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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,
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