Radical Rest & Restore

Are you ready for Radical Self-Care?

Welcome to your Radical Rest & Restore Challenge!

 The end of the calendar year can be, for many people, the busiest time of year.  

 It can be truly joyful and uplifting, but let’s be honest, we call it a ‘holiday’ season, but in reality it can be anything but…

 Shopping, visiting, parties, entertaining, school holidays, pausing work, family dynamics… all packed under pressure into those specific few days.  

 The origins of those special days go back thousands of years, but in our modern world we are practising some quite distorted versions of those ancient festivals, in ways that can leave us exhausted, depleted… even when we have had fun!  

 Our ancestors survived by working with nature, with the land.  They, like Nature, didn’t take ‘holidays’, but they did see, feel, listen to and honour what Nature was guiding them to do for their survival, and indeed for their Well-Being. 

 In the Northern hemisphere right now Nature has brought us into Winter. What is that telling us to do?

 Think about it for a moment – Winter is a time of cold, of limited sunlight and where the energy of the world around us has gone within the belly of the earth.  All those seeds deposited during the autumn are now being cradled by the rich deposition of the fallen leaves and mulch, providing the necessary warmth, space and stored nutrients for when those seeds need them.  The energy of the plant world has slowed, now keeping its energy held fast within its root system, waiting for the sunlight to increase once more.  This is a time of stillness, of preparation, of holding and nurturing. 

It is a time when traditionally animals or humans snuggle up to stay warm in the cold weather, using stored food from our harvests.  In our time of longer dark nights and ‘hibernation’ we can reflect on the months past, dream about the months coming, and prepare for the burst of energy and growth that comes in Spring.  

 More than anything, Winter is a time to rest.  

 My name is Dr Karen Stead-Dexter, I live in Somerset in the UK and I teach people how to Connect with Nature for their Well-Being.  My signature Well-Being Programmes run for a whole Nature Season, so for example the Winter Programme starts in December and runs through until February.  These programmes are all holistic lifestyle programmes based on how I live my life, in tune with Nature’s teachings.

 However, I also have my own special personal practices.  Around the time of Yule, the Winter Solstice, when the daylight hours are few, I reserve time just for me, to give myself some extra care. I call this my ‘Radical Rest’, and it is so important for my health and happiness.  It makes me calmer, more centred, energised and gives me an amazing sense of clarity.  

 It is the best gift I can give to myself.

 I invite you to give yourself the same gift.  

…and gift the same experience to those you care about too.

Why is it Radical? 

I aim to challenge your beliefs about what you understand as ‘rest’ at the busiest time of year.  I invite you to expand your awareness and be open and responsive to a very special source of support – Mother Nature.

The word ‘Radical’ means reaching or changing something at its most fundamental level. This Radical Rest & Restore Challenge is about Honouring You, and serving the very essence of you, a living being. 

By being radical at this time of year I invite you to venture beyond the habits we have and see around us as ‘normal human’ behaviour.   

This programme is radical because it is based on the neuroscience behind how people can use meditation and sensory connection with nature to ‘reset’ our stress levels. It is simple but powerful and works at the deepest cellular level.  

 Great… But why is it called a ‘Challenge’?  

 Ironically, resting at this time is not easy because of the ways of our modern commercial world and on-the-go culture, and finding ways to replenish your energy can be harder still.  

 In the Radical Rest & Restoration Challenge, I will email activities to do each day – like meditations, visualisations, journalling and lots of other ways to nourish and support you.  Taken together, doing all these elements gives me the clarity and energy I need for the year ahead.  

 It takes only 10 days…. But it takes commitment – By You, To YOUR Self-Care. 

 You can sign up just for yourself, but you can also gift the programme to others, to share the experience with family and friends. Just choose how many people will do the programme at the checkout stage and then share the sign up pdf with others. 

The cost for the Radical Rest & Restore Challenge is £30, just £3 per day.  

In a world that right now is struggling on so many fronts, there is no better gift than one that offers serenity and self-care.  

 This is not just about us though.  Every penny from the sales of this programme goes to the Centre for Animal and Nature Assisted Therapy CIC (www.canat.org) 

 I set up this non-profit organisation to be able to raise funds and offer Animal and Nature Assisted Therapy to young people and adults struggling with their mental health.

 Right now, thanks to generous donations by supporters of the CIC we are providing therapy to adults and young people who are suffering with anxiety, self-esteem issues, trauma or other mental health concerns. Regular sessions of therapy are helping build their self-confidence, supporting them with strategies to better manage their health conditions and to return to education and purposeful lives.  The impact is transformational and long term.

 ALL of the money from the Radical Rest & Restore Challenge will be donated to the Centre for Animal and Nature Assisted Therapy CIC to continue this work, so it is a gift to the well-being of others as well as to yourself.  

 So are you Ready for your Radical Rest & Restore Challenge?