Our half day retreat in beautiful Laguna Canyon at the Blue Heron Portal Studio felt wonderfully restorative and nurturing! The morning started off with a restorative two hour meditative yoga session that reminded me of what I had been forgetting to bring into my own life. I had been forgetting to bring the "pause button". I realized that I had not been living in a 'A Living Balance' mode for the last couple of months and I was feeling it!
How did this happen? I was lulled into it. Probably like many of you, I had been running hard and fast since Thanksgiving, caught up initially, with all of the holiday visiting, family, extra cooking, all things that I love to do!!! I had mindfully cut out many things that I used to do for the holidays, so I thought I was managing things well, but I still got caught!
After the holidays, I hit the pavement running, excited to bring new webinars, classes, and new recipes, etc to all of you!! I've been filling up every nook and cranny of time, with very little down/quiet/meditative time. The only time when I was really stopping was when I was sleeping. I had forgotten the importance of stopping to just be present. I had been slowly lulled into a mindset that I know is harmful and is not sustainable, And guess what, my body finally took over my silly head and forced me to hit the pause button by getting sick. I felt betrayed!! I had not been sick in years and had forgotten what it even felt like. It was a wake up call for me!!
We all need to be reminded that there are simple ways of hitting the pause button and what it actually does on a biochemical level. Meditation and restorative yoga are two very easy and wonderful ways to do this. They both lower stress and cortisol levels which help to keep our immune systems in fighting condition and waistlines from bulging. Who doesn't want that! And when we lower stress and cortisol levels our bodies become less acidic. Disease, including cancer grow in acidic conditions.
We need to hit the pause button at least once or twice every day, even if for only 5-10 minutes each time. This is as easy as stepping away from our phones and computers and stepping outside and noticing what is around us. It's as easy as breathing deeply and noticing how our breathe fills our bodies which can slow it down and make us feel calmer.
Maybe none of you do this but, I am guilty of checking my emails and texting when I'm stopped at red lights, returning phone calls when I'm driving, even reaching for my phone within minutes of waking up-yikes!!! When I remember, it is actually nice to look up and notice what is around me, to be present. It's funny, but just doing that, I will often feel gratitude seeping in. And when the gratitude comes, I can feel my whole body soften.
Pause, Breathe, Notice........
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