Hello lovely human,
Do you know those times when your nervous system is flooded from being overwhelmed? It can be from too many deadlines or too many things to do in too little time. You can feel like shutting down and giving up. A friend of mine once canceled all flights to and from their vacation due to the overwhelm of too many considerations after flights were booked. That’s the time I suggest leaning in… not to the frustration but to the subtle physical sensations of the moment.
It’s a yogic philosophy that I not only teach my yoga students, but it’s also a valuable technique for everyday life. It’s a momentary “pause” from the whirring/monkey mind and puts a much-needed gap between thinking and being.
Recently I had only 2 days to go through my Washington state storage unit to pare down my belongings (even more) to keep my cross-country relocation somewhat “affordable.” I felt my blood go cold at one point because there was too much to do in too short of time. I sat down on the concrete floor wanting to cry. That’s when I took a deep breath and noticed how the air flowed through my nostrils. I focused on the expansion of the nasal cavities. I wiggled my toes. As the cacophony of thoughts halted, the physical sensation was all that was left. I was able to get up and continue to do the next indicated thing… wrap and stuff the shoes with paper so they won’t collapse when re-packed.
In a physical yoga practice focusing on the subtleties of sensation such as the breath, the tightening of muscle
s against the bone or the stretch of the skin offers a gap between getting frustrated with the moment or allowing the moment to be just that… a moment in time that can never possibly repeat itself. Only the mind will create the frustration of “why do I always fall out of that pose every time I try it?” Transition to feeling the subtle physical sensations of the moment, halt the monkey mind then begin again. Not just in yoga ~ you can create a reset of your day, or the moment by leaning into the sensation, not the frustration.
And you can always do a major reset by attending one my adventure yoga retreats in either Bali or Switzerland. See below for details.
With love & respect,
Tina