Photo credit: Katia Silva
This photo is of the Seekonk River, which runs not so far from my house in Providence. The photo is not exactly, but pretty darn close to, the view I see when I’m sitting on my favorite rock.
I get to this spot by walking down my quiet street, crossing a busy boulevard, climbing up a stone wall, following a trail through the woods, walking down a hill through a cemetery, and then following a tiny path. The whole route takes about 15 minutes.
And then I sit on this rock and gaze out at the view a couple minutes. After a little while, I close my eyes and meditate.
(This is an audio recording of the sounds I can hear from this rock—it’s one minute long and makes a nice listening meditation if you have need of such a thing. There’s a little wind noise but I like to think that adds to the authenticity. =) )
When I feel done, I stand up and walk home.
What does this have to do with you? Something I hear a lot from folks is, “I don’t know how to do more stuff that makes me feel good. I can’t possibly add one more thing to my to-do list.” I’m sharing this story with you so you can have proof that you don’t need extra time, or do additional things, to create opportunities to get quiet enough to hear what you really think. If you already have a walking habit, simply sit down half-way and meditate for a few minutes. Boom.
If you don’t have a walking habit, you can take three breaths in your car before you head in to work.
If you don’t work outside the house, you can choose to do the dishes mindfully. (Don’t tell me you never have to do dishes!)
My point is, tie moments of stillness to things you are already doing. You don’t have to add anything ‘extra’.
Look for the opportunities to be quiet, to connect with yourself and with nature. They are all around you. (Click to Tweet!)
(By the way, this is true for anything you want more of—it is already there, waiting for you. You just need to be open enough to see it and do something to move toward it.)
In other words, keep it simple, sweetheart. =)
And for those of you who are looking for more of a whole-hog opportunity to slow down, breathe deep, and get in touch with your true self, have I got a retreat for you!
My good friend and co-author Ellen Barrett and I will be co-hosting a four-day retreat at Kripalu—one of my favorite places on Earth—in February. It’s called 28 Days Lighter, and it’s all about learning how to live more in sync with your cycle, so that you heal your PMS, shed excess weight, and achieve optimum feminine wellness. We’ll do plenty of yoga, meditating, visualizing, learning, talking, and re-orienting our efforts to work with our bodies instead of dragging it along behind us. Check out the details here!
