Try This At Home: Be Still

She called me out and I couldn’t deny it. “I don’t think you are being as still as you need to be.” 

I was visiting my acupuncturist who has known me for the past four years. Initially I was going every two weeks and over time it has moved to check up visits. Typically the visits are a few times a year when I am feeling out of balanced. She knows me well in regards to my self care practices and sometimes my lack of self care practices. I had been sharing how I wasn’t sure about several things in my life and was feeling out of balance. Of course, it was the anniversary of my Mom’s death and I had been pushing myself and was in a constant state of emotion. A typical pattern of coping with everything in my life.

Truthfully, I was not being still.  Two jobs, writing deadlines, cold winter weather and social commitments had taken away from moments of sitting with my journal or listening to nature. My foot was on the accelerator of life and I needed to put on the brakes. Needing to slow down was one reason I made the latest acupuncture appointment. I had no choice but to slow down and be still. I listened to my body as it relaxed from the needle points and slowed my breathing down. Taking this time allowed me to take stock of where my life was and listen to my inner voice. It is by slowing down that one can gain a better view of where to go next.

Today’s Try It At Home Tip is to attempt to be still in your own life. 

Being still does not have to involve taking an hour out of your life. In fact, I encourage you to begin with 5 minutes. Examples of those 5 minutes can be:

• Taking 5 minutes to take deep breaths before racing out of bed.
• Holding the warmth of your coffee or tea cup and close your eyes before racing to your next task.
• Smelling the food that you are cooking or the laundry as it comes out of the dryer.
• Taking a few minutes to sit in your car with the radio off before getting out and going into work.
• Stretching your body as you get up from your desk and feel where the tightness is present in your body.

Notice that I am not encouraging you to meditate (but you can if you want). Instead, I simply encourage you to stop the noise of your day and acknowledge where you are at. What are you feeling? Is your body aching or hurting? In the silence, is there something you have discovered that you have not fully acknowledged? As for me, the silence of being still does bring answers to my life. Being still does not allow time to run from the thoughts and feelings I may otherwise ignore.

Do you allow time to be still in your life? Will you take time this week to practice stillness? 

PS: Did you take the Make Your Bed Challenge last week?