Easy Ways to Slow Down And Do Less
/“Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is a nobler art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials.”
In Summer time there is so much opportunity and invitations to run around and do more. It is easy to forget, that even when it is easy to be 'expansive' we still need to balance all the "doing" with some simply "being".
5 EASY WAYS TO DO LESS, SLOW DOWN AND FIND THE FREEDOM TO RELAX
1. Hands On Healing. Rest deeply with a bodywork or a massage session. (Essex county favorite Andrea Silk. NYC favorite Pratima Ayurveda Spa.) Or relax and take time to enjoy a healing self-massage in the morning or evening (abyanga). Learn how.
2. Savor your next meal. Extend the length of one meal a day, or even one meal a week. Even an extra 10-20 minutes per meal to sit afterwards will feel like freedom. Enjoy a mindful eating meditation today.
3 Free your mind. Turn off the TV, computer, internet, and even the radio for a whole day!. Or perhaps, for one week, shut off all your electronics and technology before dinner and keep them off for the rest of the night.
4. Take a 1/2 or full day retreat at home. Plan a day of yoga and meditation, sit and journal, cook and eat a favorite meal slowly, after you eat take a slow mindful stroll outside. As you walk slowly take time to smell the air. Notice the sounds around you. Stay aware of the scenery you pass. Come home take a long bath, enjoy an abyanga self-massage, and finish up with a deep relaxation practice. Or join me for my new Online Program RelaxMore @ Home 5 Week Program to enjoy your at home retreat - which opens August 6.
5. It's legal to say "no". You don’t actually have to do everything, or take every invitation, just because you think you "should'. Protect a little extra time on your schedule and read a book, write a letter, take a nap, draw, listen to music or relax in some other way.
Abraham Lincoln gave some good recommendations:
“Do not worry; eat three square meals a day; say your prayers; be courteous to your creditors; keep your digestion good; exercise; go slow and easy. Maybe there are other things your special case requires to make you happy; but, my friend, these I recommend.”
Slow Down With Me On Retreat this Month At Kripalu: Come join me for a full pause at Kripalu - July 27-29 or a mid week program July 29-Aug. 3.
