Slow Down for Sustainability of Soul and Soil
Ways to Ground Consciously from immediately attainable to long-term commitment
It feels like the same story day-in and day-out: one action bleeds into another and without much time, we are lost from our awareness. Checking phones while eating dinner with family; responding to work emails while sitting in meditation; eating while driving; cramming in so much in one day that we have very little time to attend to our own basic needs for survival. It is so incredibly easy to slip off the path of meaningful presence into disarray.
But really, can we be blamed? Things are more accelerated than they have ever been here on planet earth and in multidimensionality. It is no surprise that our footprint is off the tracks. There is so much our nervous systems need to register in any moment within a wide array of contexts. It is no wonder there is so much violence, confusion, anger and chaotic, misaligned energy; yet there is another way of being. Recognize and embody your power in the collective. Be the change. Simplicity is key. Take it down a notch. Stop. Look. Listen.
Implementing immediately accessible to long-term sustainable strategies to slow down your mind, body, breath and heart are keys to another path. Ultimately they will spare your peace of mind, your family and the health and wellbeing of our Planet Earth at large.
Immediately attainable:
Heartbeat meditation
Find your pulse. Wherever you may be, you can always stop and find your heartbeat. This is especially helpful when you find that your heart is racing; your mind is wandering with anxiety; your soul is seeking to find its grip on reality. As a former nurse, I can confidently advise you gently rest your index and middle fingers on your carotid artery (in the groove of your neck tucked back towards your jawline by the ear) or your radial pulse if you are feeling adventurous (by the bone of your wrist on the side of your thumb). Breathe with your pulse. The fun part is when you feel your heartbeat begin to slow down (in the event you are indeed in tachycardia, another nod to my nursing roots). It is a relatively quick demonstration of the direct impact you have on your whole body wellness through your centered awareness with conscious breath. It also brings you back to awareness of the omnipresent pulse on Earth.
Walking Mindfully and Without Purpose
Walk without purpose!? I remember the first time somebody told me that I walk with purpose and the way to “get what you want in life” is to walk with purpose. Yes, this certainly has a valuable place. Sometimes. It has helped me to sneak into festivals and academically, it helped me to graduate. It wasn’t without cost to my wellbeing overall (except for the festivals, those were 1000% worth it). It’s the point A to point B mentality. I remember it all-too-well while pacing the halls, completing tasks at the hospital as an RN. I am actively in separation with my tendency to walk with purpose. Walking with purpose prohibits true meditative connection to all of the beauty surrounding you, in my experience. Instead of walking with need to get somewhere, let's take a walk to enjoy life. The Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh delivers such eloquent instructions on this: “When we walk like we are rushing, we print anxiety and sorrow on the Earth. We have to walk in a way that we only print peace and serenity on the Earth… Be aware of the contact between your feet and the Earth. Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.” When we walk slowly with mindfulness, we are giving not only ourselves but our loved ones including beautiful Mother Earth a gift.
Let someone ahead of you, especially if you are feeling rushed or “don’t have the time”
You know the feeling when somebody lets you ahead in traffic or in the grocery line. It’s a relief, a little break. It is almost touching to the heart. It makes you feel like this person cares about your burden being a little lighter. Maybe I am just highly sensitive, but in a world of numbers, fast-pace and priority of productivity, being given this stress reprieve, this extra 15 seconds feels like a generous gift of Spirit. You know what’s better than receiving these gifts? Giving them. Next time you are feeling flustered and aggravated in traffic, extend the energy of abundance outward by affording someone else the chance at a stress-reprieve. Let the pedestrians walk and the bikers ride. When you live this way, you are actively developing a new way of being for the collective. By consciously choosing to pause, breathe and extend opportunity for your fellow man, you are signaling outward that there is plenty of time and space for all to do and be where they are. While they are merging, you may also take a deep breath and smile in your choice. This may not come easily at first, but as you practice it will integrate into your lifestyle. It benefits the Earth in your conservation of unnecessary fumes (from your vehicle and you) and wear and tear on your car and heart.
Sit outside and do nothing.
Sit in the woods or your yard, somewhere where there is natural beauty unfolding to witness. There is always something to see and explore; sometimes we just need to sit a bit, listen and watch. Here’s the catch: don’t bring a thing to do. Leave your phone inside. No need for books, instruments, writing or art tools. Let yourself be and bask in each and every sipping moment as it passes. Breathe and simply notice. Ground with awareness of your precious surroundings and self. Let the thoughts go wild, witness their decay. Sitting on the Earth is bonus grounding or earthing. You will settle in and out of presence. Be soft and gentle with yourself. You are living it! You aren't doing it; you are being slow and sustained.
Longer term committed implementation:
Enjoying proper tea time
This has long been adapted in cultures internationally. Why not the good ol’ USA? Settling in and taking time to enjoy a proper cup (or pot) of tea is simply being. This is an opportunity to slow down, take in with all the senses individually and unhurried, and truly feel how the tea is shifting the chemistry and waves within your body. Incorporating tea ceremony into my daily morning routine has changed my life. It affords the opportunity to sort out intentions for the day and also has shown me that I am capable of sitting and focusing on one task instead of living in butterfly brain. Somehow the magic of drinking tea captivates enough to easefully settle into stillness and heightened awareness. This offering of being still and sipping tea is a prayer of gratitude for each element involved in the process of tea brewing. This act returns us to awareness of how deeply nourished and supported we are by all natural forces surrounding us always. When we stop and appreciate, it breathes deeper consciousness into us and fosters the reality that we are all interconnected. Our choices and our lives directly affect the living, breathing, natural world. When we sit and commune with the energies of Earth through the elemental journey of Tea, we remember our responsibility to steward, protect and tend these exact energies that enliven us. It is truly an incredible, all-encompassing synergy supporting yourself through mindful sitting and savoring with these beautiful herbs of the world while also stoking your awareness to the powerful, essential components of Earth simultaneously.
Adapting to wei wu wei philosophy
Wei wu wei is an ancient Taoist way of life meaning “effortless action” or “non-doing.” If you are familiar with the Tao de Ching by Lao Tzu, it is one of the religious texts main premises. It is more than possible to sit back and receive all the direction and guidance one needs without putting forth any effort. In fact, I am sure many of you that are unknowingly on this path would agree that oftentimes trying to force any situation, whether it’s a relationship, job, living situation, whatever, it likely falls apart or does not veer in the direction hoped or desired. How many times have you known in your gut something was not meant to work out but really “tried” for it and ultimately it disintegrated like sand between your fingers? Wei wu wei is putting total trust into divine timing and cultivating space within for those energies to enter your life. I can speak to my own experience: I knew nursing wasn’t my end-all be-all towards the last year of my time in the career. Call it intuition, call it manifestation but I had received a private sound bath from my dear friend and mentor Jen who also plays the gong. She informed me that I was the freest in my being when deeply listening to gongs. That sparked in me the knowing it was time to invest in a Gong. That night I went on Facebook marketplace and essentially inherited a woman’s sound business investment kit for a fraction of the cost. I initially invested in the gong for myself. With all of the other special instruments present now, it became clear that they were meant to be shared and not quieted on a shelf. It all aligned perfectly and through the choice of nondoing and receiving guidance. When we continually strive (seeking is natural and healthy, in moderation) for answers and attempt to force scenarios, it requires much more energy expense than if we simply trusted, asked and sat back waiting for signs. We use less resources and are living in alignment with higher frequencies of the universal way, which is harmonious for our home of the Earth.
Yin yoga, yoga nidra and other stillness-oriented meditations
Yin yoga is the intentional stilling of one's being in prayer of wei wu wei. It is the allowance of space and time to enter into one’s being and field, guiding and influencing what is next. Granting oneself opportunity to surrender and simply be is high signaling to the universe that you are thriving and also at peace ,ready for whatever is in highest alignment for you. This may occur in the body, mind, heart and spirit. Through this stillness, we learn to embrace the varying discomforts and aches that may arise in mind and body and greet them with compassion and loving kindness. By slowing down and attending to our physical, emotional and energetic needs, we are optimizing our wellness and therefore reducing stress and risk for stress-related dis-ease. This enhances the world around us and healthy balance within our relations. Yoga nidra, or yogic sleep, is deeply restful to one’s whole being and liberates subconscious patterning. The creation of a sankulpa, or simple positive statement of resolution, at the beginning of practice is meant to seep into one’s depths throughout the course of the yoga nidra journey and become a part of the receiver in the long-term. For example, if you are seeking peace and state as a sankalpa “My mind is at peace,” your subconscious is infusing your being with the knowing that you are at peace. By cultivating deep awareness to subconscious patterns and upending them through thoughtful and specific intention setting, you are taking the reigns on your health and wellbeing. These stillness-oriented mindfulness practices remind us we are whole and we are in control from the Spirit to the body.
Routine gongbaths and soundbaths, but mostly gong baths
If you have ever had the blissful experience of a sound immersion, you will likely remember how time feels so much quicker (or even slower) than “real time.” There is something to be said about the elongation of time specifically as a gong player and also as a receiver of a gongbath. I recently took part in a 10-day (all day) gong immersion. Returning home after this experience, I noticed myself innately slowing down with my decision process. I began questioning my previously hurried steps. I then started giving myself the space needed to live a life centered in nondoing as well as completing tasks with total presence and mindfulness. This speaks volumes to the deeply lasting impacts of submerging oneself in the sound waves of the gong. It lasts to this day and my deep listening only continues. Sound immersion and gong baths align and refine our beings to the cosmic and natural way. It “simply” attunes us to clarity, peace and general slowing for sustainability as this is a high conscious way of functioning in a world at a restoration point. Sound more readily takes us to that in-between space (the point between rest and sleep) sometimes reemerging, not knowing where we went and also feeIing reborn from the start of the session. Incorporating sound immersion and gong baths into your wellness routine is an incredible long-term commitment for tending to your nervous system, stress management and overall being behaving in mindfulness on this planet.
Live Life in Cruise Control.
Living in moderation, void of extremes (as much as possible) allows for reduced wear and tear on all layers of your being.
