Beyond Burnout: Embracing Rest and Self-Compassion with Fiona Agombar
A New Way of Being
Simon Mundie
4.8 • 523 Ratings
🗓️ 6 January 2025
⏱️ 64 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
How to Reconnect with Your Inner Wisdom and Find True Wellbeing.
At this time of New Year resolutions, it’s easy to fall into the trap of pushing harder and faster. But in a world already moving at breakneck speed, chronic stress, overwhelm, and burnout have become alarmingly common.
This episode offers a vital alternative: the power of rest. My guest, Fiona Agombar, is a yoga therapist, rest activist, and author of Breathe, Rest, Recover. Having experienced severe burnout herself as a high-flying business owner, Fiona knows firsthand the life-changing impact of embracing rest without shame or guilt. She shares how rest not only helps us recover but also reconnects us with our inner wisdom and reveals what we truly want from life.
We discuss the profound benefits of slowing down, tuning into the body, and practising self-compassion. Fiona also highlights practical ways to integrate rest into daily life, from conscious breathing and micro-breaks to managing "tech apnea"—the impact of constant screen use on breathing and stress levels. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone seeking to break free from the relentless pace of modern life.
Topics covered:
- The concept of rest activism and why reintroducing rest and convalescence into modern life is essential.
- Why people struggle to rest and the dangers of ignoring signs from our body.
- How interoception and tuning into inner wisdom can aid in overcoming stress and burnout.
- Fiona’s personal journey of healing from chronic illness through yoga and self-inquiry.
- Practical strategies for rest and recovery, including conscious breathing and micro-breaks.
- The effects of news consumption and technology on our wellbeing and mental health.
- The importance of recognising the background aware presence that is always available.
Links & Resources:
- Fiona Agar’s website: https://www.fionaagombar.co.uk/
- Fiona’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fionaagombar3037/videos
- Fiona’s Facebook group: Rest and Yoga for Fatigue
- Fiona’s books: https://www.fionaagombar.co.uk/books
Simon's book and Banishing Burnout - Finding Flow FREE online course
I’m excited to announce the paperback edition of my book, Champion Thinking: Get Out of Your Own Way, Find Your Peak Performance, is now available. Published by Bloomsbury, the link is here: https://www.simonmundie.com/book
🔗 Free course on beating burnout and finding flow: https://www.simonmundie.com/beat-burnout-mini-course
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and a very happy new year to you. I hope you had a good break and a feeling rested |
| 0:10.1 | and rejuvenated. This is the time of year when people set all sorts of New Year's resolutions, |
| 0:15.8 | many of which involve pushing themselves harder and faster. But modern life is already moving at such a fast speed |
| 0:23.0 | and is so focused on things like success and achievement that rates of chronic stress, |
| 0:28.8 | overwhelm and burnout are through the roof. So this conversation is all about the importance of rest. |
| 0:34.6 | Fiona Agambar is a yoga therapist, a rest activist and the author of several books, |
| 0:40.1 | including her latest, which is called Breathe, Rest, Recovery. Fiona says it's vital we learn to |
| 0:45.9 | embrace rest without shame or guilt, because if we don't do so, the consequences can be huge |
| 0:51.6 | and can blindside any one of us. |
| 0:54.8 | Fiona knows this firsthand, having been a high-flying business owner who lost everything |
| 0:59.0 | when she became incredibly unwell through burnout. |
| 1:03.1 | And as painful as that was, it did enable her to see life in a radical new way |
| 1:07.9 | and to discover her true calling and purpose. |
| 1:11.4 | And that is one of the potential benefits of really embracing rest. |
| 1:15.4 | We do start to turn inwards and uncover what we truly want from life |
| 1:19.5 | and what life truly wants from us. |
| 1:22.2 | As well as learning about the transformative power of rest |
| 1:24.9 | and the consequences of neglecting what is an essential practice. |
| 1:29.1 | We also explore the importance of coming into the body and self-compassion, as well as the |
| 1:33.5 | profound benefits of yoga beyond physical postures. |
| 1:37.6 | Fiona also highlights the importance of listening to your inner wisdom over external expectations |
| 1:42.2 | and shares practical tips for rest like conscious breathing, |
... |
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