When the masculine energy of go, go, go, do, do, do takes over, it can be quite difficult to come out of this mode of being. We live in a culture that fosters being addicted to “doing.” So many of us feel we go through phases of sleepwalking through life, simply going through the motions, and feeling monotonous and stuck in the routine, craving a fresh perception. I.e-The way a child feels when they’re awe-struck with life and in a state of complete wonder. The way we feel when we look up at the night sky and feel small. The way we feel witnessing a beautiful sight in nature for the first time and it feels like time has stopped, our narrow minded thinking has widened to a more macro-level perspective, and we are reminded of what is truly important in life. We each have our own unique stories and life journeys, but at our core we are all the same- on some level our souls all yearn for this feeling of presence, freedom and wakefulness.
The past year of my life was for the most part devoted toward completing my goal of becoming licensed as a therapist. I was hustling to finish my hours and then take my exam. As a result of being in this grind mode for so long, I’ve noticed how much my nervous system’s default mode has become one of feeling “on” most of the time, fast-paced, feeling rushed, in a hurry, and often hyper-activated. It’s like my nervous system forgot how to simply “be”, so much so, that in moments of stillness, it can actually even feeling threatening and unsafe to the part of my being that for the past year has been hyper-focused on productivity. This is our capitalistic culture at play. In a world where we have become addicted to instant gratification and being busy all the time, slowing down and pausing can feel really uncomfortable. The inner critic often starts up right away with its chatter-“You dont have time to slow down and be still. Theres too much to get done.” Despite this, The magic of slowing down is that we notice and feel SO much more. By slowing down, we come back to a deeper intimacy with the present moment and with our own heart. Yes, this opens us up to possibly feeling pain or difficult emotions we have avoided feeling by staying in go mode, but it also opens us up to feeling deeper levels of joy and pleasure when we get out of auto-pilot mode. The ego often resists this slowing down because it can feel vulnerable to access deeper feelings in this way. Slowing down to feel and become present takes courage. It’s easier to repress and stuff it all down, but this cuts us off from our own life force energy- our vitality and aliveness of being.
The other day, I practiced allowing myself to simply pause and relish in the experience of eating a very yummy peach- to access a deep feeling of pleasure. I laughed to myself as I felt the peach juice dripping down my chin and thought “this is what life is really all about.” Stopping and appreciating simple pleasures. So, the invitation is to practice turning on all the senses in order to feel fully present, awake and alive. To come back to that child-like fresh lens of the world. When you take your sip of tea, pause, slow down, and notice the smells and tastes, and the comfort of feeling the warm mug in your hands. We came to this beautiful planet to feel fully alive. Can we love ourselves enough to give ourselves permission to step out of the “rat race” more often and to really savor and relish in the joy and goodness of simple moments? In India, they have bells that are rung throughout the day in corporate work environments, reminding them every time the bell rings to pause from the busy work day and delight in the relaxation of taking a few slow, deep breaths. “Don’t let a mad world tell you that success is anything other than a successful present moment.”- Eckhart Tolle
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