It’s midday, and you’re having a break.
You’re on a beautiful beach. There’s a quiet breeze while you sit under the shade of a palm tree. You dig your toes into the sand, and the gentle crash of the ocean waves softly sends you to sleep.
Welcome, my friend, to the siesta – a rich Spanish tradition.
Now, we admit not every siesta takes place on a palm-tree-laden beach (although that sounds amazing), but the idea is the same. Often following a big lunch, the siesta is a short sleep or rest taken in the afternoon, used to recharge.
“It is very attached to the Spanish culture to take a short nap after lunch before getting back to work, or even on weekends,” Madrid-based designer and entrepreneur Paloma Ávila tells us. “It is our way to get energized after eating,” she adds.
The tradition has long been a staple of Spanish culture, so much so that shops can close during afternoon hours. After all, who doesn’t deserve a break?
Moving beyond simply the act of relaxation, the siesta is restorative in more ways than you might think, being innately tied to the socializing that occurs before it.
It can be seen as a double-whammy of rest, with one side giving you a boost from the act and appreciation of food, company and conversation, and the other in the rest that follows.
The siesta, at the end of the day, is an investment. An investment in repose, an investment in energy and an investment in yourself. So, we ask you to take time for yourself today and reap the rewards the siesta provides!
We hope you make a habit of it, and if you do, here are a few phrases that might help you out:
Me voy a echar una siesta — I'm going to take a nap
La siesta me ha sentado muy bien — the nap has done me good, the feeling of being well rested from a nap that served its purpose