Sabbath Rhythms are the heavenly realities that show up in our earthly living, both individually and within community. The many expressions of rest will address what's happening internally (our being) and externally (our doing). Our being and our becoming are earnestly attached, the danger is when we distance them.

SOULjourner,

I’m delighted you’re here to explore your cyclical femininity through Sabbathing Rhythms—a gentle, rhythmic framework for peace, pause, and passion. As an autistic mother of eight neurodivergent children, I know firsthand that every soul’s journey with rest is unique.

Although I can't provide a specific vision of how this will look for you personally, I assure you: you'll develop your own Sabbathing Rhythms in a way that's uniquely yours. There isn't a set formula, just an invitation to notice, nurture, and embody the alternation between your distinctive work-play + rest rhythms—that's the beautiful liberation about this embodied journey.

Being a firstborn, a mother, and a creative, I've always felt the urge to get things done. However, with each passing season, I'm softening + nurturing not only my to-do list but also the sacredness of my expansive rest rhythms.

As the gardeners of our lives, we get to cultivate sustainable practices that comprehensively nourish us—body, brain, and spirit. My delight is to help you elevate your daily living into an art form, rooted in your cyclical, feminine rhythms.

Sabbathing Rhythms aren’t about discipline; instead, they encourage a devotion—to self-compassion, honesty, curiosity, and a growing hospitality toward your humanity.

These living rhythms are fluid, changing with each life stage, every phase of the month/moon, and even throughout a single day. They invite you to explore, experiment, and expand, making space for your unique journey, especially as you navigate your own neurology.

Let’s pause + dig into the roots of Sabbath—a word with layers of meaning, both ancient + new.

Sabbath: A Mini-Lesson in Meaning + Etymology

The word Sabbath is rooted in the Hebrew term Shabbat, which means “to cease, to rest, to celebrate, to bring to completion.” Sabbath is more than simply pausing from work; it’s a noble redirection of our energy + attention. The word embraces both “ceasing” + “celebrating,” revealing its true essence: not just the absence of work, but the presence of delight.

In Genesis, the Divine “rested” not out of exhaustion, but as an act of celebration, completion, and delight, honoring wholeness (completeness). This wholeness perspective calls for a transition from a linear to a cyclical view, from either/or to an integrative both/and approach—from shame to Sankofa—a reclaiming of inheritance that invites us HOME to our sacred and sensual SOULbriety.

Rest, then, is not a reward for productivity, but an inherent sensory birthright—a rhythm woven into the fabric of creation itself.

Sabbath is about relationship, not a rule to be rigidly followed, but a rhythm to be savored. It’s a reminder that we are whole and we are more than what we produce. It’s an act of resistance against the grind, and a gentle homecoming to abundance.

We're not aiming for perfection or complicated practices, but for alignment, simplicity, and connection.

Sabbathing Rhythms welcome you to make them your own. They are not prescriptive or formulaic, but an invitation to honor your body, your story, and your season. You are free to redefine what peace, nurture, and rest look like for you, and to return, again and again—to the sacred art of being fully, tenderly human.

Sabbathing is an attitude of the heart that celebrates, rather than a series of actions. Even when we don't feel like celebrating or when life seems chaotic, Sabbath calls us to pause + dare to find rest in the rhythm of the Divine presence + communal provision. It is a multifaceted rest that teaches our souls that celebratory rest is not limited by emotions or situations but arises from connection.

Rest is not One Size Fits All

Rest is not one-size-fits-all. Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith identifies seven types of rest in her book Sacred Rest, reminding us that different dimensions of our wellbeing require different forms of RESToration:

• Physical rest: Naps, gentle stretching, deep breathing exercises, swimming, dancing, walking, watching TV, meditation, taking a long bath, or physical activity breaks. Even something as simple as sitting down with your feet up can be restorative.

• Mental rest: Meditation, mindfulness practices, stepping away from screens, cognitive breaks, reducing information input, doing something physical or mindless—activities that don’t require constant thinking or processing.

• Emotional rest: Journaling, processing feelings, and expressing emotions through conversation with family or friends. Emotional rest can also include distracting activities such as getting lost in a book, movie, or game.

• Sensory rest: Reducing sensory input by creating calm environments, managing sensory sensitivities with tools like noise-canceling headphones, blowing bubbles, lying down with an eye mask, wearing soothing clothes, or sleeping with a weighted blanket.

• Creative rest: Engaging with art or nature through passive creative experiences like daydreaming or coloring—or simply allowing your mind to wander freely.

• Social rest: Balancing social interactions through selective socializing or alone time. Social rest also involves spending time with people who replenish you and allow you to be fully yourself without needing to mask or pretend.

• Spiritual rest: Connecting with a sense of purpose through reflection on values; engaging in meaningful practices such as prayer, journaling, somatic movements, meditation, or spending time in nature to reconnect with the Divine.

We need more than one type of rest to truly restore our souls—and identifying what kind of rest you need can sometimes be tricky.

For neurodivergent souls especially,

1. Developing a practice of attuning to yourself throughout the day or week is a compassionate response to your humanity. By checking in with how you’re rhythmically feeling—physically, emotionally, mentally—you can better discern what kind of rest your unique humanity needs + desires.

   
   

2. Conventional wisdom often suggests taking frequent short breaks throughout the day—but for many neurodivergent individuals, this can feel disruptive rather than restorative. If you thrive on long periods of uninterrupted work followed by substantial downtime instead of brief pauses—embrace it, SOULjourner.

   
   

3. Release any guilt as you honor your unique rest rhythms; they will look different + diverge not only from others’ but also from previous ways you may have engaged rest.

Sabbathing Rhythms - Four Facets of Rest

Know Your Biological Rhythms

Biological rhythms are classified into circadian, infradian, and ultradian rhythms, based on their frequency.

Rhythms 101

Circadian Rhythms (around 24 hours)

Definition: Circadian rhythms last approximately 24 hours. The most well-known example is the sleep/wake cycle.

Examples:

Sleep/Wake Cycle: This rhythm dictates periods of alertness + sleep, regulated by light exposure + the body’s internal clock.

Body Temperature: Body temperature fluctuates over 24 hours, peaking in the afternoon and dropping during the early hours of the morning, promoting sleep.

Research: Studies show that circadian rhythms persist even without external cues, though they tend to shift slightly from 24 hours, demonstrating the role of internal clocks.

Infradian Rhythms (longer than 24 hours)

Definition: Infradian rhythms are cycles that last longer than 24 hours and often occur on a weekly, monthly, or seasonal basis.

Examples:

Menstrual Cycle: Lasts about 28 days, regulated by hormonal changes + sometimes influenced by external factors.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): A yearly rhythm related to changes in light exposure during winter months, affecting mood + energy levels.

Ultradian Rhythms (less than 24 hours)

Definition: Ultradian rhythms are shorter cycles that occur more than once within 24 hours.

Examples:

Stages of Sleep: The sleep cycle consists of different stages (e.g., stages 1-4 and REM) that repeat approximately every 90 minutes throughout the night.

Basic Rest-Activity Cycle (BRAC): Involves 90-minute cycles of alertness and fatigue during waking hours, as proposed by Kleitman.

Research: Studies of the sleep cycle demonstrate how we move between stages of light and deep sleep, showing a natural ultradian rhythm in sleep architecture.

But for our purpose with Sabbathing Rhythms, we'll focus on two of these biological rhythms. These rhythms are organized in four facets and rooted in: our solar rhythm (circadian rhythm) and our lunar rhythm (infradian rhythm).

Get the free Sabbathing Rhythms toolkit guide:

1. Daily Diversions + Decisions

2. Weekly Withdrawals + Woo

3. Monthly Moments + Meditation

4. Annual Abandonments + Attunement

Daily Diversions + Decisions: Small, intentional pauses woven into your everyday, like mindful breathing, pausing between activities to reset your mind + body, reduce stress, regulate emotions, and support self-compassion for the choices you make throughout the day. These micro-moments of care are your daily invitations to practice presence + nurture your nervous system amid interruptions.

Weekly Withdrawals + Woo: Once a week, carve out a sabbatical day for deeper regenerative rituals that celebrate + center you. This is your time to withdraw from the demands of the world + woo your soul back to pleasures to replenish your emotional reserves.

Monthly Moments + Meditation: Every month, set aside moments to look back on the passing month + the month to come. This monthly check-in ritual invites you to thank God + yourself for showing up in whatever way you did.

Annual Abandonments + Attunement: Allow yourself once a year to completely step away from routine + attune with your desires by altering your surroundings, whether for a day, overnight, or a weekend. This yearly ritual is focused on savoring your life—past, present, and future—rather than adhering to a rigid schedule.

Reflection + Last Thoughts

Before you seek to add new practices, pause to notice the Sabbathing Rhythms already woven into your life. What rituals of rest + pleasure do you currently honor, even in small ways? These everyday moments can be touchstones of sacred pause + delight.

Examples of Everyday Sabbathing Rhythms

1. Email Signature

Setting clear boundaries in your email signature gently communicates your commitment to rest: “I honor intentional rhythms of rest. I check emails three times a day: 10 am, 2 pm, and 7 pm on weekdays and pause correspondence during evenings and weekends for Sabbath rest.”

2. Notification-Free Times

Designate specific hours when notifications are silenced, perhaps after dinner or during early mornings, to create sacred space for renewal: “Notifications are off from 7 pm to 8 am to nurture family time + personal renewal.”

3. Rituals of Pleasure

Notice the small pleasures that already punctuate your days:

• Savoring a cup of water or tea ( or your favorite beverage) in the morning sun

• Taking a mindful walk after lunch

• Lighting a candle

4. Family or Community Practices

Weekly movie nights, shared meals, or weekend afternoon naps can all be Sabbathing Rhythms that foster connection + bliss.

5. Spiritual or Creative Practices

Engaging in prayer, meditation, or a creative hobby (like sketching, puzzles, coloring, or gardening) as a regular, restorative ritual.

By noticing + cherishing these rhythms, you cultivate a spirit of Sabbathing—one that moves beyond simply adding more, inviting you instead to savor what already is + to reclaim your life from the weight of overgiving + self-neglect. Together, we embrace our divinely infused lives-soft, tender, and free.

May we personally + collectively... Rest. Reimagine. Reclaim. Respond.

You are invited to make Sabbathing Rhythms your own. There is no one right way, only your way, in your season, with your soul. And as a fellow SOULjourner, walking this neurodivergent, abundant, and creative path, I’m cheering you on every step of the way.

Until next time,

Scribble. Speak. From your soul.

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Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational purposes only as I share my pastoral care, my journey, and bring to you valuable research. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing any medical concerns or symptoms, please seek the guidance of a qualified healthcare professional.

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