With summer coming to an end, and we ease into autumn, I can't help but deny the internal craving to slow down, reset and refresh. With the excitement and carefree flow of summer's energy, mixed in with the late nights and fun times with friends and family, it's easy to fall out of our routines that keep us grounded. One of the practices I love focusing on is slowing down. I don't know if you are like me, but when I feel like I have a million things going on in my life, my brain also begins to feel overwhelmed and scattered.
One practice that I invite you to try with me is finding fulfillment in ordinariness. It's so easy to take all the simple little things in our lives for granted. Especially when we are moving through our days so quickly. What if we practice slowing down everything within our lives. Slow down your breath and notice. Slow down how quickly you move your body through space and notice. Taking a simple, easy, natural, and ordinary approach to the things in your life may seem boring and unstimulating, but when we are able to find the gifts and the beauty in these tiny moments, a unique depth and richness begins to form. Our appreciation for the simplicity in our lives that we possibly overlook, begins to richen. When we are able to slow down enough, we can almost feel ourselves become one with all that surrounds us, instead of feeling like we need to rush to get things done. We begin to feel the support and the guidance from our Internal Compass. A feeling of flow and allowance can begin to wash over us.
I just heard recently this great idea of what if we turn our "have to's" into "get to's" We have to make dinner, or we have to wash the dishes, what if we begin looking at these tasks as we "get to" make dinner to nourish ourselves and those we love and we "get to" wash dishes in our homes that we have designed for ourselves when so many don't have this privilege or gift. What if we began to look at the mundane tasks like washing dishes instead of having to clean up after ourselves or someone else, we wash them with love and intention, knowing that we love the next person who will use these dishes and we want to care deeply for those we have allowed to enter our lives.
Practice taking a moment each day, even if it is just for a few breaths to step outside, put your bare feet on the earth and welcome the warm sun on your skin. Close your eyes and just breathe 3 slow, deep breaths. I know it sounds cliche but take a moment to take in your surroundings. Listen to the sounds clearly and let them speak to you. Taken in the scents, feel the breeze. Connect deeply and meaningfully with your surroundings. The actions we take speak to our internal state of being.
Grounding ourselves in the day-to-day simplicities and routines creates a sense of security and calm in the mind and nervous system which then allows us to drift into our creative state. Do you care to join me in a practice of slowing down and moving through our days with deliberate intention and mindfulness? Join me for my group Reset & Refresh Online Workshop September 10-17th. Meet and connect with other like-minded individuals and hold yourself accountable to feeling good. Watch for the signup email to follow! I hope to see you there!
All the love,
Pamela
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