Dear friends,

There’s a lot of napping in my house.
(Two adorable examples shown above.)

And it’s not just the pets that nap; we humans nap regularly, too. :) This will probably come as no surprise; as all of you know by now, I’m a huge advocate of rest, naps, and slowing down.

Why? Well, partly because I’m a recovering overfunctioning perfectionist who believed that what I accomplished was somehow more important than who I was being in the world. That I had to “keep up”, make straight As, do all the things, be all the places. That my value was tied to my level of productivity. That when I (or someone else) set a deadline, it was set in stone. These were all beliefs that I held (and I see so many people currently hold) and they took my toll on my mental health. These are hard habits to break/beliefs to release.

But, we can start somewhere.

Maybe today you will cross one thing off your to-do list. Or say “no” to something you’ll be asked to do. Or ask your child/partner/friend to do something that would be helpful and create some ease for you. Or take the scenic route on the way to or from work. Or go for a walk without your phone. Or block off a chunk of unplanned time in your calendar for next week. Or, yes, maybe even lay down and take a nap.

There are lots of ways to begin slowing down, doing less, and being more... start small. And let the practice grow.

My teacher, Judith Hanson Lasater, is fond of saying: “I know you can do more, but can you do less?”

I ask myself this question often. (Almost daily.)
And every, single time I hear my inner voice say “YES. Yes, I can.”

I know you can, too.

If you still believe you can’t, look deeper – with intentional compassion – at what is underlying that belief. Where did that myth come from?

Today, I’ll head up to Whidbey Institute for another week-long, in-person training immersion for my yoga therapy program. I will be offline all week, but that doesn’t mean I will be missing connection. In fact, I am almost electric with anticipation because I will get to be in community with the 18 lovely souls who are in, teach, or mentor my program. It’s incredibly enlivening! Every week, plus one weekend a month, we see each other in the now familiar Brady Bunch boxes of Zoom-land. However, as we all know by now, it’s not the same as in person! When we are together – not behind screens –the depth of the interactions is so much richer, not to mention imbued with a refreshing sense of ease. We get to experience each other’s fullness, energy, and dynamicism in the round, and it’s rather magical. I personally relish it, and I will see you all on the flip side of this special week full of deep learning and being.

Blessings to each of you,
Nicole

PS. Guess what?! I’ve added 23 practices to my on-demand library! Seattle Yoga Arts graciously allowed us former teachers to download our videos from their old Vimeo library. These mostly include my popular 1/2 Gentle & 1/2 Restorative classes, but there are also a couple Restorative practices and several of the mini Deluxe Savasana with Guided Meditation classes. Check them out!

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Break the habit of busyness

Nicole Bratt Yoga