How often do you catch yourself running like a crazy person? Desperately trying to finish whatever you’re doing so that you can quickly dash to the subway, race into the yoga studio, quickly change and barely make it into the classroom before the door closes…which then takes at least the first fifteen minutes of class to recover from the act of just getting there? Yeah…I caught myself in one of these frantic ‘must get to yoga’ flurries last year, and a voice deep inside me called out “SLOW DOWN – what is the point of going to yoga if you’re building stress and tension to get there?” I immediately stopped, took a deep breath, collected myself and made the vow that I would not stress myself out to get to yoga..heck, to get anywhere…again. Of course I could now go-on to share time management tips to help prevent the need to rush, but we all know that even with the most careful planning, there will always be delays beyond our control. Here’s some inspiration on how to handle yourself and stay zen when you need to scoot:
1. Stay clear on what’s within your control, and what’s beyond your control. Can you set your alarm a wee bit earlier if you notice you’re perpetually running late to work? Yes. Can you turn into superman and fly above the traffic holding you up? No. Take a breath and give over to the fact that you have no control and try to cool that heat that starts to build when you find yourself getting frustrated. If you need a little help cooling down your frustration, here’s a breathing technique called ‘Sitali Breath’ that may help:make curl your tongue so it’s like a straw you can breathe through (or if you don’t have the gene that allows you to do this, simply purse your lips) and slowly inhale – feel the cool breath entering, hold it briefly- pause- and and then breathe out, either through your curled tongue or pursed lips, or nose. Pause, wait for the need for breath- and repeat. The breath controls the mind- and the feeling of the cool air should help calm your fury and help you center while you wait.
2. Feel your feet on the ground. Those moments when you feel yourself agitated and scrambling, just start to feel your feet. Notice what your feet feel like on the ground and how it feels to take a step. This simple, mindful approach can help ground and draw your attention back to the present moment – which is all that really exists. The future can wait- take time to honor the here and now.
3. And as a last resort, when you really need to scoot –walk at a level 10- but mentally stay at a level 2. One of my amazing movement professors in college, Dawn Saito, taught an exercise where we would move around the studio at various levels of vigor- 10 being high-energy, fast movement and 1 would be super slow motion. She would call out the dial, and then add elements – like our intention, and what was going on within us – playing with the state of our internal energy and how it can be in tune with, or drastically different from our external level of energy. I’ll never forget playing with the sensation of moving very quickly, while staying at a 2 internally, it creates such a level, calm way of moving quickly- but not allowing the mind to get wound up in the fast movement. You feel much more in control and steady – which can help you stay calm even when you need to dash.
- 5 Easeful Steps to Start Your Own Meditation Practice - September 14, 2014
- How to Find Some Stillness in a Life of Constant Movement - July 20, 2014
- Hush the Rush in 1-2-3 - February 25, 2014
