A guided meditation to help you relax :)
|
Yesterday’s Winter Solstice marked the longest night of the year, but it’s at a time of year where many of us often get very little rest. Like much of life, the holiday season can be a giant contradiction: festive, beautiful, heartwarming, cold, peaceful, overwhelming, and confusing. Within the span of a few minutes, we can be both the best and worst of ourselves as our kind and generous hearts are besieged by fatigue and stress. We may graciously wish joy and peace to total strangers in one moment, and then proceed to fight them in traffic the next. I’ve long said bad traffic and crammed parking lots tend to bring out the worst in people – it’s a particularly interesting juxtaposition during a time when people are (generally) at their most loving and compassionate. Have you ever watched a child eat lots of candy, their mood and antics swirling and escalating higher and higher, louder and louder until they hit the inevitable peak of the sugar high, followed by the equally predictable crash? This time of year feels a little to me like the grown-up version of that scenario. Sometimes sugar is the culprit. Sometimes it’s a lack of sleep, too much social interaction, or too little authentic expression of our real thoughts and desires in an attempt to keep the peace. But the collapse is just as inevitable. So before you find yourself screaming or cursing or crying (or all of the above), GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK. REST!!!!! The world won’t fall apart, I promise. Even if you take a bag of chips to your office potluck or ask your friends to skip exchanging gifts this year, or use gift bags instead of fancy wrapping, the world will keep spinning. Guaranteed. Or it won’t, and then all of that really won’t matter :) To me, Child’s Pose represents rest - an opportunity to regroup, re-center, and take a break. Let go of the illusion of control. You can get down on the floor, or just visualize pulling into your imaginary turtle shell and breathe deeply for a few moments. In the stillness of rest, listen for the voice of balance. BREATHE.  “People who cannot find time for recreation are obliged sooner or later to find time for illness.” ~ John Wanamaker
Our subconscious knows the importance of balance. If we’ve gone too long without resting or changing our pace, some part of us will ensure that it happens. I can only push myself for so long until something gives. If I don’t take a voluntary break to have some fun, find some humor, and deliberately lighten my load, some kind of “breakdown” often does. The breakdown can take several forms:
Strategic breaks don’t have to be long, and they don’t need to derail you. In fact, the more mindful I am about intentionally taking a break, the shorter it generally is. Conscious timeouts can be as quick as a breath or two, while the funk that results from pushing may last days, weeks, or months. List 10 purposeful breaks you enjoy. Include varied time commitments, from moments to hours to days. Call on them whenever you feel yourself banging your head on the wall (or better yet, before the bashing commences). :) |
Welcome!
Tools that fit into your hectic days and busy life... If you feel like you've hit the wall, are exhausted, feel like something's missing, or just need some new tools and techniques in your back pocket, you're in the right place. We all get stressed and overloaded from time to time. My strategies and blog offer support, tools, perspectives & reminders to help you be your most powerful & make the biggest difference in your work & your life. You can read more about me and my journey on the About page. Archives
January 2015
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed