I’m fascinated by the Māori concept of rāhui. Especially in terms of our environment. Most indigenous cultures live alongside their environment and believe we’re deeply connected to it. It is us and we are it rather than it being something we ‘use’ and take from in ways that simply are not sustainable.
If we all adopted this concept and took a break from or restricted access to our most precious resources to allow those resources to recover, we may not be in the climate crisis we are today. Rāhui goes much further than that though. As well as being an act of conservation in the spirit of kaitiakitanga, it is also something that is sacred. A time to respect and not visit a certain area for tapu reasons.
So we restrict use and access out of respect and for conservation – I reckon the same could be said for us, our personal resources and our work when I think of our energy and the prevalence of burnout. Rāhui may be a concept unique to Māori that we can learn from here too.
You know I talk a lot about sustainability of ourselves as a resource, and I’m thinking about the Māori concept of rāhui today in respect of ourselves and what we might learn. Most of us only take a break from our work over Christmas or summer, and then if you’re a woman that is not always a break if you’re the one who buys all the gifts, cooks all the meals and arranges all the social and whānau gatherings! Even in times of burnout or extreme sickness, we struggle to stop and impose a restriction on the usual comings and goings of our life. I think we need to.
It’s something I’ve been forced to consider this year due to ongoing health issues. As I contemplate my own kind of restriction to preserve my own resources, I worry how I’ll fill the space that my work so often (and rewardingly) does for me. I worry I will not be as valuable to the world if I’m not busy. That my business may suffer if I’m not there in it all the time and that there’s things I’ll need to stop doing in order to make this possible, when my natural inclination is to say yes to everything.
Some of this may ring true for you too. We’re conditioned to always keep going. To continually take from our resources until there’s nothing left to give. We live in a world where we’re rewarded for our contribution, and busyness is worn like a badge of honour. Our self-worth and value is often placed upon the amount of things we can do. We’re uncomfortable stopping, saying no and stepping back. And yet as Māori show us through rāhui, it’s imperative for the resources to regenerate that we give them this space and restrict use to enable conservation and continued growth.
It is for this reason we’ve got just a couple of dates left in the calendar for September and October before I embark on sabbatical November-January. If you were thinking of working with me this year, let’s chat.
Whilst it’s a time of nervous trepidation for me, as with all life experiences, I’m looking forward to seeing what I gain and what it’ll teach me, and how that impacts how I can show up for you in 2025.
Thanks to my wonderful team, the social media, blogs and podcast will continue to tick over so whilst I’ll be gone, it won’t feel like it, and I’m confident this will mean I come back better!