Home Body · Kars Dodds Now on Substack

Rest for the Resistance.

Rest is complicated. This is a place to start unpacking it — and hold hands along the way.

Welcome to the REST-istance. I hope you'll join me in softly enlisting into rest as a method of resisting the grind — and reparenting ourselves towards a radical and active softness.

I'm Kars (they/them). For the past five years I've worked as a massage therapist and somatic practitioner. I view healing as activism — and I want to help spread that feeling to every cell in your body.

Why this, why now

The world is burning and it's begging us to slow down. Neo-capitalist structures aren't just building data centres — they're structuring our days, rushing our thinking, and urging productivity into the pace of our cells. We deserve rest beyond collapse. We deserve the indulgence of radical pleasure, movement, and stillness.

Live offerings begin September 9th · Weekly sessions · Monthly rest circles

What you get when you enlist.

A growing space for collective rest, movement, and the radical act of slowing down — together.

🌙

Monthly live rest circles

Guided rest in community — together doing nothing, together. Body scans, restorative positions, and the particular safety that comes from resting alongside people who get it.

📚

Growing library of practices

Every session archived and available to revisit whenever your body needs it. A library that grows with the community — on your own terms, at your own pace.

💬

Substack community chat

Where the conversation happens between sessions. Ask questions, share what's coming up in your practice, or just read along. A space that guides our exploration together.

♾️

Unlimited streaming

Access to the full library, all recordings, all practices — no limits on how often you return to what your body needs.

This space is for you if —

The REST-istance centres people whose bodies have been pushed hardest by the systems we're resisting.

Slowing down feels like something you need and something you desire
You're LGBTQ+ and tired of wellness spaces that don't see you
You're disabled or chronically ill and need practices that flex with you
You're neurodivergent and want movement without performance
You're exhausted by productivity culture and want permission to stop
You want to build a relationship with your body — on your own terms
You live with chronic pain or stress and want tools that actually help
You want community, not just content

🥄 Rated by spoon spend — always

Every session in this space is rated before you show up. No more arriving to something that assumes you have more than you do. You choose based on what your body actually has today.

🥄 Low — lying down welcome
🥄🥄 Medium — some standing
🥄🥄🥄 High — full movement
About Kars

Healing as activism.

The person behind the REST-istance — and why this work is personal.

Kars Dodds
Kars Dodds
they / them
Massage therapist · somatic practitioner

Built by someone who needed it too.

For the past five years I've worked as a massage therapist and somatic practitioner — sitting with bodies that are exhausted, held tight, and asking to be let go. I view healing as activism. I want to help spread that feeling to every cell in your body.

I built the REST-istance because the space I needed didn't exist. A place that holds queer and disabled bodies first, that takes accessibility seriously rather than treating it as an afterthought, and that understands rest as a political act — not a productivity strategy.

This isn't wellness for wellness's sake. This is resistance.

RYT 200 yoga teacher Neuro-somatic yoga certified ITEC Level 3 massage FHT registered Insured by Balens
Join the REST-istance

Access on a sliding scale.

Because access to rest shouldn't depend on how much you earn. Choose the tier that honestly reflects your financial situation.

Start free and stay as long as you need — or choose a paid tier that honestly reflects your financial situation. No questions asked, no proof required. Paid rates renew every month until you cancel or change tiers.

Resourced REST-ister
Resourced
£30
per month
or £300/year
For those with significant financial stability and plenty to spare. Choosing this tier helps sustain access for everyone else.
Join Resourced →
Standard REST-ister
Standard
£22.50
per month
or £225/year
For those who meet their needs and save some. The middle ground — full access, fair contribution.
Join Standard →
Community REST-ister
Community
£15
per month
or £150/year
For those experiencing financial instability. You belong here regardless of what you can contribute.
Join Community →
Free subscriber
Take a peek inside, indefinitely.
No card details · unsubscribe anytime
A way to stay close to the work without committing financially right now. You'll receive Kars's musings, writing, and reflections on somatic work, rest as resistance, and what's alive in the practice — plus the occasional free movement offering when one drops.
Writing and musings on rest, somatics, and resistance
Occasional free practices when they drop
A taste of the community before committing
Subscribe free →
Free includes
✓ Kars's writing + musings
✓ Occasional free practices
Weekly live sessions
Monthly rest circles
Full practice library
Community chat

Join as a group

17% discount per person on the Resourced tier. Bring your community with you.

£255/year per person
Join as a group →
Pay-it-forward option: If you're joining at the Resourced tier and want to go further, you can join as a Supporting REST-ister at £400+/year — directly subsidising community access for others. Select this option via the Resourced tier link above.
Live offerings begin September 9th · 12pm GMT

I hope to see you
inside.

If slowing down feels like something you need — something you desire — I urge you to join us. Access is on a sliding scale, no questions asked. Choose the tier that honestly reflects where you are right now.

Free REST-ister
Free
Writing, musings + occasional free practices · no card needed
Subscribe free →
No questions asked
Cancel anytime
Change tiers whenever
Hosted on Substack
Starts September 9th