothecary, we honor the sacredness of rest. And we’re here to help you reclaim it.
Rest as Ritual, Not Just Recovery
When we speak of rest, we’re not just referring to sleep (though sleep is deeply important). We’re referring to something deeper:
- The nervous system exhale that comes from being seen and safe.
- The soul-level stillness that allows dreams to rise to the surface.
- The pause that reconnects us to spirit, to nature, to ancestral memory.
Our approach to rest includes herbal blends formulated to calm and ground, energetic healing that helps the body reset from chronic stress, and rituals that return you to your own inner rhythm. Whether through guided breathwork, spiritual bathing, ancestral connection, or customized teas, rest becomes a practice of remembering who you are, not who you’re expected to be.
Ask Yourself…
When was the last time you rested without guilt?
When was the last time you laid down in silence, not because you were exhausted, but because you were worthy?
What might surface in you if you permitted yourself to stop striving, for just a moment, and simply be?
Rest is how we listen. It’s how the body speaks. It’s how our ancestors still whisper through the stillness.
Your Rest Journey Begins Now
Let this be your invitation: to slow down, to soften, to be held.
🌿 Explore our collection of rest-supportive herbs and tools: https://neteruapothecary.com
🌙 Book a session focused on nervous system healing and spiritual rest: https://calendly.com/ministryofneteru/client-consultation
You are not here to burn out.
You are here to remember the rhythm.
You are here to rest.