Two main things have been swirling around in my brain the last few weeks that I want to share with you:
1) Everyone, including me, is so busy again!
Remember when we were in lockdown and there was nothing to do, calendars were cleared, and we entertained ourselves with jigsaw puzzles, longer walks, doomscrolling Covid news and Zoom happy hours? I've talked to so many people recently who agree that we feel busy again. But having had the pause of the pandemic to slow us down, this busy-ness feels different. Maybe more hectic? More endless? And how did it go from zero to 9 million miles an hour in seemingly a blink of an eye? Also, what year is it?
Our collective pause in 2020 had many of us realize how busy we had become, how full our calendars kept us, and how good it felt to slow down and let go of the turnstile. Of course, not everyone got to slow down, but our priorities and awareness definitely experienced a shift.
Returning to a full calendar of commitments may only feel more stressful because we have the pause as comparison. We now know what it feels like to have a slower pace for a long period of time. Our nervous systems enjoy that more leisurely pace of life. But here we are, revving to go, full steam ahead. Maybe it feels like making up for lost time? Maybe it feels like this is just the pace we must maintain just to keep up. But whatever it is, however you are feeling, remember that slowing down can be a conscious choice. And our yoga practice can help with that.
Which leads me to Number 2.
2) Sometimes when life feels chaotic, too fast, too difficult, it's not always easy to draw upon the tools of our yoga practice. Sometimes we forget those tools are there for us or that we don't have time for the practice. And this is when we need them the most.
Remembering to stop and take some long, deep breaths, to feel your feet or your whole body on the ground, to listen to your heartbeat and be fully attuned to your present experience can be really hard when we're stuck in the spin cycle.
There are so many times I've had someone say to me after a yoga class, "I didn't even know how much I needed that."
We do forget. But just a little bit of slowing down and paying attention, moving, breathing and tuning in more deeply to what's happening on the inside, can shift your entire mood, your entire perspective.
So, as we continue on and move toward summer, with graduations, vacations and longer, warmer days, let's remember also to slow down. Let's remember that our yoga practice is here for us, always, to help keep our feet on the ground and our wits about us.