How much daily news do you get from the TV or radio? How
many times do you check your email each day or receive a "tweet"? How
much do you engage in playing games on Facebook or solitaire on your
computer? How much time do you experience silence each day?
My thought for this week was inspired this past weekend during
my annual yoga retreat in Idyllwild. The intention of the
retreat is completely around the practice of unplugging ourselves from
our often hectic lives. The idea is to take the
residue of retreating into the cooler climes of the local mountains
where it's so easy to disconnect and bring it back to our "regular"
lives.
Being on retreat is the perfect opportunity to disconnect and unplug. For two full days we put away our cell phones, had no TV or radio. Access to the Internet was discouraged so that tended to limit our time to check on anything other than "urgent" emails. The beauty of having consecutive days of disconnect is that it allows your brain, body and spirit to find themselves in a different relationship to one another. Distractions of our busy-ness aren't given the opportunity to interrupt. Plus, if you add in a daily practice of yoga, meditation, hiking along a mountain trail and watching a sunset whilst dining al fresco, the experience enters a space of potential transformation.
So, how do we then connect to this place of ease and stillness once we return from the mountain top when we have work to do and a schedule to keep?
My answer is to first, remember the physiological feeling of being quiet and still. When you reach a state of calm, how does it feel in your body? Where is your calm center located?
Second, create the opportunity to find at least 10 minutes during your day to connect to this inner space. Sit. Breathe. Be. Take a break from watching or reading the news for a few days. Turn off your phone and pick up a good book. Make it a priority...every day.
Stop doing. Just be. Even if it's only for a few moments.
Being on retreat is the perfect opportunity to disconnect and unplug. For two full days we put away our cell phones, had no TV or radio. Access to the Internet was discouraged so that tended to limit our time to check on anything other than "urgent" emails. The beauty of having consecutive days of disconnect is that it allows your brain, body and spirit to find themselves in a different relationship to one another. Distractions of our busy-ness aren't given the opportunity to interrupt. Plus, if you add in a daily practice of yoga, meditation, hiking along a mountain trail and watching a sunset whilst dining al fresco, the experience enters a space of potential transformation.
So, how do we then connect to this place of ease and stillness once we return from the mountain top when we have work to do and a schedule to keep?
My answer is to first, remember the physiological feeling of being quiet and still. When you reach a state of calm, how does it feel in your body? Where is your calm center located?
Second, create the opportunity to find at least 10 minutes during your day to connect to this inner space. Sit. Breathe. Be. Take a break from watching or reading the news for a few days. Turn off your phone and pick up a good book. Make it a priority...every day.
Stop doing. Just be. Even if it's only for a few moments.
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