Powerful action is enabled by great rest.
yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi – "established in yoga, perform action."
This beautiful verse comes from an ancient spiritual Sanskrit text known famously as the Bhagavad Gītā.
Yoga refers to “union”, or yoking, of the individual with the universal. Fun fact: While yoga is now heavily associated with physical postures, this connection didn’t emerge until the medieval era. In antiquity, yoga was first and foremost a philosophical and spiritual concept and practice that focused primarily on the nature of the mind and was deeply connected with practices such as meditation (dhyāna).
Yoga is the re-discovery of the individual that its very own nature is that of pure Being - full, unbounded awareness, fully capable, all-knowing, connected to everything and already free. This saying reminds the individual that before any action, one should establish themselves unwaveringly in the truth of who and what they are - which is universal calmness, stability, creativity, wholeness and peace.
Action from fatigue vs. from well rested mind-bodies.
It’s an interesting concept to reflect upon as our society does things the opposite way. We are taught to perform action first—to work, to push, to do, to keep moving, and only then will we find stability, peace, success, and wholeness.
When stress and tension is dissolved from the nervous system, this is said to be our natural state. I’m sure most of us have enough experiences which validate how powerful action can be when it comes from a rested state rather than one of overwhelm and fatigue. You may have noticed more clarity, more energy, greater intuition, or even the space to approach life with creativity and flexibility—rather than from a place of fear, scarcity, or limitation.
Powerful and intuitive action emerges from a state of rest—not from relentless doing. In our modern culture, this can feel counterintuitive, even uncomfortable. We are conditioned to think that more action equals more achievement. But the reality is that great action is sustained and empowered by great rest.
Being - your true nature.
In contrast, Vedic wisdom suggests the reverse: establish yourself in your true nature first, and then let your actions flow from that solid foundation.
In Vedic meditation, we allow the mind to turn inward, experiencing its subtlest layers and, ultimately, transcending them. We move beyond thoughts to reconnect with our very source. This state, which can be described as "you without your thoughts," is called Being. We call it Being, because it just is. Some call it pure consciousness, transcendental consciousness, our true nature, creative intelligence, or source. One term I particularly like is the “witness.”
When the mind moves inwards and transcends all thought, what we are often left with is a degree of restful awareness. We may have a hazy experience of ‘nothingness’ or a quiet, restful alertness. This is said to be our true nature—the very source of the mind itself.
When action and decisions come from a well-rested nervous system, they are far more grounded and effective. As we incorporate rest into our daily lives, we help cultivate a culture of action that is rooted in stillness and presence.
